Later this summer I'm moving from the hot climate of sunny Florida to a very cold climate in North Dakota. Before anyone calls me crazy it was an easy decision. I could stay in Florida and be warm and poor or move to North Dakota and be financially more secure, they're paying me enough to buy a coat.
Anyway, it seems like the cold weather really hampers some brewing activity. I'm wondering if this is because people don't like the cold or if the cold makes brewing beer that much more difficult (e.g. holding mash temps, bringing wort t a boil etc.). I know some don't brew much in the summer because of it being too hot. I don't let the heat stop me though, my apartment is air conditioned and the heat outside, though brutal during the summer, obviously allows for a nice easy boil.
I'm also wondering if you could combat some of the cold air issues by simply staying inside for the entire process. When its 20 below out I can see how the idea of bringing 6+ gallons to a boil might not be reasonable. But if I were to do it all on the stovetop in a nice climate controlled house I would think this would be okay. Of course, to do this, on an electric range, I'll have to have several pots in order to get the 6+ gallons to boil since an electric range just isn't going to get it all hot enough if it stays in one 10 gallon pot (I've tried). Are there any issues with breaking up the wort boil like this, and if anyone has done it, how are hop additions added, all to one pot or do you break it up among pots etc?
Any insight will be appreacited
WR
Anyway, it seems like the cold weather really hampers some brewing activity. I'm wondering if this is because people don't like the cold or if the cold makes brewing beer that much more difficult (e.g. holding mash temps, bringing wort t a boil etc.). I know some don't brew much in the summer because of it being too hot. I don't let the heat stop me though, my apartment is air conditioned and the heat outside, though brutal during the summer, obviously allows for a nice easy boil.
I'm also wondering if you could combat some of the cold air issues by simply staying inside for the entire process. When its 20 below out I can see how the idea of bringing 6+ gallons to a boil might not be reasonable. But if I were to do it all on the stovetop in a nice climate controlled house I would think this would be okay. Of course, to do this, on an electric range, I'll have to have several pots in order to get the 6+ gallons to boil since an electric range just isn't going to get it all hot enough if it stays in one 10 gallon pot (I've tried). Are there any issues with breaking up the wort boil like this, and if anyone has done it, how are hop additions added, all to one pot or do you break it up among pots etc?
Any insight will be appreacited
WR