Up North peeps. It’s 25F in Philly today so I just shoveled some snow around my brew pot and let it sit outside with the lid on but propped up to let out the steam. It’s down to 80F after about 2 hours.
You guys do this up North and is there anything I should be worried about that I haven’t thought about?
Dave
I actually did this last year when there was 10 inches of snow on the ground. I shoveled snow up against the brew pot clear up to the top. It took a couple hours to chill. Then when thinking about it afterwards, the snow did nothing but insulate the brew pot. You would be better off just leaving it open to the air instead of lining it with snow. As far as any other adverse affects on the brew, I don’t know. I will always you my chiller after that escapade. I can chill my wort in about 15 minutes in 25 degree weather with my immersion chiller.
Problem with the IC today is there is 3" of snow on my driveway. It will turn to ice if I run it.
I do see your point on the insulation with snow. I’ll remember that next time…
Dave
Sounds like the snow hop stand. 
I have used icicles off the roof line in a water bath…still cold weather ghetto, but effective.
Remember all those southern hemi freaks that don’t chill at all.
I say prost to cold weather working with whatcha got. Cheers Philly.
Hmmm… I’ve never had the issue of the chiller or hoses freezing even when brewing at 15 degrees. I leave the hoses in the basement until I’m ready to use them. This way they stay soft and thawed. If you’re still concerned about that… Maybe fill a handful of 2 liters up with water and leave outside to freeze them. When ready to chill, sanitize them and toss them in the hot wort.
While the air may be colder than the snow, melting snow has much more heat absorbing capacity than air. Your wort will cool much faster when packed in snow - unless you are brewing in the arctic. Melting snow is not an insulator, it is a heat sink. Just keep the snow pushed up against the pot.
Heat of fusion for water ice melting into water liquid = 333kJ/kg
Heat capacity of air at 32F to -50F = 1.005kJ/kg per degree C (1.8 degree F)
1 kg of water is around one liter
1 kg of air is around 1,300 liters in that temperature range.
Before I bought my first wort chiller I used to let my covered wort kettle cool off overnight while sitting in a tub with 75F tap water slowing flowing around it. I never had an infected batch because of it. Two hours in an ice bath should be fine. Just keep a lid on it.
I was not clear. My IC water runs down my driveway. That’s not an option today. I have a closed system with a Chugger pump I use to get lagers down to 48F quickly but I’m missing a hose fitting for that. So my only real option was leaving it outside today. It’s down to 72F so about ready to pitch in 3 hours. Not too shabby.
Dave
Gotcha… Yeah… Icy driveways aren’t a great thing 
As Carl points out, the snow will melt away from the chiller so you have to pack it back against the pot periodically. I use snow in the cooler to recirculate through the chiller for lagers, and the supply can be very large sometimes, but right now is 0 in my part of frozen MI. About time to brew some Pilsners, so come on snow!
Amen to that Jeff!
You guys can divide up my share of snow between you.
We had snow/sleet/ice this weekend and crazy cold weather. I brewed on Friday after it snowed/sleeted and I put the kettle out on the yard. It was down in the 60s after a couple hours. It’s definitely more convenient to brew in the cold than the summer heat.
I point a small fan right up close to the kettle sometimes.
I set up a plastic 55gal drum with water for my chiller and circulate with a DC bilge pump powered by my battery charger. Works great, saves on water usage and no ice flows in winter.
Carl, 0/2=0. 
I have built up quite a snow bank after all these years of living in Florida and Hawaii. I was going to use it to combat global warming, but I don’t need it. You guys can have it.
It does snow here, up on the tops of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. I prefer to brew down here at sea level though. 8)
Brewed yesterday morning (dec 8th) first snow of 2013 for Philly area. Never had a wort cool so fast, convenient, except we brew outside. My porch stairs and basement entrance are now a sophisticated ice rink, and my brew keggle is frozen to the deck, but without sacrifice there is no beer. Cheers to my Philthy cats.
I love the efficiency I get chilling in the winter, 6 gallons from boiling to 58 in 12 minutes!
I brew outside, hook up the hoses when ready and let the runoff out into the lawn area to avoid the driveway, the small kids in the hood then go sledding:)
Yeah, if there’s any benefit to ass-freezing cold temps it would be the low ground water temps. I chilled a Scottish 60/ the other day in about that time frame.
that and the beer I drink while brewing doesn’t get warm either:)