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Author Topic: Boiling Wort outdoors in winter  (Read 8018 times)

Offline wilypig

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Re: Boiling Wort outdoors in winter
« Reply #15 on: December 08, 2009, 11:35:40 am »
Boiling is ok as long as the wind is not too much. Be careful about the snow bank cooling method. I like in Niagara Falls and many of my friends have used the same method with disastrous results. The snow will melt and you may have a tipped over kettle which will make a mess and waste a brew day. I prefer to use a chiller(I have a counter flow) so I can control the temp going into the fermenter.
If you can make mac and cheese from a box, you can make great beer.
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Offline slimsparty

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Re: Boiling Wort outdoors in winter
« Reply #16 on: December 09, 2009, 09:21:27 am »
Quote
Oddly enough.. so's CO2 for me!  (One of the big perks of being a Falcons board member is our local CO2 provider and former officer of the club himself gives the board free CO2)

The hillbilly route works too-Blow the water out with your mouth. (For an IC)

Offline denny

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Re: Boiling Wort outdoors in winter
« Reply #17 on: December 09, 2009, 09:25:15 am »
Yep, or just hold it upside down for a minute.
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Offline ndcube

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Re: Boiling Wort outdoors in winter
« Reply #18 on: December 09, 2009, 09:40:09 am »
The hillbilly route works too-Blow the water out with your mouth. (For an IC)

Yep, or just hold it upside down for a minute.

I do this too.  Usually holding it upside down cretes kind of a siphon effect that sucks most of it out for me.  Then I blow the rest out.

Offline karlh

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Re: Boiling Wort outdoors in winter
« Reply #19 on: December 09, 2009, 03:59:05 pm »
I've been brewing outside in the winters of Northern Illinois (near the WI border) for a couple of years.  12 gallon boils with a jet burner are not a problem.  I will mention that during Jan or Feb last winter my CFC was running really slow and I finally figured out that with the wind chill it was freezing the beer solid in the hose post-chill.  I cut back the water flow a bit so it wasn't as effective and the slightly warmer beer went into the fermenter just fine.  If you have the option of using an immersion chiller in the coldest weather, it might outperform either a plate or CF chiller.
Karl
Mundelein, IL  USA

Offline slimsparty

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Re: Boiling Wort outdoors in winter
« Reply #20 on: December 09, 2009, 04:41:11 pm »
hello from wheaton Karl!

Offline rabid_dingo

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Re: Boiling Wort outdoors in winter
« Reply #21 on: December 09, 2009, 10:37:25 pm »
I love brewing outdoors in the winter. I brewed today and it was 28 degrees when I started with a windchill in the teens. I have never had my propane tank frost and I have brewed when it was below zero.
Here in California, I don't give it a second thought.  It might be uncomfortable brewing in the 60's but I'll put on a coat. :)
A coat in 60's?!?! That is shorts or pantless brewing temps for me....Oh, how I long for any temp above 32*F right now.....Looking at the thermometer outside right now...-8*F....
Ruben * Colorado :)

Offline a10t2

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Re: Boiling Wort outdoors in winter
« Reply #22 on: December 09, 2009, 11:20:58 pm »
My parents lived in Puerto Rico for several years... anything below about 80°F was long sleeve weather. They had an overnight low that would be close to freezing ONE night, ONE year and there were runs on the grocery stores.
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Offline karlh

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Re: Boiling Wort outdoors in winter
« Reply #23 on: December 11, 2009, 02:07:00 pm »
hello from wheaton Karl!
Hello back from Mundelein... not quite brewing weather this week
Karl
Mundelein, IL  USA