Traveling with fermenting beer...

[Seen]

Question:
I am at my parents house for the holidays (until Sunday) and I really want to brew here because they have lots of room and a really good burner, nice temp gauge, etc... also because I normally brew in my cramped apartment at school (Texas State University). My problem is that I have to travel three hours back home and I am worried how the drive will affect my beer... the temp wont be a problem but I am worried about the vibrations...etc. Since I am not leaving till sunday it will sit for at least 2 days before it is transported...but... I'm still worried.

so does anyone have any advice, experience, or general wisdom for me???

Thanks alot!

 

[ScottD13]

Don't drive during high fermentation!

I once transported a full carboy in my car but the trip was only an hour. This was a fully fermented Altbier that I cold stored at my friends house. I gave it a few extra days to settle before botteling.

Just put it in the back seat with an over the shoulder seatbelt and wedge it up against the door with something heavy.

 

[Dilligaf]

Will that be considered an open container? :cross:

 

[ScottD13]

Good question Dilligaf....
Seen, can you wait to pitch till you get back to school?
Prior to pitching is just sugar water....

 

[Seen]

yes... I can definitley wait but is that ok... if I let it sit that long?

 

[ScottD13]

2 days....doh, missed that part. I would not wait 2 days to pitch.

So I guess it's back to the open container question....cover it in a blanket and hope for the best?

 

[Seen]

so I should not brew today... I should just wait till i get back to my electric stove and cramped apartment...

 

[desertbronze]

I would brew today - never pass an opportunity. Just cover the fermenter with a blanket. Drive like a sane person.

 

[Seen]

great! thanks alot!

 

[Pivzavod]

did anyone notice how he is equipped to brew in his cramped apartment & his parents house maybe he got a traveling brewing kit in his car

I was thinking of convincing my parents about letting me keep a fermenter or two in their place.

Just hope that you dont get pulled over and the cop is about to let you go and your fermenter burps and the cop will ask who is it back there

 

[Loweface]

And leave a window open if it's very active! :cross:

 

[aaronwillen]

dude...I did this back in college with a primary...3 hour drive. As long as its a primary in active fermentation it shouldnt be a problem. I moved my passenger seat forward a bit and put the carboy on the floor in back and moved the seat back to wedge it in place. It worked quite well. Good luck!

 

[Gregredic]

Im pretty sure you could argue that its not an open container. The alcohol will be so low by the time he transports it, and pretty much undrinkable at that point. Besides the fact that he wouldn't have a way to drink it. I wouldn't even have a second thought about that...just as long as he is of age.

 

[Seen]

also it depends on which state your in... I know that in Louisiana you can have a cup of booze (a daiquiri) in your car as long as it has a plastic top on it and the straw has not penetrated the plastic lid... oh and I think the cop will be more interested in the left hand milk stout (opened) between my legs then the plastic bucket in the back seat

 

[aaronwillen]

also it depends on which state your in... I know that in Louisiana you can have a cup of booze (a daiquiri) in your car as long as it has a plastic top on it and the straw has not penetrated the plastic lid... oh and I think the cop will be more interested in the left hand milk stout (opened) between my legs then the plastic bucket in the back seat

haha...down here in Killadelphia people routinely drive around with beers while driving as the cops have bigger fish to fry. I remember the first time my friend got out of the car with a beer i was like WHAAAAT...because in NY where I grew up they were super anal about open container.

 

[TXCrash]

Who else hopes he gets caught?

D&D isn't cool... I can just see you getting in an accident and all of a sudden all homebrewers are drinking and driving retards...

also it depends on which state your in... I know that in Louisiana you can have a cup of booze (a daiquiri) in your car as long as it has a plastic top on it and the straw has not penetrated the plastic lid... oh and I think the cop will be more interested in the left hand milk stout (opened) between my legs then the plastic bucket in the back seat

 

[Seen]

I appreciate your concern and I too am against Drunk Driving... but I am not against nursing a quality beer (or maybe two) over a 3 hour road trip. Aside from the open container I would probablly be under the legal BAC designated by the state.

 

[TXCrash]

But why risk it? If you're drinking WHILE driving and you get in an accident (crap happens) you WILL get screwed. And as far as the legal limit bit - I know that I am not at 100% after drinking even if I'm under the legal limit. My wife can be quite "fluffy" as she puts it but still likely within the legal BAC designated by the state. (There's a very strict NO driving after drinking more than 1/2 a beer rule in my house...)

Now you may have more tolerance or not realize the reduced reaction capacity that you have after 1 or 2 beers - but alchohol, in any amount, dulls your reaction time. There are others on the road who's safety you are risking...

Drink soda before and while driving. Drink when you're where you're heading to. Drinking before driving (even if low amounts and well under the legal limit) is ill advised, drinking while driving is downright stupid.

JMHO, do what ya will with it... but if ya drink and drive I hope ya get caught...

 

[conpewter]

Who else hopes he gets caught?

D&D isn't cool... I can just see you getting in an accident and all of a sudden all homebrewers are drinking and driving retards...

Yes having one beer will make you drunk.... right... I am against drunk driving as well, but it is his choice and as long as he is not driving drunk I don't think it should be illegal.

 

[Dilligaf]

Wow..talk about opening up a can of worms

Defiantly not my intention just wanted to crack a joke. I don't think a cop in his right mind would give a ticket for transporting fermenting beer.

Not like you can reach back there and take a swig.:cross:

I too am a advocate of road sodas but it is against the law

Hope every thing went as planned

 

[rico567]

No one is opening a "-can of worms." I'm eligible for Social Security next month, and it's a DIFFERENT WORLD when it comes to drinking and driving since I went to high school in the '50s. Yeah, we ran around all over the place drinking beer out of quarts wrapped in brown paper bags, and even if we did get caught at 16 we were apt to be winked at, a "boys will be boys" attitude. Even in my '20s and '30s, a thousand mile road trip would be accompanied by a cooler and a steady stream of cans. A day of driving = a twelver. No longer....and not only because I can't drink like that. The consequences have been brought into the public eye, and the punishments have been increased, although I'm still not sure they're commensurate with DUI. Too many people die this way; end of story. I favor any three time loser getting de-licensed.....for life.

Everything changes......and in this case, I think for the better.

 

[Hippie]

Thing could have changed, but last I knew, and this was some years ago, open containers were allowed in Texas, but impaired driving was not...

 

[Beau815]

Brew before you leave... then pitch yeast at school... its not an open container if its not even alcoholic because there is NO yeast in it. This is for future reference because obviously this was posted last year.