Micro Brewery on Board ?

[Mark1977]

I read an article a while back about a guy who brewed his own beer on board and put it in pop bottles. Has anyone else tryed this? can you only do it while tied up or can it be brewing while sloshing around at sea??

[MarkJ]

Mine is NOT MICRO!

[Mark1977]

Markj, I suppose the bottles your holding are your brew. Was the article i read somewhere on you??? Can you tell me more??

[MarkJ]

Its great fun

Have a look at this site. You can buy the stuff from them world wide..



Coopers - Age Confirmation

[David M]

I would imagine that the extra space it takes to make beer is greater than the extra space that could be made to store beer.

If having that much beer on board is important, then perhaps one needs to step back, look at the big picture and ask why.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by David M

I would imagine that the extra space it takes to make beer is greater than the extra space that could be made to store beer.

If having that much beer on board is important, then perhaps one needs to step back, look at the big picture and ask why.

Small water tanks....???

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by David M

If having that much beer on board is important, then perhaps one needs to step back, look at the big picture and ask why.

Because theres no room on a Beneteau to stomp grapes.

The only bit of sizable kit is a 25 liter barrel. It fits in a lazarette. The brewing takes place in the second Head, aft, thats basically unused.

After fermentation and bottling I put the bottles in several hidey-holes on board - like those useless holes behind the saloon cushions.

But the time I remember where I've hidden my beer its nicely matured.


Life is bliss with a bottle of beer, new friends and cruisehiemers .





Mark

[cfarrar]

If having that much beer on board is important, then perhaps one needs to step back, look at the big picture and ask why.

As you know, David, any good, self-sufficient cruiser keeps "spares" aboard to prevent a small problem from developing into a real emergency!

Seriously, it's not important to have a lot of beer on board, but it is important to avoid running out. How about a Spectra 12V beermaker? A capacity of 2-3 BPD would do the job.

[sailorboy1]

I saw something about Captn Woody from Latts & Atts putting his homebrew in old soda bottles. maybe that's where you saw it. Guess that commits you to a 2 liter beer each time :-)

[Mule]

2 good ways to go on bottling or kegging. The old style coke cans for co2 pressurized coke at restrants work really good for kegging. Now they use boxes but there should be lots around. The other is bottling. Use cold duck wine bottles, they hold lots more that a regular soft drink or beer bottle therby less bottling hassle, and besides who wants just one small beer. The glory of home brewing is mostly dishwashing and clean, clean, clean.

Syrup brewing is the way to go rather than grain, especially on a boat. The Joy of Home Brewing is the bible. Rapidly cooling the wort is the 2nd biggest hassle after the boil is number 2 after the dishwashing. Risk of infection from the air is supreme after the boil drops below around 125f and is above about 70f as I recall. If airborne yeast gets into your beer it may not be fit to feed the fish. My last setup I used a garbage can full of ice with a long 50+ feet of stainless tubing coiled up an buried in the ice. Dropped the temp from 212 to 55 in seconds by pumping through. I had a pretty neat setup. I hadda to get rid of it because of the wife, as I look back I shodda got rid of the wife.

BTW based on US prices do not do this to save money, you will not save much, unless you buy your syrup in bulk.

Good luck.

[newboat]

Other than the moral judgements of whether you should have beer at all (whatsupwiththat?) - homebrewing is pretty easy and fun-never done it on board, the issues I see would be you use alot of water for cleaning and rinsing-you have to be meticulously clean in the process or it gets infected and blows up bottles...if you were alongside with unlimited water, no problem. Plus, I think you'd have problems with shaking up (or heeling over) your fermenting beer, so this would have to be an alongside pursuit-once it is in the bottle and "conditioning"-away you go with your homebrew!! Check out the kits available-has everything you need, makes about 2+ gallons a batch. Cheers!

[boatman61]

A waste of good drinking time... Tagus beer 1.98euro/6pack, most supermarket own brands 2-2.50euro/6pack....
But a vodka/Saki Still for your potato peelings/rice... now thats different..

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by newboat

the issues I see would be you use alot of water for cleaning and rinsing-you have to be meticulously clean in the process or it gets infected and blows up bottles...

Clean 25 litre container in salt water often found outside of boat (look downwards).
Then sterilise with sterailiser poweder. Do it before brewing too.
Bottles at 700mil PET bottles so the dont explode.
Clean them first up with fresh water squirted from squirt bottle and then rinse in steriliser powdered water in galley sink

Originally Posted by newboat

if you were alongside with unlimited water, no problem. Plus, I think you'd have problems with shaking up (or heeling over) your fermenting beer
. Cheers!

No problems shaking it up as I have sailed many lumpy bits while brewing beer

Other great thing is entering a country where there is an alcohol restriction: Beer that hasn't been brewed ain't got no alcohol in it so excise not payable! Clear in and brew up!

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by boatman61

A waste of good drinking time... Tagus beer 1.98euro/6pack, most supermarket own brands 2-2.50euro/6pack....

Yes, pointing out the obvious, but, brewed beer costs about $12 per 23 litres.... 61 cans of beer at 375 mil cans = 2.5 cases = $4.80 per case

So its silly to do it here where its so cheap to buy, but in some places where (like Australia) beer is $40 per case its an investment!

[sec906]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

The brewing takes place in the second Head, aft, thats basically unused.

Gives a whole new meaning to having a head on your beer.