Tips for winter brewing?
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BeardedBrews
Well-Known Member
I'd build a cube out of rigid foam insulation board.
If you cut a nominal 4x8 sheet you can get the following pieces:
2 of 23.6"x23.6" Squares (Top and Bottom)
4 of 23.6"x34.8" Rectangles (Four Sides)
Then I would use the 12" reptile heating tape for heat so you get a nice even heat. 3 Feet is a good length, which will set you back $20 after shipping.
If you're feeling particularly crafty you could wire the heat wrap directly onto the back of your ITC-1000.
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BeardedBrews
Well-Known Member
Precisely.
Your answer is above, Beardedbrews nailed it and sets you up for future upgrades, thinking full on ferm chamber w/heat and cooling, I'd just use a STC 1000 so you can flash for the STC 1000+ project on HBT, see thread)
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skraeling
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not on this hefe im fermenting. smells like a yeasts arse farts. damn 3068 and its sulfer lol.
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OldHamlet
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I mash inside and boil under a 10x10 canopy thats wrapped with tarps. I keep a 30 gal rubber garbage can filled with water and run the wort chiller with pond pumps. If it freezes i just break the ice with a hammer.I can usually chill in 10/15 mins when it's really cold.
bobeer
Fermentation Specalist
I love brewing outside when it's cold. You can put more layers on but in the summer you can only take so much off. Even if you end up naked in your backyard it's still too hot!
Best advice I can give is do all your prep and cleaning inside.
as others have suggested... do your mash inside if you're brewing AG.
Shield your burner and pot when trying to get a boil
Practice no chill brewing so you don't burst your water pipes
I do a lot of half batches inside during the winter just for the sake of having more beers available to me during the dead of winter when there's nothing to do but sip on tasty homebrew. The 2.5 gallon batches are fun to do. You get a 24 pack of beer volume wise and you have a ton of different kids. Or you can hone in 1 or 2 specific recipes so when the warmer weather hits you hit the ground running and can brew full volume finalized recipe batches of beer.
Best advice I can give is do all your prep and cleaning inside.
as others have suggested... do your mash inside if you're brewing AG.
Shield your burner and pot when trying to get a boil
Practice no chill brewing so you don't burst your water pipes
I do a lot of half batches inside during the winter just for the sake of having more beers available to me during the dead of winter when there's nothing to do but sip on tasty homebrew. The 2.5 gallon batches are fun to do. You get a 24 pack of beer volume wise and you have a ton of different kids. Or you can hone in 1 or 2 specific recipes so when the warmer weather hits you hit the ground running and can brew full volume finalized recipe batches of beer.
bobeer
Fermentation Specalist
I agree the IC does its job well during the winter. Winterizing your water lines is a good idea though. I'd rather avoid a busted water line than chill my beer quickly. The joys of brewing during freezing temps!
Best of both worlds is to hook your IC up to your sink inside. That requires lugging 5+ gallons of boiling wort inside though which presents its own risks.
All options have their upsides and downsides. Just choose whatever fits your process the best. Cheers!
I hope to have the opposite problem soon. Plan to relocate to Florida, then the problem will be brewing when it is 90 degrees outside in the summer. Fortunately, I live near the coast so we get days above freezing throughout the winter. I just wait for one of those warmer days.
Here's an approach such that, even if it doesn't work for others, may prompt some other idea which does:
Below is a pic showing how I and a friend did our last brew, about 10 days ago. Outside temps were about 30. I could brew in the garage w/ the two garage doors open, but that's COLD. Such cold temps also make it harder to maintain temps in my mash tun, and makes reaching and maintaining a boil harder to do. And I won't allow over a gallon of moisture to collect on the inside walls and in the garage ceiling insulatoin.
So the plan was to find a way to exhaust steam from the boil kettle through a window to the outside, keep the garage doors closed, and crack the service door to the garage just a bit to provide makeup air.
We also had a propane heater going in the garage which effectively heated the incoming makeup air and made the environment comfortable enough that long-sleeved shirts were sufficient.
Much like the hood over a stove, our arrangement below captures an air stream which pulls the steam outside. The extra sheet goods on top were necessary to stop the rise of the steam and allow the airflow to capture it and direct it outside.
It worked like a charm. In fact, so much so that it even crossed my mind to try it this weekend when temps on Sunday will be a high of -6. Nah, can't do that--that steam would freeze as it left the house. Too darned cold, but I'm sure this would be effective down to 20 degrees or even less.
Now--how could one do this if one doesn't have a garage? Perhaps a popup tent might suffice, or a sort of lean-to against the house or apartment, or...?
Anyway, food for thought.
Below is a pic showing how I and a friend did our last brew, about 10 days ago. Outside temps were about 30. I could brew in the garage w/ the two garage doors open, but that's COLD. Such cold temps also make it harder to maintain temps in my mash tun, and makes reaching and maintaining a boil harder to do. And I won't allow over a gallon of moisture to collect on the inside walls and in the garage ceiling insulatoin.
So the plan was to find a way to exhaust steam from the boil kettle through a window to the outside, keep the garage doors closed, and crack the service door to the garage just a bit to provide makeup air.
We also had a propane heater going in the garage which effectively heated the incoming makeup air and made the environment comfortable enough that long-sleeved shirts were sufficient.
Much like the hood over a stove, our arrangement below captures an air stream which pulls the steam outside. The extra sheet goods on top were necessary to stop the rise of the steam and allow the airflow to capture it and direct it outside.
It worked like a charm. In fact, so much so that it even crossed my mind to try it this weekend when temps on Sunday will be a high of -6. Nah, can't do that--that steam would freeze as it left the house. Too darned cold, but I'm sure this would be effective down to 20 degrees or even less.
Now--how could one do this if one doesn't have a garage? Perhaps a popup tent might suffice, or a sort of lean-to against the house or apartment, or...?
Anyway, food for thought.
applescrap
Be the ball!
I agree the IC does its job well during the winter. Winterizing your water lines is a good idea though. I'd rather avoid a busted water line than chill my beer quickly. The joys of brewing during freezing temps!
Best of both worlds is to hook your IC up to your sink inside. That requires lugging 5+ gallons of boiling wort inside though which presents its own risks.
All options have their upsides and downsides. Just choose whatever fits your process the best. Cheers!
I dont understand, is it bad to use spigots in winter? They are on all year aren't they? I know if you keep them connected to a hose it is bad, but hope using them isnt wrong.
applescrap
Be the ball!
Okay now I'm worried. All my spigots run from pipe in my house to the out door knobs. Arent the valves always charged. Never figured using them would be a problem. They stay charged all winter. I don't think there's even a drain.
Anyways thanks for your help
Anyways thanks for your help
Transamguy77
Well-Known Member
I just moved from Pa and I'm going to miss outside brewing in the cold and snow, I had a faucet in my garage in my last house so the hose freezing wasn't an issue. The garage was too small to brew in so I would brew in the driveway.
I would try and brew in the mid morning so that when I was finishing up it was 2 or 3 when it was usually the warmest part of the day. I Would only bring out what I need and take back in what I am finished with.
Oh and keep a warm tub of water to defrost the propane tank because it will freeze up.
I would try and brew in the mid morning so that when I was finishing up it was 2 or 3 when it was usually the warmest part of the day. I Would only bring out what I need and take back in what I am finished with.
Oh and keep a warm tub of water to defrost the propane tank because it will freeze up.
OP
OP
PADave
Well-Known Member
There has to be an isolation valve, or they are frost free, otherwise they would have broke by now. Does the water keep running out for a few seconds after you turn the water off? If so they are frost free. The valve is back in the house and the line to the outside drains when you turn it off.
madscientist451
Well-Known Member
Brew on the stove, use the exhaust fan to vent off the moisture & beer aromas. You may have to downsize to 3.5-4 gallon batches depending on your stove.
If you can't make that work, just brew like crazy all fall and save up enough beer to get through the winter.
I don't brew in the summer, its too hot and I've got too many other things to do. So I brew a lot in the winter and spring and usually don't run out of beer.
bobeer
Fermentation Specalist
The way you drain them is to find the spigot shutoff water valve and turn it off. Then go outside and open your hose spigot and get the remaining water out that's left in the pipe. Leave the water valve closed until the big thaw this spring.
Diamonddave74
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Try making some mead over the winter months.
MaryB
Well-Known Member
I brew 11 gallon batches, no way am I moving that kettle! I am getting a pump and a 55 gallon tank that I will set near the overhead door in the garage(coldest area) fill with water that will run 34 degrees all winter to use to through the IC.
I agree the IC does its job well during the winter. Winterizing your water lines is a good idea though. I'd rather avoid a busted water line than chill my beer quickly. The joys of brewing during freezing temps!
Best of both worlds is to hook your IC up to your sink inside. That requires lugging 5+ gallons of boiling wort inside though which presents its own risks.
All options have their upsides and downsides. Just choose whatever fits your process the best. Cheers!
applescrap
Be the ball!
It's a warm -3 right now. i would go out there and brew in a hot mintue. Turn on tv enjoy the tranquility of it all. I guess I would probably no chill and make a recipe and adjust it for that. Just leave it right in the pot no big deal. hell I would even ferment in it if it made sense to carry a 15 gallon Kettle filled with 11 gallons of wort through my house and down the steps. Yeah no chill seems good idea.
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Murphys_Law
Well-Known Member
Your back yard looks a lot like mine now! It's a toasty 1 degree and I wouldn't go out to brew...no way! Too comfy near the fire with holiday movies and warm beverages.
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