Ran out of propane at 45 min into the boil

Crap.

I planned all week. I knew how much and what temp my hot liquor would have to be to hit each infusion for each rest step. I was really looking forward to this all week. I sprang outta bed Sat AM ready to brew!

I had to add a bit more hot liquor infusion than expected for the Beta and Alpha rest steps …but OK. I can handle that. I really liked not worrying about dough balls because I mashed in below the gelatinization temp.

I adjusted my kettle volume with my batch sparge, exceeding my expected pre boil SG and started my boil with a smile. I did it!

Not so fast there bucko poof …the rookie mistake. Out of propane with 15 min left in the boil. Crap. The brew gods insist I learn thru pain. Basic planning was eclipsed by the pie-in-the-sky math. A dollar’s worth of propane stood between me and success.

Oh well. I decided to cool and rack to the fermenter. It’s chugging away a few points below expected OG.

Live and learn. Laugh it off.

Crap. LOL

This is why I have two tanks.

been there done that. luckily i have propane less than 5 minutes from my house. i do keep one tank on the gas grill, one for my beer, and one in reserve now.

Yep, been there and then I acquired a second tank.  I’m sure it will be fine.

I used to have two tanks but I have grown kids. My son needed it so now I am down to one. I could have run out for a fill about 7 miles but decided all things happen for a reason so decided to chill and rack instead. LOL

I think you made the right call to let it be.

Running out of gas is a right of passage…  In the brewing bingo game, that is a definate square!

45 minute boil… NP

Hope its the best beer ever…and we all can shave some time off!

I agree the beer will still come out good. Silver lining: your son is definitely going to have to come over and help you drink that beer.

Heh…I have 5 tanks.  Four 20s and a 30.  :slight_smile:

Just pull the one off the bbq until you get it refilled.  That’s what I do.

I have only one tank but as a private pilot my mind has been conditioned to keep fuel quantity/endurance in mind at all times lol…

I went with three 20’s and a 40.  I get them filled two at a time and can be assured of brewing and grilling at all times, but way back when I swapped out the grill tank on a pretty regular basis to salvage the brew day.  Hopefully your hop schedule worked all right.  I think for all but Pilsner malts you can get away with a shorter boil, if you use a first wort hop/hop stand or whirlpool hopping as the only additions.

Happened to me once, luckily I have a burn ring in the back yard, fired up a wood fire and finished the boil!
I live in Michigan and thought of Strohs which was “Woodfired”.

Thats pretty cool. I wonder how much of a pain it is /what you would gain from a entire wood fired brew. Might get some interesting reactions in the kettle.

I wouldn’t sweat it…the more posts I read from this guy, the more I wonder if a lot of set in stone rules matter.

Four 20’s and one 40 for me.  I use up the 20’s and refill all at the same time, with the big one always there as back-up.  Two of the 20’s also get swapped to 2 BBQ’s.

I’ve got 6 20’s, if I run out I’m an idiot:)

My propane company says that the most that they can let me drive home with is 60 lbs total.  I don’t know if it is a law or regulation or their own safety standard but I have made 2 trips before…hence the need to rotate the supply correctly!

Never heard of that but I suppose it could be a law, I simply swap tanks at Lowes and very rarely am I doing all 6 at the same time, usually 3-4 at a time.

I am in the 1 for brewing, 1 for grill, and 1 for back up camp, all standard 20# tanks. I ran out 1 time even with these circumstances. The grill tank was not nearly as full as I expected it to be in the middle of winter: silly me, why would I expect it to be full in December? Luckily, I was just heating sparge water, ran for a refill and my mash was 120 minutes vs the expected 90. It all worked out and I am sure yours will as well