Brewing outdoors in winter?

I deal with the cold. You could get this https://www.williamsbrewing.com/BRE...MIz5e7k76M2QIVVgeGCh0rpQ2NEAQYASABEgK_EfD_BwE

 

Before I moved inside, I set up wind blocks around the propain burner and kettle. Definatly attempted to boil on calm days and when it was above 15 F.

You can buy aluminum insulation and wrap it around the upper half of your kettle.

If u go propain, you'll see the gas usage rise and fall with the temperature.

 

I've brewed outside in winter several times. If it's not that cold (32˚F or higher) and sunny it's not that bad. If it's cold and grey and windy though I'd never do it again, even though most of that time is spent inside watching from behind sliding glass doors. On a practical note, it took much longer to do and I'm pretty sure the sparge never got hot enough. Waiting to boil took forever and used much more gas, and then never really achieved the cranking boil that it should have. Wait for a nice day in my opinion, or skip it.

Oh, one more thing. For me part of the fun of brewing is hanging out with your buddies and having a few good beers, but if it's too cold to actually drink beer (freezing your hand, adding cold liquid into your body instead of hot, etc.) it's not worth it. That'll be my standard from now on. If I can stand outside and enjoy drinking three or four beers in a row I'll consider it. If we have to head inside for shelter I'm out.

 

While Louisiana isn’t known for long harsh winters, what we do have is windows where it is below freezing, wet, and windy on days that I want/need to brew. I use insulated coveralls over shorts and a T-shirt and a warm rabbit fur hat. I try to be inside for most of the down time (mash/boil). I’m very confident with my boil off rate so I don’t sit and watch the boil. By noonish it’s warmed up enough to do the transfer to fermenter and cleanup. I follow my timers to go outside and make additions.

 

In the past when I've done it, it has never been in the middle of winter. At the worst, fall and spring have been cold and breezy on some sessions. But I'm an extract brewer, so half of the brewing process is in plastic bags and all I have to do it dump it in the kettle. Try that to beat the cold.

 

Living in Upstate NY, if we did not brew in the winter we would be brewing 4 months of the year. So yeah, I've had my share.

Just put a baffle around the propane flame and expect a fairly large increase in steam. So much that you won't be able to see inside the kettle if the flame is on. Otherwise it's no different.

Cheers.

 

If you want to brew inside, you can add a heating element like this to your setup that will help push you up and over the hump and into a good boil. There are setups that are pre-wired, if electrical wiring isn't your thing, but I'm having a brain fart on where I saw them.

 

Sorry, but you pretty much just have to suck it up and go for it. I brew in the cold a lot, but I have the luxury of brewing in the garage. I will agree that when the temps get below 20F, it starts to take a lot of fun out of it.

 

Here in VT, when I brewed outside in winter I'd split wood nearby to stay warm and get a little extra done. Always out door chores o be done.

 

I roam the weekly forecast and pick the warmest day i'm off. May only be 30 but better than 15.

 

My homebrewing has pretty much taken place in n. MN and n. WI. A good chunk of the winter is sub-zero. I've been a kitchen brewer for 13 years.For 11 years I mashed in a cooler and lautered to two vessels and each was placed over two stove burners for the boil. A couple years ago I went electric BIAB and it's been good for me.

 

If I could start all over and I didn't already buy so much equipment I would have done electric biab in my basement.

 

I've brewed a few batches this winter. One day it was almost 0 degrees. I mash in my basement. Then, I'll set up the propane burner right towards the entrance of my garage, put some ferm cap in the boil, and tame the initial boil over. After that, I go back inside and forget about the boil until I have to go back out for any hop additions. Works out great, cuz while it's out there boiling you can start cleaning your equipment!

 

I'm glad you posted this, as I should have expanded my post about a single submersible heating element by saying an electric countertop range like this would be another good option to move the day inside.

 

There's a recent article in the Jan/Feb BYO about using an induction burner. It seems like a pretty slick option and has got me thinking about how I might use one.

 

Before I move indoors, there are a few days in spring and fall where is a little cold. Now a pal of mine gave me a oversized wood stove where I can heat water , so along with the propain heater I'll have 2 heat sources and have hot water for washing as well.

 

I just do 2.5 gal batches, so my boil's are only about 3.5. Last year I got an induction burner and went back to biab, and stopped using a cooler mash tun and propane burner, and now I brew indoors and love it. Dealing with the elements, heat/cold/flies/mosquitoes just got to be to much the older I got. Plus less equip to clean and deal with, means a more enjoyable brew day.

 

I'm also not used to cold outdoor brewing but I really wanted to brew this last New Year's Eve with my son. Temp was around 18 but otherwise things went as expected. One bonus was that we decided to just let the kettle cool on it own while we went inside, instead of messing with partially frozen hoses, etc. I put a fan next to it and 6 gals were at pitching temp that afternoon. Easy cleanup!

 

If it's really cold, below about 15F, the flow of propane can drop pretty dramatically. I put the tank in a plastic tub (what horse people call a muck bucket) and add warm water as needed to keep the flame at normal levels. It helps a lot to preheat your mash tun with a gallon or so of hot water, then drain before starting the mash. Otherwise it's just like brewing in warmer weather except you don't have to worry about insects getting in the kettle.

I usually brew on the small porch off our attached greenhouse and spend about 90% of the time inside. We have weights and a concept II rower there so if brewing alone I often work out during the mash or boil, or stack some firewood if it's not too cold. No splitting; we finally bought a gas powered splitter 2 years ago (not getting any younger!). And the greenhouse is pretty comfortable for hanging out and having some beer if I have guests.