BeerBorg

I ordered 8 oz of Pekko hops to do a red x SMaSH IPA. I saw they are scheduled for delivery Thursday. I have my kettles filled with water and 12 pounds of grain weighed out. I just saw Thursdays overnight low will be 70 and the high for Friday is 94. I think I will start my mash at 7 and walk Ralph while it rests (we walk 3 miles everyday which takes an hour). Then take my first runnings and come in to make coffee and have breakfast. Then drink my coffee in the brewery while I work.

I plan to brew Thursday also. But the forecast here is cool: 73 high, 56 low. I might get some sailing in too.

I brew on Sunday mornings. I try to get started around 7:00. Even then, it gets mighty hot in my kitchen during the boil. Brewing in the summer can be a real chore.

It's already in the low 90's here and add in high humidity and warmer ground water and summer brewing is tough but I keep doing it anyway.

Weird weather. 48 this morning, going to 70. 75 tomorrow, 80 Friday. Near 90 with thunderstorms on Sat, then back to 75. We had to run the A/C back 10 days ago due to the crazy heat for days in a row.

Best way to beat the heat start it early before the sun gets to beating down on you. When I worked in a machine shop, I opted to come in @ 5 am and get off @ 1 pm during July and August when it is the worst around here.

I'm brewing another batch of Orange Sunshine Belgian Witbier this Friday, it's going to be sunny, dry and 80F!

ScrewyBrewer wrote:I'm brewing another batch of Orange Sunshine Belgian Witbier this Friday, it's going to be sunny, dry and 80F!

I'm brewing my Saison D'etre on Sunday. I'll ferment it upstairs, in the beer closet, where it should be in the low-mid 70s, if not higher. This weather has been weird lately.

Beer-lord wrote:It's already in the low 90's here and add in high humidity and warmer ground water and summer brewing is tough but I keep doing it anyway.

Right there with you over here in Bayou City!

How do you cool? I have a CFC, but the "cold" tap water is about 80*, so I've been prechilling it with my old immersion chiller in an ice water bath...but it's tough to get the timing right.

Jon wrote:

Beer-lord wrote:It's already in the low 90's here and add in high humidity and warmer ground water and summer brewing is tough but I keep doing it anyway.

Right there with you over here in Bayou City!

How do you cool? I have a CFC, but the "cold" tap water is about 80*, so I've been prechilling it with my old immersion chiller in an ice water bath...but it's tough to get the timing right.

I cool to 90 degrees or so with the garden hose hooked up to my chiller, then I take it off the chiller and put my pond pump on it. My pond pump is in an igloo cooler with ice water. It recirculates the ice water until I get down to about 65 degrees, which does not take long, by then the ice is about gone.

Gymrat wrote:

Jon wrote:

Beer-lord wrote:It's already in the low 90's here and add in high humidity and warmer ground water and summer brewing is tough but I keep doing it anyway.

Right there with you over here in Bayou City!

How do you cool? I have a CFC, but the "cold" tap water is about 80*, so I've been prechilling it with my old immersion chiller in an ice water bath...but it's tough to get the timing right.

I cool to 90 degrees or so with the garden hose hooked up to my chiller, then I take it off the chiller and put my pond pump on it. My pond pump is in an igloo cooler with ice water. It recirculates the ice water until I get down to about 65 degrees, which does not take long, by then the ice is about gone.

Damn, not applicable to using a CFC...but thanks!

I think I just need to figure out optimal flow rates of wort and water with my immersion chiller hooked up as a pre-chiller, and I think I'll get there. Just need some more trial and error.

You'll figure it out Jon. And if you over-chill a little, it will warm back up. Or you can finish chilling in your ferm fridge if you use one.

John Sand wrote:You'll figure it out Jon. And if you over-chill a little, it will warm back up. Or you can finish chilling in your ferm fridge if you use one.

I do, but it's a wine fridge, so only goes down to 45*...so it takes a while to get down to fermentation temps, and I'm not wild about letting my wort sit overnight as it cools from 90* to pitching temps.

I'd be happy if overchilling were my problem--last time was my first time using my pre-chiller, and I need to up the flow rate, as I melted my ice too quickly, and then I was left with the wort coming out at 90* again.

But I think you're right--I'll get it figured out eventually! Even if it means I go back to doing slow-chill/no-chill on some batches and letting them cool overnight in a cornie. Lots of options, and I've only done one batch with the pre-chiller. Definitely too early to give up just yet!

If you have an immersion chiller, why not bring the temp down to 90 or so with your counter flow chiller, then hook up a pond pump and recirculate ice water through your immersion chiller like I do?

I woke up at 6 AM to go to the bathroom. I decided I might as well stay up and start brewing. Being retired I can sleep later any day I want to. I must say, it is really nice to be all done brewing AND cleaning up, before 11:30.