[Joe Sr.]

I knocked out 10 gallons in my kitchen with football on the TV and snow falling outside.

The family was out, so it was me time.  Bottled a bunch off the kegs, too.

One of these days, I'll put the valve on my new kettle, rig up a decent mash tun out of one of the many coolers I've collected for the purpose, and move my efforts outside.  This was not the weekend to do it, however.  Though I do keep saying that.

[69franx]

Pretty newbie question here, but since everyone is talking about the garage... Is it safe for me to brew in my downstairs garage on my bayou classic burner? Its a double garage with 2 separate car doors plus a man door. If i have te man door open, will I have enough ventilation to be safe, or should I open the far car door as well. My clearance above the burner will be about 8'. i have not tried to brew outside yet but its awfully cold and windy here in Indiana right now: mid to high 20's forecasted. Plan on brewing this weekend. Cooked out on burner for early Thanksgiving dinner and with the wind, it took forever to get to a boil and then the snow started. As a side note, dont ever try to cook lobster for 12 outside in the snow, it will be very cold and lonely! Everyone loved dinner, but nobody wanted to come outside and help

[klickitat jim]

No expert, but carbon monoxide is lighter than air. Plus it's going to be warmer and heat rises. If your living space is above I suppose it's possible to have problems. I brew with propane in a separate shop, 24x24, and leave the man door open. If it's real still outside I open the garage door a foot or so. But I'm alert to the fact that co can be accumulating in the ceiling. About halfway thru a boil I usually open the garage door all the way and air it out. Be careful, you only get to make that mistake once.

[69franx]

Thanks Jim, guess I'm going to be cold outside again! Will just have to build a make shift shield around the burner to lessen the affects of the wind. Either way though, I need to brew, have not for almost 2 months, as life gets in the way. Luckily, my last batch has turned out great so far and I am sitting on 2 cases of bombers of Evil Twin. Going to make it a fairly complete brew day, will also be bottling my version of Palmer's barley wine. Cant wait to taste that in the "near" future!

[Stevie]

No expert, but carbon monoxide is lighter than air. Plus it's going to be warmer and heat rises. If your living space is above I suppose it's possible to have problems. I brew with propane in a separate shop, 24x24, and leave the man door open. If it's real still outside I open the garage door a foot or so. But I'm alert to the fact that co can be accumulating in the ceiling. About halfway thru a boil I usually open the garage door all the way and air it out. Be careful, you only get to make that mistake once.

It is not heavier, but it blends into the ambient air very well making all of the air toxic. Keep the roll-up open to allow ventilation and keep a CO detector around.

[Joe Sr.]

keep a CO detector around.

Definitely.  Cheap insurance.  CO build-up is not something you will notice.  You'll just sort of drift off.

If you have a way to rig up an exhaust, that would be ideal.  But I'd still keep a CO detector plugged in somewhere.

[klickitat jim]

I think I'll put one on the list for the shop. Safety first, right?

[punatic]

The sun is approaching the lowest point in the southern sky at this time of year.  My brew "shed" is open on three sides and the sun angles into the brewery for most of the day.  Sun burn is a serious consideration during a long brew day.  Long pants and long sleeves are not comfortable to wear while brewing here.  Does anyone have any non-greasy sunblock recommendations for brewing?

[denny]

I think I'll put one on the list for the shop. Safety first, right?

When I remodeled my garage into the brewery, the first 2 pieces of equipment I got were a CO detector and a fire extinguisher.  If you brew in your garage with propane, you need both.

[kmccaf]

The sun is approaching the lowest point in the southern sky at this time of year.  My brew "shed" is open on three sides and the sun angles into the brewery for most of the day.  Sun burn is a serious consideration during a long brew day.  Long pants and long sleeves are not comfortable to wear while brewing here.  Does anyone have any non-greasy sunblock recommendations for brewing?

Neutrogena Sport was always my favorite when I worked outside. Not greasy at all, and doesn't come off when you sweat. Has also served me well when I've been in Hawaii.

[Joe Sr.]

The sun is approaching the lowest point in the southern sky at this time of year.  My brew "shed" is open on three sides and the sun angles into the brewery for most of the day.  Sun burn is a serious consideration during a long brew day.  Long pants and long sleeves are not comfortable to wear while brewing here.  Does anyone have any non-greasy sunblock recommendations for brewing?

Can't you weave some palm fronds into a portable sunscreen while you lounge in paradise during the mash?  You could move this natural sun screen throughout the day to block the sun.

[punatic]

Can't you weave some palm fronds into a portable sunscreen while you lounge in paradise during the mash?  You could move this natural sun screen throughout the day to block the sun.

Maybe...  I'd have to figure out how to keep it from shading my solar HLT.

[dls5492]

So I had the "bright" idea to leave my brew pot (with lid on) out in the cold weather when I was done with the boil. It was 10 degrees outside. It took 5 hours to get down to 80 degrees. That calculates to be about 0.5 degree/minute. Since it was 10 degrees outside, i am hoping there was nothing out there to harm it. It is fermenting fine. I will let you know how it taste when we get there.

[Joe Sr.]

Can't you weave some palm fronds into a portable sunscreen while you lounge in paradise during the mash?  You could move this natural sun screen throughout the day to block the sun.

Maybe...  I'd have to figure out how to keep it from shading my solar HLT.

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen...

I'll shed a frozen tear for you as I chip the ice of my windshield this evening.

[duboman]

I think I'll put one on the list for the shop. Safety first, right?

When I remodeled my garage into the brewery, the first 2 pieces of equipment I got were a CO detector and a fire extinguisher.  If you brew in your garage with propane, you need both.

This I did as well! Planning to brew Thursday, with windchill should be about 0-minus 5, I keep the man door open and the big door open a few feet, I have an electric heater and also circulate a fan on low.

The burners actually help in heating the space a bit but my Carhart Coveralls are amazing!

The best part of winter brewing is the peace and quiet and the ground water temp of 55 degrees to chill the wort!