High altitude brewing tips

[corkybstewart]

For more than 25 years I brewed at 3100 feet, but we moved and I'm about to brew my first batch in 3 years, Our new house sits at 6213'(1980m) and I'm wondering if any of y'all can give me tips on extending boil times or anything else I haven't figured out yet.

 

[Jag75]

Hey Corky!! How's everything going ? Hope all is well . I dont know anything about what your looking for but maybe this link can get you pointed in the right direction. You guys still in NM ?

https://beersmith.com/blog/2019/12/...mary,for every 3200 feet (1000 m) of altitude.

 

[bracconiere]

someone explained to me the longer boil times instead of shorter here at 4500ft...was because it's easier but takes more energy to make it easy? if that makes sense, at all....so a bigger pot hotter heat source and it should be easier and faster to boil off more with more/less effort? lol

 

[couchsending]

I’m at 6800 feet. For a while I had significantly upped my boil times especially for beers with European Pilsner malt. I’ve since backed down to more normalish times. 90 for any of the Weyermann pils malts seems to be fine. Zero DMS issues. Standard US 2row and/or English malts 60-70 seems totally fine.

As much as the hop utilization sucks from an expense standpoint I think it’s rather nice from a hop flavor standpoint. You can add a lot more hops on the hotside without getting as much bitterness. Makes for a more interesting beer IMHO.

 

[corkybstewart]

Hey Corky!! How's everything going ? Hope all is well . I dont know anything about what your looking for but maybe this link can get you pointed in the right direction. You guys still in NM ?

https://beersmith.com/blog/2019/12/...mary,for every 3200 feet (1000 m) of altitude.

Good morning Jag. Yes, were still in NM, but we are hoping to spend the fall in France if they can get their Covid under control. Hopefully I'll be posting more about brewing now that the Tangerine Menace is gone.

 

[corkybstewart]

I’m at 6800 feet. For a while I had significantly upped my boil times especially for beers with European Pilsner malt. I’ve since backed down to more normalish times. 90 for any of the Weyermann pils malts seems to be fine. Zero DMS issues. Standard US 2row and/or English malts 60-70 seems totally fine.

As much as the hop utilization sucks from an expense standpoint I think it’s rather nice from a hop flavor standpoint. You can add a lot more hops on the hotside without getting as much bitterness. Makes for a more interesting beer IMHO.

Cost will be less of an issue now because we live out in the woods and have no beer swilling friends here-no more need for 2 kegerators since it's just the 2 of us drinking, and we both drink a lot less than 3 years ago. For hop crazy IPA's I'll probably still buy most of my beer in town, but but beers like good stouts, wheats and sours are very hard to come by in our small town.

 

[corkybstewart]

Hey Corky!! How's everything going ? Hope all is well . I dont know anything about what your looking for but maybe this link can get you pointed in the right direction. You guys still in NM ?

https://beersmith.com/blog/2019/12/...mary,for every 3200 feet (1000 m) of altitude.

Great link, thanks Jag. I have Beersmith on one of my computers somewhere, but it's one of the earliest versions. I wonder if it still works and if I can just update it.