Brewing outside

[Gingerbrews]

Today, given the nice weather, I decided to brew (CML Oatmeal Stout) outside.
Have never done so before.
A lucky escape as you can see.
Are there any other potential problems lurking about that I don't know about?

 

[jof]

Is rotation of your all-in-one correct, or will you need to balance your FV on the bottom stop of your workmate given the location of the tap?

 

[Agentgonzo]

Are there any other potential problems lurking about that I don't know about?

There is a lot pollen about at the moment. An uncovered brewpot after the boil (during cooling/transfer) has the potential for airborne particles to get into your beer. I have no idea whether pollen will matter, or whether there is more wild yeast floating around as a result .

Some brewers choose to not brew outside during the summer months for this reason (I don't brew outside so can't help with that)

 

[Buffers brewery]

I think you’ve discovered the major risk with outdoor brewing. I live on the south coast so have a healthy population of seagulls. They are very inquisitive creatures, constantly looking for food so fly over my brewery regularly. Got a gazebo to keep everything under cover, especially during the boil. Like you, I’ve been strafed a couple of times

 

[YeastFace]

Guano Stout sounds delicious.

 

[Moe]

Hope the brew goes well

I’ve just ordered that kit- looking forward to making it one eve this week when it arrives

 

[crescent city Mike]

Agent Gonzo mentioned pollen. That brought back some bad but amusing memories. My friend approached me with a few bottles of his homebrew:

He “My pale ale tastes like ****! What’s wrong?”
Me “Let me have a taste.”

Me “Did you brew this in the Spring?”
He “Yeah”

Me “Did you brew it out on your patio as usual?”
He “Sure”

Me “Do you have a lot of oak trees around your house?”
He “Yes, I do!”

Me “Oak pollen fell into your kettle during the boil; I did the same thing a few years ago. Makes beer taste like ****, doesn’t it?”

 

[foxy]

All of my brewing is done outside and I am well aware of wild yeast on the Feijoa tree when in fruit in the autumn, the same with the apple and pear trees late summer they are only meters away from my brewing set up so no matter what season I brew in I cover my unit completely when the chiller coil goes in and the wort stays covered. A worth while habit to get into, no matter what season it is.
On the other hand there will be more wild yeast in the kitchen than outdoors, they tend to hangout where sugar is available, when I have made a sour the kitchen is the place to ensure the wild yeast get started within 24 hours.

 

[Moe]

How did the brewday go?

Mine arrived today, it’s currently mashing

 

[MashBag]

I brew semi outdoors (shed door open). Never considered pollen. Learnt something today, but apart from the snails in a brewy I have never had a problem.

 

[Gingerbrews]

Brew day went well. The FV is in the brew fridge and bubbling away

 

[gavp1979]

Agent Gonzo mentioned pollen. That brought back some bad but amusing memories. My friend approached me with a few bottles of his homebrew:

He “My pale ale tastes like ****! What’s wrong?”
Me “Let me have a taste.”

Me “Did you brew this in the Spring?”
He “Yeah”

Me “Did you brew it out on your patio as usual?”
He “Sure”

Me “Do you have a lot of oak trees around your house?”
He “Yes, I do!”

Me “Oak pollen fell into your kettle during the boil; I did the same thing a few years ago. Makes beer taste like ****, doesn’t it?”

I mainly brew outside and never considered this, the house behind mine has a big Oak tree that overhangs my garden never noticed anything tasting horrible in my beer ... Or maybe they all taste crap so I am just used to it

 

[crescent city Mike]

Where I live, when the oak trees are dropping pollen, everything gets a nice yellow dusting. When that's happening, I enjoy a hiatus from brewing.

 

[gavp1979]

Where I live, when the oak trees are dropping pollen, everything gets a nice yellow dusting. When that's happening, I enjoy a hiatus from brewing.

I will keep my eye out for that and brew in the front at that time instead