Brewing-deployed to the Middle East

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USBrewing

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My unit is getting assigned to a very remote part of the world. There will be no beer! I have brewed all-grain before but not with all the constraints of being deployed to a remote location. Quite honestly, I sucked at it.

I will pretty much have just electricity and bottled water at my disposal, so no CO2 and temp control might be tough.

All possibilities are on the table including Picobrew Z, Grainfather, etc.. Money is not our issue...not having beer is....

My question for the forum is, in this situation, what would you get (a complete list of items) and how would you go about things in order to produce as much quality beer as possible.
 
USBrewing said:
My unit is getting assigned to a very remote part of the world. There will be no beer! I have brewed all-grain before but not with all the constraints of being deployed to a remote location. Quite honestly, I sucked at it.

I will pretty much have just electricity and bottled water at my disposal, so no CO2 and temp control might be tough.

All possibilities are on the table including Picobrew Z, Grainfather, etc.. Money is not our issue...not having beer is....

My question for the forum is, in this situation, what would you get (a complete list of items) and how would you go about things in order to produce as much quality beer as possible.
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As much as I'd hate it, I'd probably go without beer since it's a lot of equipment- bottling equipment, carboy/fermenter, etc, and then trying to keep it cool would be a huge problem. Getting grains and yeast would also be difficult.

Maybe make wine/cider? You just need a jug, some dry yeast, and juice. You can make very drinkable wine with Welch's juice, and you don't have to worry overmuch about temperatures, especially if you use a yeast strain like montrachet or EC1118.
 
First and foremost thank you for your service ! Welcome to the forum . If space is your issue electric is good since it's not a huge footprint. I have the Grainfather and really enjoy it .

Just curious if your gonna get the stuff before or after you deploy? Dont know what kind of temps you will be in . If it's hot will you have ac in your room ? Fermentation temps are crucial. All kinds of things to consider . Without knowing your situation it's hard to say . Probably just easier to purchase your beer . Like Yooper said maybe cider , if you like it . Good luck .
 
Let's assume cooling isn't a problem and I can get temp controlled fermenters and a refrigerator. Getting grains and dry yeast won't be a problem. Getting the equipment won't be the problem...choosing the right equipment is the problem I have right now. The only constraint in getting the equipment is the size and weight (max 50-70lbs) to be shipped.
 
Jag75 said:
First and foremost thank you for your service ! Welcome to the forum . If space is your issue electric is good since it's not a huge footprint. I have the Grainfather and really enjoy it .

Just curious if your gonna get the stuff before or after you deploy? Dont know what kind of temps you will be in . If it's hot will you have ac in your room ? Fermentation temps are crucial. All kinds of things to consider . Without knowing your situation it's hard to say . Probably just easier to purchase your beer . Like Yooper said maybe cider , if you like it . Good luck .
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No, thank you for my service!

I am already deployed and we have ways of getting things. Temps will be hot for the most part, but it isn't like there won't be temp controlled facilities, so there will be AC. Purchasing beer is not an option. Plenty of electricity. We aren't looking for the cheapest options...only the best options. Thanks
 
I guess I should have mentioned that electric will be my only option, so the grainfather will be probably what we go with. What else do we need? Fermenters, cooling equipment, immersion chiller, carboys, conicals, etc..?
 
Miraculix said:
Extract Saisons bottled in sparkling water pet bottles.

You just need a big pot for boiling and fermentation, that's it.... Okay and the bottles.
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I've actually done the "ferment in a 2-liter bottle" thing, and it, shockingly, worked just fine. You need a clean 2-liter bottle, a latex balloon, and the wort/yeast. Or any other container that can be cleaned and sanitized and then sealed up with a balloon or airlock.

twoliterfermentation.jpg

You poke a hole in the end of the balloon with a pin or needle, and as pressure builds it just leaks out that tiny hole, as needed.

I made a SMASH with this, and it was very good. As long as you are clean and sanitized, and you keep light away from the beer as it's fermenting, it works fine. That's why you see the towel around the bottle above--it's what I used to keep light away.

When it came time to bottle, I dropped a fizz drop into a cleaned and sanitized Diet Coke bottle, added the beer, sealed it up, waited a couple weeks (again, stored out of the light), and it was carbonated beer.

I'm not necessarily promoting 2-liter bottles as the way to do this, just showing that unconventional containers can also work just fine.

*******

I'd think access to ingredients and temperature control would be the two biggest issues for you. Bottling would be easy, as per @Miraculix above.

Yeast would almost certainly have to be dry yeast, which would limit what you could do a bit. Saisons can be fermented warm, so that's one option.

If you can get people to bring Omega's Kveik yeast to you, and keep it temp controlled while in transit, that's another option. Kveik can ferment very warm and still not express off-flavors.


Good luck!
 
mongoose33 said:
I've actually done the "ferment in a 2-liter bottle" thing, and it, shockingly, worked just fine. You need a clean 2-liter bottle, a latex balloon, and the wort/yeast. Or any other container that can be cleaned and sanitized and then sealed up with a balloon or airlock.

View attachment 627819

You poke a hole in the end of the balloon with a pin or needle, and as pressure builds it just leaks out that tiny hole, as needed.

I made a SMASH with this, and it was very good. As long as you are clean and sanitized, and you keep light away from the beer as it's fermenting, it works fine. That's why you see the towel around the bottle above--it's what I used to keep light away.

When it came time to bottle, I dropped a fizz drop into a cleaned and sanitized Diet Coke bottle, added the beer, sealed it up, waited a couple weeks (again, stored out of the light), and it was carbonated beer.

I'm not necessarily promoting 2-liter bottles as the way to do this, just showing that unconventional containers can also work just fine.

*******

I'd think access to ingredients and temperature control would be the two biggest issues for you. Bottling would be easy, as per @Miraculix above.

Yeast would almost certainly have to be dry yeast, which would limit what you could do a bit. Saisons can be fermented warm, so that's one option.

If you can get people to bring Omega's Kveik yeast to you, and keep it temp controlled while in transit, that's another option. Kveik can ferment very warm and still not express off-flavors.


Good luck!
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We aren't looking to go cheap...in fact, quite the opposite as it is going to be quite the operation. Getting the ingredients isn't the problem. Getting the equipment isn't the problem. Trying to identify the best equipment for the job is our problem right now.

Thanks
 
Ok, with understanding your post I would go for the Grainfather. It comes with a cfc. You might even be able to get a starter kit around that weight that comes with everything except bottles to get going.
 
50-70lbs is your problem I think

Anyone know how much a shipped Grainfather weighs?

Plastic bucket fermenters do a good job and are easy to clean and light weight

Your going to need bottles and caps and a capper

but it all keeps adding up


How much beer do you plan on drinking?

I just saw this and it may work very well for you as it seems to solve all your problems and if you did not do a great job brewing it looks like it may solve that for you too

I am not familiar with it I just found it but it looks awesome and you can do your own



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076VWGT5...d_r=7652c630-7c98-11e9-a004-a1acb67dd0d5&th=1


THis is their web site
https://brewart.com/us/

th0ABER8BF.jpg
th6I7IUU6T.jpg



The BrewFlo is a temperature-controlled beer dispenser. World-first technology makes it easy to dispense perfectly poured beers with a rich frothy head without the need for CO2.
 
What batch size are you considering? Any size, weight requirements for shipping everything?
Do you have to keep all the gear stashed away, out of sight? What kind of beer do you want to drink?
How about buying a new chest freezer, packing the brewing gear inside and shipping that? EZ cap or PET bottles would serve for packaging.
I just got an Email that Anvil came out with a Grainfather type system.
I'd also look at Colorado Brewing Systems and Wort Hog brewing systems from High Gravity.
 
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So you're deploying to the ME, is your unit going to allow what you want to do. Is it so remote that in country customs are not a concern. Weight limitation is going to be a factor.
 
Thank you for your service!

I've made mead (from honey) and it does not require a lot of equipment, you never have to boil it. If you think you can get honey over there and this interest you I can send you more details on what you may want.
 
Since money is no object.....
Two 20-gallon Spike kettles with ports, one for a mash tun (single infusion), one for the boil kettle.
1 Riptide Pump
Associated hoses and connections (I use camlocks)
Two Spike 10-gallon fermenters with temp control kit
1 Penguin chiller.
Two gallons Glycol (one as a spare)
150 22-ounce flip-top bottles
1 Grain Mill
Hydrometer
Refractometer
pH meter


1 small refrigerator for storing yeast and hops

******

Bottled water is a good start but you'll want the other accoutrements of getting the water right, depending on what styles you want to brew. I'd include some

Calcium chloride (CaCL2)
Epsom Salts (MgSO4)
Gypsum (CaSO4 * 2H2O)
Slaked Lime (Ca(OH)2)
Baking Soda (NaHCO3)
Lactic Acid

Pipettes for the lactic acid, and a small gram scale to measure out the salts.

If you didn't pay much attention to the water before when doing all-grain, and the result was poor, I'll bet that's part of the reason why. So these are things you'll want.


I know the above seems a little silly, but it would be helpful to know the volume of beer you're hoping to brew, the frequency you'll do it, and the styles of beer you're planning to brew.
 
You should consider brewing with DME. The equipment you need will be greatly simplified. The time required to brew will be greatly reduced. It's a much simpler process than all grain (since you said you sucked at all grain). The beer can be quite good. It will be more expensive, but you said that's not an issue. In your situation DME has a lot of advantages.

Another option is BIAB. It's a simple process that makes great beer, with a minimum amount of equipment. If you go that way, keep the rig very simple. There's no need for re-circulation pumps, PID controllers, etc. You'll need your own grain mill for BIAB. The Cereal Killer, a drill with good gear reduction, and a bucket will do all you need.

If "quite the operation" means you want to brew a lot of beer, then don't monkey around with Grainfathers and 5 gallon batches. Get an electric kettle that has the power to do 10 gallon batches. Call Bobby at brewhardware.com and describe to him your situation and what you want to do -- how much beer you want to make, what type of power you will have available, etc. He has the knowledge on electric brewing (DME, BIAB, or other), and he can set you up with a rig that will do what you need -- not some under powered rig that will only frustrate you.

For fermenters, I'd recommend something like the 7 gal Fermonster with spigot. They won't break, they have plenty of head room for vigorous fermentations, they're easy to clean, and the spigot makes transfers easy (without the need to siphon). You'll need two for each 10gal batch you want to have in progress, so buy several of them.

For fermentation temp control, get your hands on a chest freezer or a refrigerator, and plug it into an Inkbird 308 Temp controller.

These days there are some great options on yeast that do well at higher temperatures, so in an air conditioned area you may not even need temp control (assuming you're using the right yeast in an appropriate recipe).

Bottling lots of beer is going to suck. If you have plenty of help with that task, and set it up as an organized "assemly line" then it becomes much more manageable. Get a bench mounted capper, and keep a wing style capper as a backup.

You can also bottle in screw top plastic bottles, like soda comes in.

Kegging is so much better, but may not be feasible for you(?). Access to bottled C02 may be an issue(?), and it's just a bunch more gear to deal with.
 
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If equipment/money isn’t a problem I’d probably go with your GrainFather idea.

Since the unit doesn’t come with an immersion chiller I’d obviously buy one of those along with a cooler and pump so you can chill your wort with a closed system (just throw some ice in a cooler with some water and pump that water through your chiller).

If you can’t do that I’d suggest brewing your beer with the GrainFather then somehow cooling your wort down to less than 100° (or whatever your ferment vessel is rated to withstand) then transferring your wort to your ferment vessel then throwing that in a mini fridge (your ferment fridge) and setting that guy to 32° and cool until pitching temp.

Some obvious supplies you’d need are as follows:

- GrainFather
- Fermenting Vessel
- MiniFride able to fit said vessel
 
For something this large I would recommend Biab, kegging and seeing about getting either a good saison or even better, a kveik yeast in.

Kegging will be easier for shipping since the kegs, while heavy, are lighter and easier to ship then bottles, as well as store, clean, and use.

I would recommend the kveik or saison yeast because of the temperature issues, though kveik has a ridiculous number of beer styles it can be used for and brews fast for an amazing turn around.

I would also recommend Biab since you can easily just scale it up buy buying/making a larger bucket, though you would have to find either a higher output electrical heat source or use fire. But with Biab you can grind the grains to any consistency, do Cereal mashes etc, and all you need is a good pulley and a few servicemembers to help pull the grain bag.

Is there locally sourced Cereal grains where you will be?

(and search isn't working for me, but does anyone know the link to the thread about the person who Brewed in Antarctica for the whole team? May be fill of good information)
 
I don't have a grainfather- and if having it shipped isn't an issue that may be the way to go.

You can order grains from Europe- but grains are heavy so there might be some limitations. I know you said it's not a problem- but these things are really heavy and bulky to ship.

When I was deployed, space was an issue but your situation must be very different than mine. Currently, my son is on a ship in the Middle East and of course space is a huge concern, so I'm trying to picture your situation.
 
God speed to you and thanks!

Brew with extract. All you do is add water and you have beer. Don't even need to boil it really. Zymatics are cool and I heard they work well, so that's an option. Grainfather would work too. For all the boys though call Bobby at brew hardware and get a 5500 w element. Also get a 30 g kettle and you could make 15g at a time. With a 5500w element and a 20g pot you can make 10g in 3 hours. I'll tell you how. But sure grainfather will work too, a little slower and only 5g.

Extract needs no boil. Get 50 pound sacks of it and with different yeasts you could easily make saisons, Belgians, ales and stouts.

Hard cider! You buy juice, dump a little out and put yeast right into container. Voila! 6.5 percent hard cider. Chill it and drink right out of container too. Hars cider honestly might be worth doing as well.
 
Btw , the Grainfather comes with the cfc . But extract like applescrap said is easy and only takes a kettle and a fermenter .
 
I wish I had your problem. I am also in the Middle East and i have no access to ingredients. Only way is to bring with me on the plane for about a year at a time. Shipping is a no go as it’s crazy expensive. Can make about 20 gallons a year.
 
Hmmm. I was never allowed alcohol on deployment. What a great deployment.

FYI, shipping large items to APO/MPO can be excessively hard. You'll want to look up package size restrictions for your zip code, not just weight.

Not to mention perishables like yeast. Mail in the middle East can take in excess of 30 days to arrive and it will be sitting in 120 degrees. Also will be susceptible to customs.

You may have electricity but electricity tends to go out a lot in the middle East. plan for it.
 
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USBrewing said:
Money is not our issue...not having beer is....
Click to expand...

Quite possibly this is a violation of General Orders. How would I know?
I spent quite bit of time being deployed in Arabic countries. I also watched a few of the General Orders get ignored or violated directly through black market sales and smuggling. I'd advise you to be careful as some officers are more tolerant than others and it would be wise not to be caught, especially by any host nation citizens who'd be ungodly pissed their religious and cultural rules were breached.
I'm no saint, but it's a friendly word of warning to be very, very careful, especially in the Arab countries like SA.
 
Darn, if our military can not drink on base while being hosted by "those" countries, then we should not be there, or make all their embassy staff have a beer regularly, and possibly a ham sandwich(oh, they probably already are, having a beer that is) (& I wrote the ham sandwich part in jest).

Anyway, to the OP, I hope you can find a way to make good beer. But even if you make OK beer, it will be better than none. Thank you for your service.
 
I've also worked in parts of the world where General Orders pertaining to alcohol production or consumption were issued, but some activities were tolerated in off-post functions during formal occasions or holidays in countries allowing wine, beer, etc.
The issue is keeping the activity inconspicuous and controllable for places where it's tolerated and legal. Personally, I'd consider the climate and environment, the access to good storage and cleanliness, and a good spot to brew uninterrupted as important. Reliable power and refrigeration would be good ideas, too.
Clean, potable water? That's a major need right there. Extract, packaged hops, and a unitank would be my approach as cooking and disposal of grains in a constrained spot might garner some attention.
 
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Dland said:
Darn, if our military can not drink on base while being hosted by "those" countries, then we should not be there, or make all their embassy staff have a beer regularly, and possibly a ham sandwich(oh, they probably already are, having a beer that is) (& I wrote the ham sandwich part in jest).

Anyway, to the OP, I hope you can find a way to make good beer. But even if you make OK beer, it will be better than none. Thank you for your service.
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It's not just host Nation rules. It's a matter of good order and discipline plus readiness. That's why deployments are hard and the military isn't for everyone. It requires many sacrifices.
 
Thanks for what you guys do! My family and I proudly support our Military.
There have been many good suggestions above, but in regards to fermentation do yourself a favor and go with some Kveik strains if you are in a warm climate. Great flavors even when fermenting up to 100F ! Keep us posted!
 
General Order #1 is a PITA..... I used Mr. Beer while in Iraq and Kuwait... I had too many limitations that prevented doing an actual brew.... Mr. Beer isn't the best, but it's better than Bud Light.... They appear to have a 5 gallon kit, which I don't think was available when I was in Iraq.... I believe "Pat's Back Country" concentrate is still available.... It's a pricey Pint but if money isn't an option you could consider that as well....
 
ChaosB said:
It's not just host Nation rules. It's a matter of good order and discipline plus readiness. That's why deployments are hard and the military isn't for everyone. It requires many sacrifices.
Click to expand...

General Order 1 was drafted for knuckleheads just like me. When I was younger and less responsible, I sometimes didn't have a limit or "off switch". Once I forgot I had 24 hour Charge of Quarters duty for my small battalion the next morning and went out drinking with my friends. The next morning was hell and the outgoing watch had to drag my ass out of the rack and watch me tie my boots - literally. Luckily for me we worked together and got along, otherwise it might've been trouble.
I recall the Turks working the messhall locked a wheel on a cart full of trays while I was doing breakfast headcount. They dropped the whole cart full of trays, glasses, and metal silverware right next to me and it damned well rang my head for while, but was survivable. In garrison you can get away with some stuff, but in the field, pulling guard duty ... it can get you in some trouble, especially if you're given arms and ammo.
 
ChaosB said:
It's not just host Nation rules. It's a matter of good order and discipline plus readiness. That's why deployments are hard and the military isn't for everyone. It requires many sacrifices.
Click to expand...

Interesting, just read General order 1,(section C) at least the version I read applies specifically to personnel in task force Marne. Seems like the intent was to placate or at least spare trouble in those islamic host nations.

Thanks you for your service, by the way.
 
Different commands will issue varied wording to General Orders depending on the environment. I was with 1CAV in Bosnia doing an IFOR/SFOR deployment years ago and the intent was the same as when I was in Iraq for several years after the second Guf War. Not only does the Order cover the military, it supposedly covers civilians and contractors assigned to unit support, as well.
The order itself didn't necessarily stop the purchase of products from the duty free store in Baghdad International Airport when I was there, but the host country's Islamic authorities eventually shut things down. The bulk of alcohol sales was tolerated by the non-Islamic factions but they tended to be suppressed by the majority. The US command goes along to get along, for the most part, and it was slightly different in the north when I was doing some stuff in Iraqi Kurdistan.
 
I drank plenty of beer when stationed in Germany, and I'm sure we could have had a beer set up in barracks (this was WAY before homebrewing was much of thing, besides my dad having a nasty crock of some crap in the pantry). But when I was actually deployed, there is no way I could have been getting 50 pound shipments of grain. Of course, we were busy getting shot at (and it was a fairly quick in-and-out) and that is a totally different thing.

Anyway, sorry for the tangent....

But that is why I was thinking wine/cider. More temperature tolerant, no boiling, no heavy grain or extract to have shipped from Germany, and the yeast is dry yeast and should hold up to transport and be easy to mail.
 
"...besides my dad having a nasty crock of some crap in the pantry..."

That makes me laugh.
One of the locals I knew and worked with regularly during a deployment in Bosnia invited us to her house for dinner.
Her Pops was a brewer of sorts and was more than happy to show off his large stash of "slivo" (plum brandy) in the closet. I got quite a kick out of that. His brew was potent and strong and it wasn't smart to drink more than one or two two-finger shots on an empty stomach.
 

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