Sun strike if I boil in full sun?

[clickondan]

I'm brewing a 5 gallon batch of Munich Helles. Should I worry about sun strike if I do a 100 minute boil and immersion chilling outside in full sun? Thanks.

 

[OkanaganMike]

It's what I do for all my beer except I boil 60mins like a tone of others here. Not sure what's your concern?

 

[Qhrumphf]

I think he's worried about skunking in the boil kettle. As I'm an indoor cat brewing on my stove, I've never had an issue but I could see the concern.

 

[clickondan]

Thanks, ya I was worried about skunking it in the kettle, especially with such a light lager. I brew outside, but usually at night. I don't have a lot of shade, but I found a little spot and brewed under there, just in case. I still wonder if that could happen in the kettle as it does in bottles and glasses, especially with a highly hopped beer, but I avoided the issue for now.

 

[TechyDork]

I may be wrong, but I think you can only "skunk" a beer during or after fermentation.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I may be wrong, but I think you can only "skunk" a beer during or after fermentation.

I'm not sure. It's a reaction from the humulone compounds from the hops with certain wavelengths of light, but I don't ever see anything about pre or post fermentation. Someone might know more, but given that many (serious at least) homebrewers brew outside without issue, you may be right.

 

[TechyDork]

I'm not sure. It's a reaction from the humulone compounds from the hops with certain wavelengths of light, but I don't ever see anything about pre or post fermentation. Someone might know more, but given that many (serious at least) homebrewers brew outside without issue, you may be right.

Maybe it is more a factor of the amount of time the wort/beer is exposed to the sunlight? Again, i am just thinking outloud.

During the brewing process the wort is exposed to the sunlight for max 3 hours after the hops are added.

I have no idea how long it takes to skunk beer, but i wouldn't think that a few hours of exposure during the brewing process would cause issues. Otherwise we would be hearing about it from a lot of outdoor brewers.

 

[Qhrumphf]

You ever drink a noble-hopped beer from a glass outside on a sunny day (noble hops are more susceptible to skunking than new world hops, probably because of the chemical composition differences)? It can skunk before you finish a pint. 3 hours is PLENTY of time.

Which is why I think you're right, we'd be hearing about it from a lot of people, so it may be a post-ferment thing, or at least there's some other mechanism going on (kettle blocking enough light or something).

 

[kcmobrewer]

I brew 100% outside and I've never had any issue with it in 4 years

 

[IslandLizard]

Yeah, I've had a glass of IPA skunk within a few minutes out in the sunlight. I guess wort in a kettle could get skunked too over an hour or longer. How about boiling under an EZ up, or some other form of shade?

 

[Beernik]

My opinion, skunking is one of the boogymen of brewing. It does happen. But it doesn't happen a lot.

I intentionally put an amber I bottled in a clear bottle outside, in the hot summer sun for an hour, chilled it, and did a blind taste test with another bottle straight from the fridge.

Neither I or my guinea pigs could tell which samples had been in the sun and which samples were straight from the fridge. They tasted and smelled the same.

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

Far as I know, (I could be completely wrong, somebody let me know if I am) skunking isn't a concern until after the beer is in the fermenter or bottled.

 

[hifidelity]

This time of year in Alabama it's nearly impossible to brew outside without shade. Maybe just use a large golf umbrella (ella ella...) propped up somehow?