I brew 10 gallons batches on a weekend morning typically, and I also have been playing basketball Saturdays and Sundays at 9AM so I time my brewing around being out of the house for around 1 ½ to 2 hours. I have an electric setup so I can be away from the mash for a while and still maintain temperature. It takes about 7 hours total typically, here’s my rough schedule:
Night before: Fill up HLT, add water salts.
7AM: Turn on HLT element, measure and mill grains. Measure and separate hops. Vacuum seal any extras. Go upstairs and make some coffee.
8AM: Transfer strike water to MLT, fill HLT back up and element fires again to get back up to sacc rest temp.
830AM: Dough in, start recirculation through HLT
9AM: Go play basketball!
11AM: Return from basketball…Go straight into the ‘brewery’ and set mash out temp to 170 (wort recirculates and gradually ramps up temperature). Grab a quick shower.
1130AM: Mashout, batch sparge, batch sparge round 2. As soon as the BK’s element is covered switch over the heat to get the wort up to boil temps.
12PM: Generally by now the full volume is in the BK and is boiling. Begin 60 minute boil. Clean out MLT.
1PM: Boil complete, whirlpool and recirc through plate chiller until down around 150, than drain into fermenters.
2PM: All wort is transferred by now. If I have some more time I will clean the BK right then and there. If not I fill it with water and turn the element on to 170 and backflush recirculate through the plate chiller. Then I make sure to drain and clean the BK later than night or the next morning.
This schedule was developed in order to allow me to continue playing basketball and brew at the same time. SWMBO has frequently tried to make me choose one or the other and this was our compromise.