southern folk brewing outdoors

[chrislehr]

how do you beat the heat. I have passed on brewing several nights now due to heat. My g/f wants to get the garage insulated/ac'd but then I need electric burners!

 

[ClaudiusB]

how do you beat the heat. I have passed on brewing several nights now due to heat.

I started brewing in the night and can't beat the heat with two gas burners running, keeping the hot water supply heated, mash tun or brew kettle going. The inside temps currently range from 99°F -105°F with fans running.
Last week it was 110°F outside.

My g/f wants to get the garage insulated/ac'd but then I need electric burners!

Our garage is insulated and the A/C can't handle the heat load during brewing.

Cool beers keep me going and this crazy hobby.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

 

[passedpawn]

Brew early. It's coolest then.

Electric brewing is very nice in this way.

Brew near the pool. Submerge body frequently.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

drink more beer!!

just kidding. kind of. it was about 100 last weekend when I brewed. I just try to stay hydrated and stay organized so I can be done as quick as possible. August is going to be no fun....

 

[Starderup]

how do you beat the heat. I have passed on brewing several nights now due to heat. My g/f wants to get the garage insulated/ac'd but then I need electric burners!

Start early early.

 

[demonrichie]

move north during the summer we bust in on you guys in the winter

 

[Houblon]

Theres not much you can do about the heat in the summer, I just ***** & whine:fro:

If its not ballsweating hot-n-humid then its raining buckets.

 

[KAMMEE]

You could do what some northern folks do in the winter to beat the cold and brew some partial mash/extract batches on the stove top inside. Or you could do the all grain but instead of doing the full boil outside using propane, you could split it into two batches and do it inside on the stove top.

 

[straycat]

2 weeks in the 90's and super humid i'm beginning to doubt i'll have a chance to brew my arrogant bastard clone anytime soon. today will be 98. all through the spring i brewed at night (7-8pm start time) and enjoyed it. i've also contemplated moving inside to the stove top again to take advantage of the ac but then i have other issues to content with - keeping my batch cool enough during fermentation. if i would have planned better i would have brewed some double batches through the spring and just planned on taking a few months off. been scouring CL for a cheap used fridge to use as a fermentation chamber but so far no luck.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Brewing in a Florida garage and I've not once considered the heat. I keep hearing people in Florida saying "It's too hot to ... " whatever. It's a mental thing. If you're prepared to give up what you enjoy in a Florida summer and hibernate in the a/c, you deserve it. Drink some water, dress right, turn on a fan and get on with your life.

 

[chrislehr]

Brewing early - hadn't thought of doing that. Might have to give that a shot this weekend.

 

[Houblon]

I keep hearing people in Florida saying "It's too hot to ... " whatever. It's a mental thing. .

Mental thing... ok when the heat index is over 109f in the shade, the pool is 91f its just a mental thing

Just noticed your by Tampa which means you have a cooling effect from the ocean, try 40+ miles inland with no breeze. I have a place over by daytona and its always cooler w/breeze vs inland.

 

[CrAzYmOuSe]

I brew early and get done around 11am. Get extra Gold Bond to help with the swamp ass and suck it up soldier.

 

[Zamial]

I will probably catch some crap for this being I am NOT in the south even a little but this may work well...

At an amusement park I have seen them take "mister" (as in a fine mist not a guy) garden hoses, suspended under bridges that people walk under, to provide cooling. Well, if you had a way to suspend one of these in the air above you, you could just run the garden hose and sit in the shade and enjoy the cool mist...

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I will probably catch some crap for this being I am NOT in the south even a little but this may work well...

At an amusement park I have seen them take "mister" (as in a fine mist not a guy) garden hoses, suspended under bridges that people walk under, to provide cooling. Well, if you had a way to suspend one of these in the air above you, you could just run the garden hose and sit in the shade and enjoy the cool mist...

I see those in Vegas and I assume those only work well in very dry climates.

What I do is to brew like rabbits during the late fall/winter/early spring and only brew occasionally in the summer (and usually lagers since I don't have to fuss with temp control, just stick it in the fridge). And I almost always dough-in by 8:00 AM.

 

[BadgerBrewer]

I have been brewing in the mornings, like mashing in at 5:00 am. Finish around 10 before the furnace really kicks in. Temps have been near 100 for what seems like a month already. I have 3 more brew days planned through the Fourth, then I think I am going to try and take the rest of July and August off and work on equipment/rig stuff indoors (like my electric heat stick and electric RIMS tube). I probably can't go that long without being totally brew crazy, so I have been putting together several 2-3 gallon batch recipes that I can brew indoors on the stove using brew in a bag all grain methods. Good time to try some crazy recipes without wasting too much if they turn out awful. Also gives me something I can use my 3 gallon corny for.

 

[Ragutis]

I got up at 4am yesterday to brew my Yuletide Tripel. I was done and cleaned up by 10:30 and the temperature was already 83˚.

 

[Zamial]

I see those in Vegas and I assume those only work well in very dry climates.

Unfortunately Wisconsin/Northern Illinois is NOT dry and that is were I saw them. I even went through them and screamed like a little girl because they were ice cold...lol. This was a few years ago at 6 Flags/Great America. I also see them from time to time at other events. Just an idea...not trying to argue, just help!

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Unfortunately Wisconsin/Northern Illinois is NOT dry and that is were I saw them. I even went through them and screamed like a little girl because they were ice cold...lol. This was a few years ago at 6 Flags/Great America. I also see them from time to time at other events. Just an idea...not trying to argue, just help!

Nah, not arguing either. Maybe it's because you have such cold groundwater? It's just that I've lived in the humid south my entire life and never see them here, only when I go to Vegas.

 

[glenn514]

SpanishCastleAle, Zamiah, and others...

The "misting" technique used at some theme parks and other locations works well if the humidity is low enough for decent evaporation of the water. If the humidity is so high that evaporation doesn't/can't happen, then the technique will fail.

Remember that evaporation removes heat. When the nurse rubs alcohol on your arm before an injection, it feels cold because the alcohol evaporates. As the water evaporates, it carries away heat.

So, if it's really hot outside, a light mist directly over a person may well provide cooling.

glenn514

 

[ericw]

Brewing at night might be a little cooler, but you have to deal with bugs. I do some work in the garage at night, and my lights attract all kinds of bugs I don't want around my beer.

 

[inspector13]

I brew right outside the back door. The patio is covered with a landscaping type fabric. I can monitor the brewrig from the glass doors. Brew starts about 6 or 7 PM and so cleanup is done after it has cooled down. It is not too bad this way.

 

[HatchetJack]

Brewing in the south is tough business. Winter, it rains and cold everyday.
Spring arrives and the pollen and bugs go wild. Summer, it's just too hot to
do anything outdoors with the dewpoint matching the temps everyday
not to mention the yellow jackets and mosquitos. As soon as September
rolls around and it cools to the 80's junk starts falling out of the trees
and that lasts till December.
So I brew in the comfort of my own kitchen. I boil two pots at once on my
glasstop stove 2.4 gallons each. I have been doing extract and using the
Mr Beer fermenters with good success. I built a 5 gallon mash tun last night
and I plan to try splitting a 5 gallon all grain by using a tee on the mash tun
valve and draining equal runnings into my two pots. I really never have to
go outside as the little fermenters are easily washed out in the sink.

 

[robtotten]

I waited until the sun went down yesterday, and drank lots of cold beer.

 

[passedpawn]

Brewing in the south is tough business.

I don't think it is a big deal; I don't mind it at all. Georgia (where you are) gets c-c-cold in the winter... can't have that now.

 

[chrislehr]

5am? Wow. That's earlier than I would like to be thinking about beer. But this weekend (sat) I think I am trying to do a 6 or 7am. Luckily the garage faces west, so I will have shade in the later AM.

 

[mullenite]

This is why I brew inside.

 

[BadgerBrewer]

Brewing at 5 AM does have one HUGE drawback...... I can't RDWHAHB. As such, I don't seem to get quite as buzzed which allows me to stay focused on the brewing process.

WAIT...come to think of it my last few brews have been sub 75% efficiency though. Maybe I need to have a few homebrews when I brew regardless of the time!?!?!? Seems I let the game come top me when I have a brew buz on

 

[chefchris]

brewing Saturday and I gotta tell you ... I'm not looking forward to it. It does help trying to get started earlier. Problem with that is Saturday morning usually is proceeded by a Friday night.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

Brewing at 5 AM does have one HUGE drawback...... I can't RDWHAHB.

umm....why not??

 

[DNisich]

Definitely start early and brew on the side of your house that is shaded through the early part of the day. I'm in ATX too and that's what I do.

 

[MarsColonist]

I get up late and sweat like a dog just licked my face. You just cant get away from the heat.

 

[EdWort]

Like everyone says, brew early. Get your grain milled the day before and every thing setup. Fill your HLT the day before and it will heat faster and save propane or electricity.

Brew in the shade. Drink water and don't pop a brew till flameout.

My two pfennigs.

 

[Houblon]

Pool was a cool 94f

 

[mullenite]

Got to love Florida. I was talking to some people who were on their way to Disney the other day. It was still early in the morning so only around 90 and they were complaining about how hot it was. I tried to warn them that it was going to get hotter but they didn't seem to think it could.

 

[TheBeerNerd]

Been having a social brew day at my buddy's place every few weeks. His place is older and has a carriage house-type basement which faces north... Open the doors and it stays relatively cool, considering there's usually 3+ burners going. Plus there's a big utility sink down there .

Can't wait to get back to a cooler climate. Thinking Portland in 6 months or so...

 

[Pick]

I usually start around 6 PM and after dark the wort cooling starts, so it's not to bad. BUT, lately it's 95 at 6 pm. I've got two kegs going on empty, so I'd better get my butt in gear.................

92*@67% humidity right now at 12:45 PM.

 

[Houblon]

92*@67% humidity right now at 12:45 PM.

Ha I must be in a cool section, its 89f @73%
still sweat is dripping off me...

 

[mullenite]

94@45% here. I'm glad I don't have anything to do outside today.

 

[Houblon]

Got 55min left in the boil and hope to avoid the brewing thunderstorms just east of me. I can hear them and the radar is showing more to the west.... just another brewday in sunny fla.