Better Work Flow When Brewing

The saying "work smarter not harder" just doesn't seem to stick with me when I do things. When brewing, I end up walking in and out of the house checking my ph, washing things/sanitizing, weighing hops and salts, grabbing equipment when needed from the garage, all making me walk back and forth through my house tracking dirt and mud in, and making brewing harder than it needs to be. I explained my frustration to my fiancé and she gave an obvious yet dumbfounded to me idea. Have EVERYTHING in your brewing space before you brew to where you dont need to leave for anything. I built a checklist of everything I need for brewing (like 25 things) to where I can have all of these at my disposal when needed quickly. I am going to use the outside hose to clean/ sanitzize right where I brew, check ph right there, weigh everything right there. The ultimate solution is to buy me a shed and to use it as my home brewery and have everything right there I need but currently my supplies are in the garage, my fermenter is upstairs in the closet and I brew on the back porch. Optimization seem so obvious yet so hard to do for me. If you have the same optimization issues, chime in!

I did have the same organization issues, but I've done a couple things to overcome them. You know one of them--have your stuff where you need it. I used to make trip after trip into my basement to get stuff, then I had to schlep it all back down there at the end. I had no good place in my garage to store the stuff, then one day at Sam's Club I found my answer: a rolling vertical cabinet that's 18" deep, 36" wide, and 72" tall. I can roll it into a nook when I am not brewing, and roll it out where I need it when I do. Everything I need except grain and mill are right there.

Another thing that helped is the idea of once you touch something, do what you need to do with it. Don't pick stuff up only to move it, it's wasted motion.

The last thing is about cleaning--clean stuff right away. I pull my immersion chiller from the kettle and put the lid on the kettle, and immediately spray off the chiller. Wait even just 10 minutes and stuff starts drying on there. I do the same with the kettle--once I've racked into the fermenter, I immediately take the kettle and spray it out and set it soaking w/ PBW. While it's soaking I'll then take care of pitching the yeast.

BTW, here's the rolling cabinet--only cost $209 at Sam's, very much cheaper than built-ins, and it can be moved next to my brewing area.

I keep my gear in the basement and brew on my deck. I wore my fit bit and it said I climbed something like 22 stories once because I was up and down so many times!

Now I have everything I need during the brew in one Tupperware and things I use post-brew in another.

Getting organized and prepped before I even put water in the kettle has been a big help.

I have an enclosed porch. I set up my brew sculpture in there. I plumbed in a utility sink and water through a filter to my HLT. I have my ingredients and fermentation chambers in my basement.

Mill the grains, weigh out the hop etc. Then to the porch to brew. After cooled, bring the wort in to the fermentation chamber. Some in and out but minimized if I collect everything before starting.

I would surely like an indoor electric brew room with everything right at hand.

kh54s10 said:

I have an enclosed porch. I set up my brew sculpture in there. I plumbed in a utility sink and water through a filter to my HLT. I have my ingredients and fermentation chambers in my basement.

Mill the grains, weigh out the hop etc. Then to the porch to brew. After cooled, bring the wort in to the fermentation chamber. Some in and out but minimized if I collect everything before starting.

I would surely like an indoor electric brew room with everything right at hand.

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I have more or less the same setup except yours is much better.

There was a thread on HBT about, oh, maybe 6 or 7 months ago debating whether it was an issue to mill one's grain where one brews. There was a sense among some that airborne dust from milling could potentially infect the wort after it was boiled.

That's why I keep milling in my basement, so as to minimize that. I'm not 100 percent sure it's a real issue as when I mash in, I'm creating dust as well. But it certainly doesn't hurt to separate boiling and milling.

mongoose33 said:

I have more or less the same setup except yours is much better.

There was a thread on HBT about, oh, maybe 6 or 7 months ago debating whether it was an issue to mill one's grain where one brews. There was a sense among some that airborne dust from milling could potentially infect the wort after it was boiled.

That's why I keep milling in my basement, so as to minimize that. I'm not 100 percent sure it's a real issue as when I mash in, I'm creating dust as well. But it certainly doesn't hurt to separate boiling and milling.g

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The concern I remember was milling where you stored your empty fermenters and other cold side equipment. I have most of my cold side equipment in the basement on shelves right next to my mill.

I don't see a concern as long as you clean and sanitize.

I ferment in the office and brew in the kitchen. By buying a second $2 spray bottle for stars an I saved myself hundreds of trips back and forwards. Need to get a second hydrometer for the same reason. I also borrow kitchen items like stainless measuring jugs and kitchen scales - If I could have dedicated items in my brewing box that would make brewday a lot easier. Wifey hates it when she can't find the kitchen whisk because I forgot to bring it back after aerating the wort.

kh54s10 said:

The concern I remember was milling where you stored your empty fermenters and other cold side equipment. I have most of my cold side equipment in the basement on shelves right next to my mill.

I don't see a concern as long as you clean and sanitize.

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I think it was more an issue of that dust infecting the wort post-boil. Once the temp of the wort drops below that which can sanitize, airborne dust can settle onto that wort and potentially infect it.

I can sanitize my fermenter and anything else that comes in contact with the wort, but if dust just drifts into the kettle or onto the wort as it's racked into the fermenter.....

I've gotten to a pattern of pulling the immersion chiller from the kettle and immediately putting the lid on. I then go clean the chiller and then come back and drain the kettle into the fermenter.

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On another note--perhaps just a muse--I wonder if the chance of infection from airborne nasties is greater either at certain times of the year, or particular parts of the country. In the winter here in Wisconsin, I can't imagine there are a lot of nasties floating around in the dry air. In the summer in Louisiana or Florida, different situation?

I've felt a sense of urgency in the summer to get my wort into a sanitized fermenter as quickly as possible. Now, in the winter, it just doesn't seem as crucial. I'm not going to lollygag it (same sanitizing rules), but it just doesn't seem as big a threat.

I bought the house my wife and I live in, so I put my brewing stuff where it works for me. no mud involved.

We just remodeled the downstairs, and I tricked her into approving a huge stainless utility sink with an overhead sprayer gizmo so I can do everything in there except the boil which is 8' away in the garage. Silly blonde, she thinks she won because I don't use the kitchen at all for brewing anymore. bwuhahahhahahahaha.

mongoose33 said:

.. a rolling vertical cabinet that's 18" deep, 36" wide, and 72" tall. I can roll it into a nook when I am not brewing, and roll it out where I need it when I do... I pull my immersion chiller from the kettle and put the lid on the kettle, and immediately spray off the chiller.

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Cool idea, very neatly organized!
For the I/C I used to save hot outlet water (save all water actually) and when done I'd pull the IC and place into the hottest water bucket. Easy cleanup. Now I have a CFC...

kh54s10 said:

... I have my ingredients and fermentation chambers in my basement.

Mill the grains, weigh out the hop etc. Then to the porch to brew. After cooled, bring the wort in to the fermentation chamber. Some in and out but minimized if I collect everything before starting.

I would surely like an indoor electric brew room with everything right at hand.

Click to expand...

Ahh, me too with everything in the basement. With my kitchen remodel to be done this month, I will be taking the two long tables that made up the island for my brewing area in the basement I will finally complete. Love electric indoor brewing on the Grainfather!

mongoose33 said:

I think it was more an issue of that dust infecting the wort post-boil. Once the temp of the wort drops below that which can sanitize, airborne dust can settle onto that wort and potentially infect it.

I can sanitize my fermenter and anything else that comes in contact with the wort, but if dust just drifts into the kettle or onto the wort as it's racked into the fermenter.....

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One thing about reading Brulosophy for the last year + is that so many things we worry about need not be. Doesn't dismiss best practices, however I wonder if this milling issue is again just overbearing home brewer dogma??

Murphys_Law said:

I keep my gear in the basement and brew on my deck. I wore my fit bit and it said I climbed something like 22 stories once because I was up and down so many times!
.

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Man,
My fat a** needs to get a basement

I use a folding table and layout everything including wrenches and screw drivers for emergency repairs. I bought one of those gray bins restaurants use for busing tables and mix about 1.5 gallons of starsan in it. through the brew day I toss hoses, TC clamps, valves and anything else in it, makes cleanup a breeze.

All strike water and sparge water is measured the day before, I also add water chemicals at this time (I use RO). I setup all vessels the day before and leak-check them. I run my RIMs for about 10 minutes to make my controller is working. All hops a measured out.

I crush grain while the strike water is heating.It has taken awhile, but my organization is getting much better.

Collapsible table from Costco to hold everything you're using is a great place to start.
Buying a scale for water additions and hops, If you have a food scale it can help when your LHBS only sells a grain 1 or 2 lb increments and you need less.
Cleaning solution, pH meters/strips, computer, music, recipe, notebook all can sit on the table safely while mashing.

This is all from setting up your "work station" as a folding table first and placing/keeping everything for brewing in one area. If you keep everything inside the house pick one area to have everything. If it has to be two just maximize what needs to be in each area so when you need stuff you only have two trips you can make and multiple items will be there. I also use a reusable grocery bag to move stuff like grains or multiple bottles around.