How long to brew an all-grain batch?

How long does it take you to brew your average all-grain batch?


Amongst other factors this is something I'm considering before making the leap to all-grain.

From the time i start heating the strike water to the time i get that last item cleaned and ready to put away it takes me about 5 1/2 hours to make 10 gallons.

it usually takes me about 5 hours....took a little bit longer for the first one or two batches though

Yesterday I started around 7:45 AM and finished up around 1:00 PM. Some of that time is just sitting around (during the 75 minute mash, the 60 minute boil, etc) and I could have done some cleaning up then. But I just surfed the internet when I wasn't actually doing something.

Okay that's exactly what I figured. 5 to 5.5 hours. Thanks so much for your prompt responses.

It usually takes me about 7 hours. This is mostly because I'm an apartment dweller I think though because it takes me a while to get everything setup and later packed away.

4 hours here. 60 minute mash, 75 minute boil. Clean as I go, crush the grain the night before.

Here's how I look at it:

An All Grain batch takes 8 hours.

minus 30 minutes if you have a good wort chiller (counterflow, for example)

minus 30-45 minutes for a single infusion mash (no additional heating and resting steps)

minus 30 minutes if I can clean up outside with a hose

minus 30 minutes if my carboy and other equipment is already sanitized, or if I can do it during the boil (such as maybe if I have a helper or have sanitized everything ahead of time)

Minus 40 minutes if you have a really good burner (speeds up the time-to-boil, strike/sparge water heats faster, etc).

Minus 10 minutes if you have a brew sculpture or dedicated setup that allows you not to have to move stuff around a lot.

Plus 10 minutes if you grind your own grain

Plus 5-10 minutes if you have to measure out your own ingredients

Plus 15 minutes if all of your brewing supplies aren't all kept in the same location near where you use them.

FireBrewer said:

4 hours here. 60 minute mash, 75 minute boil. Clean as I go, crush the grain the night before.

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You must have some nice equipment then.

That wouldn't even be possible without a mega-BTU burner, a large enough pot to not worry about boilovers and a great chiller.

I only have one AG under my belt, so take this with a grain of salt, but I started at about 5:45pm and went to bed at 1am with my kettle, utensils, hoses, and siphon still dirty.

Damn Squirrels - good thought process. Only missed the batch vs fly sparge differential. But I'm not sure what that really is... (I fly for 60 min).

And cubbies - you'll reduce that time as it becomes more natural of a process.

Damn Squirrels said:

That wouldn't even be possible without a mega-BTU burner, a large enough pot to not worry about boilovers and a great chiller.

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It's not a stainless MoreBeer or Sabco system, and it ain't pretty, but it works for me.

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

I like your setup. I assume that's a single march pump and you just swap hoses via disconnects depending on what you're moving where? I'm fixin on going single tier, single pump so this interests me greatly. Do you also circulate your mash?

How much better do you find your all-grain batches than previous mini-mash extract batches? (Those without previous mixed batch experience need not answer).

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No disrespect to the extract folks out there but IMHO, going all grain is when I became a brewer. Not just a mixer of ingredients.

You have control over so many variables like grain bill, grain crush, mash ratio, mash temperatures and mash procedures that allow you to experiment more with style, color, mouth feel, maltiness, etc.

For me, it's what makes brewing fun!

Assuming everything goes reasonably well (hit all my temps, etc.) it's 4.5 hours from the time I reach for the first piece of equipment until I put the last piece away. That includes weighing and crushing grains, treating water, measuring hops, etc. (nothing done ahead of time, except that the fermenter is generally ready to go). That's with a 60-min mash, a 60-min boil, and batch sparge.

The more you do it, the more you figure out how to multi-task. By the time I pitch my yeast, the only thing left to do is to clean the brewpot. Everything else is put away by then.

I don't always go that fast (it seems more like work if you start worrying about how long it's taking) but it's nice to know I can if I need to...like when I mash in at 11:00 pm

I can do it in 3.5 hours if I need to.
I usually take around 4.5 hours.

Planning!

If I'm doing a decoction mash, it takes me a minimum of 8 hours from start to getting everything cleaned and put away. Granted, I also don't get in any hurry when I'm brewing.

Buford said:

If I'm doing a decoction mash, it takes me a minimum of 8 hours from start to getting everything cleaned and put away. Granted, I also don't get in any hurry when I'm brewing.

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Probably should have mentioned that my 1am brew was a double decoction.

I would never plan on less than 6 hours, though in practice sometimes I take a bit less time. For me, I set aside the whole day - that way I can relax, take my time, and I don't have to get too excited about handling any unforeseen "emergencies."

Although I can do it in as little as 3.5 hours I'd never try to do it if I only had 3.5 hours avialable.

If your a nube then I'd aim for six but maybe make sure you have 8 available.

Planning your first few AG I would run up all the times in your head...then double it.

My mini mash took forever.

I planned 10 hours for my first AG (it was 10hours until I had to be somewhere). I was finished before that.

Bobby_M said:

I like your setup. I assume that's a single march pump and you just swap hoses via disconnects depending on what you're moving where? I'm fixin on going single tier, single pump so this interests me greatly. Do you also circulate your mash?

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Thanks! Yep, single pump. I do circulate the mash as well with it. It used to be two-tier but I chopped it down to one as I batch sparge.

Damn Squirrels said:

Here's how I look at it:

An All Grain batch takes 8 hours.

minus 30 minutes if you have a good wort chiller (counterflow, for example)

minus 30-45 minutes for a single infusion mash (no additional heating and resting steps)

minus 30 minutes if I can clean up outside with a hose

minus 30 minutes if my carboy and other equipment is already sanitized, or if I can do it during the boil (such as maybe if I have a helper or have sanitized everything ahead of time)

Minus 40 minutes if you have a really good burner (speeds up the time-to-boil, strike/sparge water heats faster, etc).

Minus 10 minutes if you have a brew sculpture or dedicated setup that allows you not to have to move stuff around a lot.

Plus 10 minutes if you grind your own grain

Plus 5-10 minutes if you have to measure out your own ingredients

Plus 15 minutes if all of your brewing supplies aren't all kept in the same location near where you use them.

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This looks like a role playing table from D&D. Please add the die rolls. + (2d8) minutes

Bobby, that's where I'm aiming, too. Just got the third keg from SIL.

Minimum times for 10 gallon batch for me.

15 heat strike water
5 dough in
60 mash
20 batch sparge
20 bring wort to boil
60 boil
40 chill
30 transfer & add yeast

Adds up to just over 4 hours, but there are loads of other things that go on like sanitizing stuff and cleaning up. Still at least a 6 hour job.

For a 5 gal batch, single infusion mash, I average about 3.5 hrs from dragging things out to pitching yeast. I've usually got things cleaned up and put away by the 4 hour mark. If it's a 10 gal batch, it adds about 30 mins. Multi-step mashes add time accordingly. And you can ask the guys I've brewed with - I'm not running around the whole time - there's still plenty of time to RDWHAHB.

I've NEVER taken longer than 5 hours start to finish, even my very first AG batches, but I had someone who knew what they were doing to show me how.

The key is to start the next step so that it's ready when the current step is done. For example:
- heating your strike water as you're getting the rest of the equipment out
- heating your sparge water during the mash
- heating the 1st runnings during the sparge (this saves a lot of time to get start boil)
- clean the MLT and various items during the boil
- sanitise all necessary items during the boil

I am averaging about 4 hours for a 5-gallon batch. Some take longer if I am trying to get every last ounce of sugars out of the grains as I start the boil with a very large volume and have to boil a long time. I also do most of my brewing with a buddy so we are pretty in-tune with what should be going on during down-time to clean, setup for the next step, etc. Sometimes even rack other beers or bottle during down time.

edit: managed to bang out a partial-mash in 2 hours last week, awesome! was teaching some friends how to brew from an AHS kit, they were amazed at how easy it was....they are going to be a little surprised when they have to do it with their own equipment...

3.5 hours from start to cleanup

Chimone said:

3.5 hours from start to cleanup

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Cheese & Crackers, You need to come over and help me speed brew.

Change your name to FastBrew Chimone!

Oh, I never gave my answer and since this is funner than work we'll assume a 7a start time:

7:00 - 7:30 = drag it all out and get the mash water heated.
7:30 - 8:30 = Mash rest
8:30 - 9:30 = Fly Sparge
9:30 - 9:45 = Get to the boil (maybe less)
9:45 - 11:00 = 75m boil
11:00 - 11:15 = CFC chiller (probably less)
11:15 - 12:00 = Final clean-up, put away etc.

5 hours total

Pitching is a whole different story for me. Winter? right at 11:16. Summer 1-2 hours later with this hot tap water I got. Into the chest freezer to cool it down to pitching temp. Where are you guys getting the extra 60-90 minutes? I could probably see 30 minutes in there somewhere.

Yooper Chick said:

Yesterday I started around 7:45 AM and finished up around 1:00 PM. Some of that time is just sitting around (during the 75 minute mash, the 60 minute boil, etc) and I could have done some cleaning up then. But I just surfed the internet when I wasn't actually doing something.

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Your awake and brewing by 7:45am? Now thats dedication.

desertBrew said:

Damn Squirrels - good thought process. Only missed the batch vs fly sparge differential. But I'm not sure what that really is... (I fly for 60 min).

And cubbies - you'll reduce that time as it becomes more natural of a process.

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Agreed, damn fine list. One more minor miss: + 15 minutes for every homebrew you drink during brewing after the third one (sometimes you can just "relax" too much).

I usually run about 5 hours, 4.5 on a good day and 7 on a really bad day. I think my first one was about 7 or 8 hours, but at that time I was not cleaning as I went along.

Chrus said:

Your awake and brewing by 7:45am? Now thats dedication.

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I was thinking mental illness, but your take is good too....

Takes me about 5.5 hours total, but it would take a lot less time if I didn't keep overheating my mash and sparge water while doing something else...

Chrus said:

Your awake and brewing by 7:45am? Now thats dedication.

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Well, after I hit forty, I found it was hard to sleep past 6:00 AM. Part of the reason is my husband who gets up at 4 f**king thirty. I'm still not a morning person, but I have coffee and watch the Today show while my strike water is heating! I'm incredibly lazy, I brew inside because it's too hot/cold/sunny/rainy/dark/bright/ etc outside. I bought a turkey fryer, but it's outside and I like to be INside to brew and watch tv and surf the internet. Unless it's not a brewday- then I want to be OUTside where there is no housework. I'm a woman- this does NOT have to make sense to you to be a reality.

The other reason I brew pretty early is for my kids- my daughter (age 17) HATES the smell of boiling wort and it's just easier to be done before she gets home from school or work.

Anyway, carry on with your discussion, gents!

Don't forget crushing grain time. I've started doing that the day before unless it's spur of the moment.

I tried brewing back to back batches in a single day, overlapping 2nd mash with 1st boil. Nice to cram it into a slightly longer brew day. hard part was not screwing up something. Really need a brew buddy. I've had a couple friends come over to "help" but they tend to be more interested in the finished product and they always seem to leave early. Wish they were interested in brewing their own, but they aren't.

desertBrew said:

Oh, I never gave my answer and since this is funner than work we'll assume a 7a start time:

7:00 - 7:30 = drag it all out and get the mash water heated.
7:30 - 8:30 = Mash rest
8:30 - 9:30 = Fly Sparge
9:30 - 9:45 = Get to the boil (maybe less)
9:45 - 11:00 = 75m boil
11:00 - 11:15 = CFC chiller (probably less)
11:15 - 12:00 = Final clean-up, put away etc.

5 hours total

Pitching is a whole different story for me. Winter? right at 11:16. Summer 1-2 hours later with this hot tap water I got. Into the chest freezer to cool it down to pitching temp. Where are you guys getting the extra 60-90 minutes? I could probably see 30 minutes in there somewhere.

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Nice run-down. You asked about how we brew faster, so I thought I'd give some answers from my brew day.

Extra time comes from:
- 30-40 min mash, not 60
- < 30 min batch sparge, not 60
- 60 min boil (unless we're talking about a big beer)
- < 45 mins cleanup after chilling

Cheers

Yooper Chick said:

The other reason I brew pretty early is for my kids- my daughter (age 17) HATES the smell of boiling wort and it's just easier to be done before she gets home from school or work.

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She'll learn to love it once shes old enough to start drinking and appreciating good beer...

It's been taking me about 5 hours. It sure doesn't seem that long when I'm doing it, though.

Denny's Evil Concoctions said:

Don;t forget crsuhing garin time. I've started doingthat the day beofre unless it's spur of the moment.

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DEC....LOL...nice spelling. You been drinking bro?

Been der...dun dat...

5 1/2 hours but somehow I'm able to wash the car and mow the front yard during mash-time. Then I sneak a nap duing wort cule down.