 Stocking
Up on Homebrew for Summer
Spring is both a joy and a sorrow for me. I’ve had enough winter, like
everyone else, but the warmer weather means less brewing. Most people prefer
to be picnicking, swimming and golfing when the weather turns nice. Standing
over a brew pot on a hot day is not something I call fun. So how do you
prepare for summer brewing and more importantly avoid an annual drought
of homebrew? |
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There are three problems with summer brewing. First is time. Considering
that there are really only two seasons around the Great Lakes (10 months
of cold, cloud, wet, and two months of bad brewing) time allocation is
critical. Trying to convince your significant other that spending a weekend
mashing and brewing can take more time than a 3-step decoction. Besides,
there are the other two problems to deal with. |
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Some of you may already be feeling the effects of allergies brought on
by the increase bacteria and other wild things which fill the air in spring
and summer. Those wild things love beer too! Especially sweet wort. Protecting
your beer from infection becomes difficult unless you have invested in
chilling and refrigeration equipment. This bring us to the third problem.
Temperature control during fermentation is a must in 80 degree weather
and it is possible without enormous expense. I have heard homebrewers tell
stories of fermenting under water in their swimming pool and burying carboys
in the backyard. These may be extreme cases but, after all we are a creative
bunch aren’t we. |
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The easiest way to prevent a shortage of homebrew (which tastes better
in summer than the winter for reasons that will become obvious later) is
to brew it now. Homebrew which is prepared and packaged with proper care
will not even reach its peek in flavor and character for two months. Spending
the time now to brew a few extra batches will payoff big time in July and
August. In February of 1996 I brewed a big ale which I named Buxom Blonde.
Quite by accident I placed this bottled brew into cases and stacked them
away and forgot about them. I know that sounds ridicules but it was at
this time that Leeners Brew Works was born so I was preoccupied. Eileen
and I didn’t get around to trying them until late spring and what a surprise
it was. It is even fair to say that’s how the concept of Leeners Brew
Works was developed. On our patio over chilled glasses of well aged Buxom
Blonde. I’ve included the recipe for this inspirational brew in this
issue. |
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When brewing for summer enjoyment you must take the drinking time of the
year into account. Summer requires refreshing thirst quenching beer. Ones
that are best served ice cold. Lager is the first thing that comes to mind
but light ales work just as well. Buxom blonde was an ale made with dry
ale yeast but after the extended laagering time it lost most of it’s fruity
ale-ness and developed a wonderful clean dry finish. Leener is a wheat
beer fan, and wheat’s are great summer ales. Steam beer is another candidate
since it uses lager yeast fermented at ale temperature. There is ample
brewing time still available between now and Memorial Day. The brewing
season can even be extended through June with a little care and creativity. |
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The traditional homebrewer who wants to brew in hot weather can add a few
simple techniques that will reduce the effects of hot weather. Using a
wort chiller will greatly reduce the time your wort is subject to contamination.
Don’t compromise on quality when buying or building a wort chiller. Look
for rigid construction, safety features and a minimum 5 feet cooling coil
per gallon of brew pot. |
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Pitching a fully active liquid yeast culture
which is selected more for fermentation temperature than beer style will
reduce the lag time associated with dry yeast. The sooner the brewers yeast
takes hold the better the beer. |
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Temperature control is where you will need to get creative. An old refrigerator
with a beer thermostat is the best. The thermostat allows you to control
temperature to within 3-4oF. If space or wallet will not allow this luxury,
don’t lose heart. Take a survey of your house, condo or apartment. Most
structures have an area where the temperature is always lower. Basements
are great and provide the added value of concrete floors. These are natural
heat exchangers and can be harvested by placing fermenter vessels directly
on them and then enclosing the fermenter in an isolated box. Rigid foam
wall insulation works best. It can be cut to size (allowing at least 1"
of clearance around the fermenter) and held together with duct tape. Be
sure to allow your airlock to poke through the top. The insulation will
prevent sudden temperature changes and the direct contact with the floor
will absorb all the heat generated by fermentation. |
