summer brewing & flies?

[mrchicken]

Had my first infection/failure (see Chocolate Stout tastes of vinegar).
Likely culprit Acetic Acid Bacteria most likely from a fruit fly.

So how do you guys brew in the summer time and keep unwanted boogers out of your beer?
In our area fruit flies & gnats are common from late April until November. You can't enjoy a beer or glass of wine outside without a few "swimmers".

Hate to think that my home brewing needs to be restricted to the cold weather months.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I don't worry during mash and boil. As soon as the wort is below 180 I put the lid on. I use an immersion chiller and over-the-rim whirlpool fitting, but my kettle lid had a factory notch for that (Brewbuilt). I drape a sanitizer soaked tea towel over the notch/IC fittings when chilling and whirlpooling.

 

[Kerrbrewer]

The problems I have had is during fermentation. I top up air locks every other day this time of year. Leave some starsan out and you will catch alot of them.

 

[TGFV]

Home made Fly traps nearby

The flies will gravitate towards them and die hopefully leaving your fermenters fine.

Also make sure your liquid levels saty high in your airlock and instead of taking a hydrometer reading to tell if done just wait 3-4 weeks then check for FG before bottling

 

[brewcat]

When do you think the fruit fly made it in?

 

[seatazzz]

As long as you keep the cap on the airlock (in my early days I used to trash it thinking "oh no I don't need that"...sour beer ensued) and +1 to the fly traps around your fermentation area. I've got a fermentation fridge now and am looking happily forward to brewing good beer in the dead of summer without fear of bugs. As long as I don't stand there with the door open ogling my fermenters for minutes on end...

 

[homebrewer_99]

LOL! If you mean how to keep creatures from landing in your glass: beer coasters. DOH!