Double batch brewday

A few weeks ago I saw an awesome spreadsheet where someone planned out each step of doing back-to-back batches. In an effort to minimize the length of the brewday, I was hoping to use it as a starting point since I've planned two batches with 90 minute boils on Saturday. I've searched forever and am having no luck finding it.

Does anyone else recall seeing this? I think it was an excel spreadsheet that used black lines to indicate how long something was going to take in the rows and columns representing the time of day. Thanks!

I no exactly the spreadsheet you are talking about. Someone will have the link for you. I searched but I can't seem to find it. I think I saw it in the electric brewing section the other day but I'm not sure.

Thanks - it doesn't seem anyone else recalls it. I may have to just start from scratch - though, given my [lack of] Excel skills, it won't be nearly as well done.

I tried this recently, and it was a LONG day.
I've just graduated to a bigger brewpot, so I can do 10 gallon batches...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/hooked-double-brew-days-228568/

Its in that thread, I am planning on trying to copy and update it for my particular brewing equipment (I have two burners and two kettles, want to see how I can knock some time off the overall.

If I get around to it, I will try to post it here.

I've got the equipment for 10 gallon batches, but I haven't been able to brew for a month or so and am going to do 2 different types (golden strong and olde ale).

That's the exact one! Awesome. Thanks kpr!

No problem. I am going to try to see what I can come up with for mine over my lunch break here at work.

Been doing this for a little while now, either...

Two 5g partial grain/extract batches back to back on the stove indoors while watching Sunday football or now NASCAR (everything is out, clean, and organized - what's another hour or two)...

or

One 5g BIAB batch outside on the burner and one 5g partial grain/extract batch on the stove indoors. You can essentially brew the inside batch while your water is heating/grains are steeping for the batch outside. This took me only 6.5 hours this past Sunday with a buddy over and in my way!

Efficiency in scale.

Yeah - I was thinking about doing them both outside. But while the first batch is boiling, I'll heat the strike water for the second batch inside so that the second mash finishes up right around the time I start cooling the first batch. First time trying this, so we'll see how it goes. I plan on starting around 6am so that I'm not tempted to crack the first beer until the second boil starts!

I just brewed two batches last Saturday. I don't have my kegs completely done yet so I was making my old equipment work on my new stand.

L to R: Boil kettle for the first batch, First runnings from batch #2, 2nd runnings from batch #2


I had strike water in the kettle for the 2nd batch as soon as I got the wort from the MLT. It went pretty slick.

Well, here’s my attempt at a 15 gallon brewday schedule under 6 hours:



https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Brewday_Schedule.bmp

The plan is to do a 5 gallon AG batch using the E-HLT, MLT, ¼ bbl keggle (I have been doing this for a while now, I know the logistics and feel fairly comfortable about the times and sequencing), and also a 10 gallon BIAB batch (I have not used this yet, I may try to do a couple single 10g batches just to get comfortable). All liquid will be either drained or dumped by gravity, I am cheap and don’t want to buy a pump.

A list of my equipment may help:
-5 gallon Electric HLT (E-HLT - used for Batch 1)
-5 gallon round igloo cooler MLT (used for Batch 1)
-7.5 gallon ¼ bbl keggle (used for main boil of Batch 1 and also sparge water of Batch 2)
-15 gallon ½ bbl keggle (used for mash and main boil of Batch 2)
-Large grain bag for BIAB (for Batch 2)
-Plastic bucket for BIAB sparge (for Batch 2)
-Two propane turkey fryer burners (one for each batch)
-One Immersion chiller

I think I came up with a pretty good plan for utilizing the equipment I have and could be done and cleaned up within 6 hours. Does anyone have any comments/concerns/potential flaws in my system?

Oh, another thing would be to not start drinking as soon as you light the flame for the strike water like I did...

Gridlocked said:

Oh, another thing would be to not start drinking as soon as you lit the flame for the strike water like I did...

Click to expand...

Personally, I think this is the best advice for a double brewday. Even on a normal one-batch day, I try to wait until I've at least collected second runnings and have the pot on the flame. Anything earlier than that seems to lead to missed/late hop additions and spills while transferring to the fermenter..

Hophazard said:

I try to wait until I've at least collected second runnings and have the pot on the flame. Anything earlier than that seems to lead to missed/late hop additions and spills while transferring to the fermenter..

Click to expand...

I might or might have forgot it was a 90 min boil last double brew day on the 2nd batch. I might have indulged a little to early. Eve after writing down the start time and all.

Anybody ever try using the runoff from your chiller (immersion or plate) as the hot water for striking on the second batch? If you keep the coolant water food-grade, it seems like a pretty efficient use of water and energy- why waste propane heating the strike water for the second batch? Of course this means you're not compressing the day as much as possible.

Maybe do this with the coolant from batch 1 serving as strike water for batch 3, which is starting to mash as you're already done sparging batch 2 into a temporary holding vessel, to be added to the boil kettle after you've run batch 1 into the fermenter. Seems like a triple brewday might be in order as soon as I get the kinks worked out of my setup.

Pro brewers do this to save energy. You could definitely do it and start with 130* water if you just used the initial coolant water. For me, it's worth the extra propane (on a 5 gal batch) to save the time and prep the mash strike water so that I can put the second batch on the boil as soon as I start to knock out the first.