Brewing at Exceptional Altitudes? - revisited

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by gclabbe, Mar 26, 2017.

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  1. gclabbe

    gclabbe Initiate (0) Mar 26, 2017

    Hey,

    ran across an older thread when doing some research.

    I can provide some insight on brewing at altitude ... our brewery is located in Leadville, CO @ 10156' above sea level! And there definitely are some challenges that come with altitude, all related to the reduced pressures in the environment.
    1. Boil temp is 196F ... we have to formulate all recipes for a reduced boil-off rate, meaning less liquid during sparge. However, there are other factors affecting boil-off as well (surface area, volatility of boil).
    2. Hops isomerisation will be quite a bit lower than sea level (~60%) however our brewing experience before opening was in Denver (~85% vs sea level). So, we need roughly 25% more boil time ... we run a 30 minute whirlpool with heat off, which seems to do the trick.
    3. Because of the reduced pressure the break is much more volatile and needs to be managed. At first we were running a traditional 60 min boil and dropping hops @ 60. However Tim Matthews from Oskar Blues came through and helped us modify so that we run a 75 min boil and drop at 60. This allows us to get through the break and keep our hops in the beer and not stuck to the sides of the boil kettle.
    4. And again in fermentation, pressure causes us some challenges ... when the yeast kicks in we get much more aggressive blow-off so we have to be careful about not overloading the fermenters or we will push the yeast out of the tank and into the blow-off bucket.
    5. The last big challenge surrounds carbonation ... the general rule is to add 1 psi for every 2K feet in elevation change. Meaning we have to add 5 psi to the typical temperature-pressure chart. For most beer this means 13 - 15 PSI in the 32 - 34F range. That is manageable, however we serve our beer at 44F taking the pressure requirements to 18 PSI or a bit higher. Since bright tanks are typically rated to 15 PSI we serve only out of kegs currently and are working with an equipment maker to build us some 2 bar (29 psi) serving tanks.
    Now you have all the secrets :slight_smile:

    Chris
    www.periodicbrewing.com
     
  2. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Great post for your first one. :slight_smile: Welcome to the BA site and to the Homebrewing forum, and hang out here as much as you'd like.
     
  3. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I live and brew in Castle Rock, and my wort boils at 198F, but because I have a wide/shallow kettle my boil off is pretty high. I hit almost two gallons in 60 minutes if I get real crazy. My biggest issue was hop utilization, and I compensate for this by aiming at the high end of BU:GU ratio for the style, and i let my wort sit for a half hour before chilling, or add whirlpool hops before chilling depending on style. My juicy bits clone whirlpooled for 40 minutes before kicking the chiller on. Next time I pass through Leadville I will stop by and check you guys out. Maybe a scenic drive home after fishing at Antero this summer!
     
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