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Brewin' in the Backyard?

Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2020 12:30 pm
by Gomorrah_Dawn
Hey folks, I'm Gomorrah Dawn and I'm a brewbie! I just started this month and I'm already addicted. The problem is, I don't have enough room in my unit for all the stuff. I'm considering whether to get a tough shed type thing and move the works to the backyard. However, I'm concerned about temperature regulation. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, but it can get pretty damned cold here at night sometimes. Anyone have experience insulating those sheds or the beer works to keep it temp safe?

Many thanx!

Re: Brewin' in the Backyard?

Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2020 7:32 am
by John Sand
I haven't tried it outdoors. I have used my basement many times. While it's warm in the summer (over 70) and cool in winter (under 60) the temperature is consistent day to night. You could try using a cooler in the shed, which will lessen temp swings. You could then add ice packs or hot water bottles as necessary.
Welcome aboard, good luck, keep us posted.

Re: Brewin' in the Backyard?

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 10:14 pm
by LouieMacGoo
First, welcome to BeerBorg! I'm glad you found us.

Brewing outside shouldn't be an issue, I think what you're looking for is maintaining fermentation temperatures for your beer once you've brewed it. If you get a shed of some type adding a temperature controlled fermentation chamber would be a good solution. This can be an old fridge or freezer with an Inkbird or other brand temp controller. The temp controller can control both heating and cooling. Depending on how cold "pretty damned cold" is you should be able to ferment without any issues.

Re: Brewin' in the Backyard?

Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 2:56 pm
by Gomorrah_Dawn
Thanks for the advice so far. I'm currently looking at sheds and shopping for brewing toys, so once it's all straightened out I'll let folks know how it shakes out and post pics :thanks:

Re: Brewin' in the Backyard?

Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 5:47 pm
by berryman
Welcome to The Borg A brew shed is a great idea if limited on space in the house, I know a few that brew in one. My experience with outdoor sheds and I have a few of them, the temps can do a lot of changing between daytime and nighttime. Not knowing your brew system or how far you want to go you will most likely need some sort of temperature control. I brew in my basement and the temp stays close to the same all the time.. Keep us posted.