[fattony]

+1 to the buying a propane burner and getting the heck out of the kitrchen comment. You will want to get off your kitchen stove ASAP if you continue in this hobby. Nothing ruins a stove faster than a wort boil over.

It looks like I will have to brew most of my beer in the winter months due to the hot climate here.  Will the propane still work in the middle of the winter?

[tygo]

+1 to the buying a propane burner and getting the heck out of the kitrchen comment. You will want to get off your kitchen stove ASAP if you continue in this hobby. Nothing ruins a stove faster than a wort boil over.

It looks like I will have to brew most of my beer in the winter months due to the hot climate here.  Will the propane still work in the middle of the winter?

If the tank ices up put it in a bucket or big pot of room temperature water.

[majorvices]

+1 again to the water submersion trick. I have brewed outside in snowstorms and blizzards and, aside from constructing a rudimentary windshield with aluminum foil have never had a burner problem. If you have a garage you can move the brewery in there to provide a bit more comfort.

[In The Sand]

+1 to the buying a propane burner and getting the heck out of the kitrchen comment. You will want to get off your kitchen stove ASAP if you continue in this hobby. Nothing ruins a stove faster than a wort boil over.

It looks like I will have to brew most of my beer in the winter months due to the hot climate here.  Will the propane still work in the middle of the winter?

Funny. I just watched an episode of the NB guys brewing in the middle of winter on a frozen lake while ice fishing. Their propane tank froze so the used a smaller propane bottle attached to a heater to heat the frozen tank It worked.

I have yet to brew in the winter since I've only done 5 batches so far. I'm definitely looking forward to it because I'm in hot @$$ Florida brewing in the garage!

[philm63]

First batch was brewed inside as well and although I don't really mind the smell too much, it's something I could do without, so the propane burner was the next logical step and out to the garage it went. Besides; going to full-boil with my extract brews pushed me in that direction anyway - my stove couldn't handle a full-boil - win-win!

Luckily my wife also doesn't mind the smell - she brews every other batch, my partner in crime, so to speak. Keeping it out of the wind, even in very low temperatures, shouldn't be a problem for propane - never had one freeze-up during winter BBQs, but then again; I've not yet brewed in my garage during the winter months so I guess we'll see...

[alcaponejunior]

Funny. I just watched an episode of the NB guys brewing in the middle of winter on a frozen lake while ice fishing. Their propane tank froze so the used a smaller propane bottle attached to a heater to heat the frozen tank It worked.

I have yet to brew in the winter since I've only done 5 batches so far. I'm definitely looking forward to it because I'm in hot @$$ Florida brewing in the garage!

I was like "I want to do that" until I read heated up the propane tank with another propane burner 

Does seem like fun though, I will have to combine fishin' and brewin'. 

I'll soon be brewing in hot texas heat so we'll be in the same boat.  Little chance for combining ice fishing and brewing, that is. 

ETA: my first pieces of texas brewing equipment will be, in this order:

1. a freezer/regulator setup for keeping fermentation temps cool enough and
1.a. a secondary wort chiller so I can run the cooling water for my primary wort chiller through an ice bath in order to get the wort to the right temps before pitching (I will build this myself, btw)

2. kegging equipment and a keg fridge

3. a propane burner setup and a bigger brew pot so I can expand beyond 3.5 to 4 gallon batch size and start doing 5+ gallons of all-grain

4. a clever setup using pipes, tubing, angle iron, and a welder to make the badest-ass-est brewing setup evah 

You'll be hooked beyond belief soon too 

[anje]

Eh, it smells like Grape-Nuts.

I just go with it, since I get the feeling my landlord would pitch a fit if I started a boil out on my patio. Yet another reason to move out of that place.

[weithman5]

i use an electric kettle outside or in the garage.  it is not the smell that drove me outside, it was the evaporation and subsequent condensation on the stove top that i could not get cleaned off easily.

[euge]

1.a. a secondary wort chiller so I can run the cooling water for my primary wort chiller through an ice bath in order to get the wort to the right temps before pitching (I will build this myself, btw)

You are better off buying a sub-pump and recirculating ice-water through the wort-chiller. Once you hit the ambient tap-water temp you switch over which may be as high as 90 and as low as 64 depending on the season. Less wasteful and much more efficient.

[Jimmy K]

1.a. a secondary wort chiller so I can run the cooling water for my primary wort chiller through an ice bath in order to get the wort to the right temps before pitching (I will build this myself, btw)

You are better off buying a sub-pump and recirculating ice-water through the wort-chiller. Once you hit the ambient tap-water temp you switch over which may be as high as 90 and as low as 64 depending on the season. Less wasteful and much more efficient.

Listen to Euge! I've done this and it works great! One heat transfer is far more efficient than two.

[alcaponejunior]

1.a. a secondary wort chiller so I can run the cooling water for my primary wort chiller through an ice bath in order to get the wort to the right temps before pitching (I will build this myself, btw)

You are better off buying a sub-pump and recirculating ice-water through the wort-chiller. Once you hit the ambient tap-water temp you switch over which may be as high as 90 and as low as 64 depending on the season. Less wasteful and much more efficient.

Listen to Euge! I've done this and it works great! One heat transfer is far more efficient than two.

What is this secondary sub-pump/recirculator thingie you speak of??

[morticaixavier]

1.a. a secondary wort chiller so I can run the cooling water for my primary wort chiller through an ice bath in order to get the wort to the right temps before pitching (I will build this myself, btw)

You are better off buying a sub-pump and recirculating ice-water through the wort-chiller. Once you hit the ambient tap-water temp you switch over which may be as high as 90 and as low as 64 depending on the season. Less wasteful and much more efficient.

Listen to Euge! I've done this and it works great! One heat transfer is far more efficient than two.

What is this secondary sub-pump/recirculator thingie you speak of??

basically you have a tub of ice water with the afore mentioned submersible pump in. When you have exhausted your tap waters ability to chill the water you switch the input to the IC to the pump and pump ice water through. By returning the heated water to the pool you get a recirc going on.

[euge]

A picture is worth a thousand words!




This is just an example where I used frozen PET bottles to see how it would work instead of ice. Ice performs much better- but swapping 20oz bottles would work better than the 1&2 liter bottles. I used male and female barbed garden-hose threaded connects that I found at Lowes and soldered them onto the IC. Then I screwed male and female garden-hose quick connects onto these allowing me to switch the sub pump hoses easily and quickly. Sub pump does not have a float.

[alcaponejunior]

OK so basically I would need to hook that setup onto the wort chiller I already have.  The copper and tubing works I am not worried about.  I am good at working with that type of hardware and could figure it out without issue.  The only issue is the pump... what kind of pump do you need?  What is a "sub-pump" and would the employees at home depot have no issue finding what I need if that's what I asked for? 

[euge]

OK so basically I would need to hook that setup onto the wort chiller I already have.  The copper and tubing works I am not worried about.  I am good at working with that type of hardware and could figure it out without issue.  The only issue is the pump... what kind of pump do you need?  What is a "sub-pump" and would the employees at home depot have no issue finding what I need if that's what I asked for?

You'll pay more at HD than necessary, though I'd price there. Here's a better example: http://www.harborfreight.com/16-horsepower-submersible-utility-pump-68422.html


You could buy one with a float but you'd just have to activate it by holding it up somehow.