Brewing While Travelling

[metters]

Guys,

I dislike going from one forum to another and finding exactly the same post and here's me doing the same as I haven't found the solution yet - Sorry but.

I am soon to go on permanent walkabout around our great country in a bus and trailer rig. It's a bummer leaving my HB setup here, but them's the breaks.
I will still be trying to brew on the road but don't know how things will go being constantly agitated by the vehicle movement. I plan on stopping for a week here and there to get a brew down but may have to drop racking and CCing will definitely be out.

Has anyone brewed under similar circumstances??

I've lugged bottles 1500 Ks on holiday before with mixed results on the end product, plastic may has been better than glass.

I guess I've got plenty of time to find out but any opinions welcome.

Will still be tuning in to this forum now and then and hope to catch up with some of you on the way round sometime.

Cheers All
nm

 

[Doc]

Hey Metters,

My initial thoughts on this would be to ferment and dispense on the road using Corny kegs.

To turn a corny keg into a fermenter, just add a small length of ridgid hose to a CO2 disconnect with an air lock on the end.

Then if you need to travel you could remove the disconnect and you shouldn't have too much of a problem as it is a closed system. Just release the pressure at the next stop, and attach the disconnect and airlock again.

Get a small CO2 bottle (or even soda stream bottles at a pinch) and use them to transfer from your fermenting corny keg to a dispensing one, then force carb.

To dispense have a jockey box system with one of those super eskys that run off 12volts.

Thoughts ?

Happy travels,
Doc

 

[pint of lager]

OK, I cannot see any prblem of the yeast brewing while travelling, a bit of agitation will not bother them. What you will want to do, is use a 30 litre screwtop fermenter and secure it firmly. Hopefully, the extra headspace will allow it to slop around. I wouldn't trust the 25 litre snap on lid buckets, you will want to secure it firmly, the fluid will be slopping around, and I think the risk of beer going everywhere would be great. Airlock, this may be a problem. Maybe some sort of blow off tube will work, or maybe a long blowoff tube, standing say 30cm high with a slight bend at the end so it doesn't allow dust down it, and some sort of fine mesh to stop bugs flying up.

Do not bother racking, or cc. When ready, try and stay stationary for at least a day, maybe hit it with finings for 24 hours, then bottle in pet. Store the bottles in light proof containers. Clear plastic is deadly on beers, protect the beer from the light.

Follow the basics, temperature control (if you can) sanitation and good ingredients.

No, I haven't travelled and brewed, but I have seen a mobile truck/home with mobile brewery painted on the back, so there are other people on the road doing this. I know there is a bloke out there called Patrick O'brien, a rockhound, who does brew on the road.

 

[JasonY]

Sounds like an interesting journey Metters. I guess full mash brewing would be out of the question (if thats what you do). I think the 30L fermenter idea would be ok using only 20 or so L of the capacity. PET's definately would be easier. I guess dont plan on brewing real lagers unless you are taking a fermenting fridge. Stocking up on a good ale yeast like nottingham would probably be a good idea.

Hopefully we won't see you on the news having survived 12wks in the outback drinking nothing but homebrew

Let us know how it goes if you run into an innternet cafe on the way.

 

[PostModern]

How about fermenting as well as serving in kegs? Using a shortened dip-tube and highly flocculant yeast, you could ferment in a standard 20 litre post-mix keg and use the pressure release valve a couple of times a day to release pressure. When it's fermented out, chill it to drop out the yeast and to serve.

You could probably ferment a couple of batches on one pitching of something like WLP002 and save some slurry and repitch. Something like Coopers IPA would brew well on that yeast. A couple of kegs in rotation and you should just about always have one burping and one serving.

As you're in a bus and trailer, you'd have the space for this. CO2 bottles can even double as fire extinguishers and tyre-inflaters with suitable attachments. Two kegs, one gas bottle and a bunch of hoses and you're away. You can make up a keg-to-keg transfer line as well, so racking is not out of the question.... you could ferment in one and whenever the serving keg is empty, rack from the fermenting keg into the serving keg and put a fresh batch on the yeast cake.

Don't buggerise around with bottles!

 

[johnno]

Metters,
this is a cool and interesting idea. I'm sure you will work out the way thats best for you in the end.
You could even write a book about brewing on the road. That would be a first.
Either way, I hope you keep us all updated.

cheers
johnno

 

[barfridge]

The other major hurdle will be temperature control. The extreme temperatures inside of a bus in the hotter parts of the country will leave you a very fruity brew. And with obvious space and energy restraints, this may be hard to manage.

But please keep us updated on how you fare, its always great seeing people go great lengths for thier craft.

 

[PostModern]

Good point. How big is the "bus"? Would you be able to run 3 fridges? One fermenting, one serving, one food.

 

[Batz]

Looks like I maybe be gone by the time you reach the Pilbara Metters , perhaps we can catch up in Qld.
I was in your town last week too!
Oh well catch you on the road , looking forward to a travelling HB

Batz

 

[metters]

Thanks for the replies guys, some interesting thoughts on the matter, you've left me with some pondering to do.

Room for fridges may not be a problem PM but having resources to keep them running may be, camping out mostly using solar power, limited water supply, no HB shop around the corner, etc.

I hadn't given temp control a thought Barfridge but now you mention it will knock something up before I go thanks.

PM I have an idea a shook up keg might delay my first beer for the evening unless continually releasing pressure and gassing again and a template will be the only way I could use them.

Jason I'd have to ditch the boat to be able to have a mash setup :unsure: I think I'll get enough strange looks in the desert with a boat on top let alone the mash gear. :blink:

PoL you are about where I was thinkin' and I'll look into corny Kegs thanks Doc but who knows I have plenty of time to work it out as long as I don't make too many duds in the meantime.

Batz where are you headed, you heard I was coming and pulled out eh? <_<

cheers all hope to catch some of you around the place.

 

[berto]

Offtopic, but can we get a photo of the bus and trailer setup. Ive been wanting to do it for ages now, but wasnt sure on the cost of doing it.

Cheers, Rob

 

[metters]

No probs Rob will post as soon as I get the act together.

cheers Noel

 

[Boots]

A few ideas i had:

- Fermenting in a keg, and then serving it from the same keg, will help you save on CO2 usage, as the beer will effectively prime itself if you don't relieve the pressure for the last few days (I assume this would work ok and that the yeast wouldn't suffer too much from CO2 toxicity). I'm guessing a C02 filling staion might be difficult to find in the middle of the desert

- For temperature control, to save power I've seen a Website where a temp controlled cabinet / box was made using 12v computer fans to circulate air cooled by ice (2L coke bottles) in one smaller chamber into the fermenting chamber as reqd (controlled by a temp sensor). This would be pretty easy (read: cheap) to knock up, and wouldn't take up much space espec if you're using kegs. If you weren't able to continually make ice, you could make a modern day Coolgardie with a similar design.

- ESB 3KG Brew kits might be a good option for you - for a 19L ferment in a keg, you wouldn't need to add any other fermentables. Could stock up on them, and get them mail-ordered to you as you need, and this would save you carrying extra Malt extract / sucrose etc etc - you'd only need the one type of ingredient. There;s a good range of sytles so keep some finishing hops in the freezer and you're laughing

And don't forget, there'll probably be an allgrain brewday at most capital cities / regional centres for you if you keep in touch with everyone on your travels

Should be a great trip.

 

[Darren]

Hey Metters,
Lucky you. Just my 0.02c on fermenting in corny kegs. Releasing the pressure periodically will not be that simple. My experience is the beer will foam as soon as you release the pressure causing it to shoot out of the post. This is a real problem when the conry is full. I would ferment in plastic and transfer to cornys close to the end of the ferment. Also hop crud can block a corny up real bad. Anyone who has tried to get 18 or so litres of carbonated beer out of a corny will understand to unclog a dip tube will understand.
happy travels
cheers
Darren