How many days does one brew day take?

Hey guys and girls, I was thinking about how much time it takes me for each brew day to the time the beer is in its final resting place, bottle or stomach.
I am forever taking labels off bottles and cleaning them. I grind the grains the night before and do most prep. One day in-between brew days is just for cleaning stuff that needs to be cleaned (like kegs). I also set aside some time to "make brewing stuff" like piping NG out to the deck. I think, I'm about 1 /10gal brew day to 4 days of doing other stuff. What about you?

That seems about right. I am brewing tomorrow so today I milled grain, got water, made yeast starter. It seems like everyday off I do something brewing related...cleaning, yeast starter, racking, etc...

As much as I enjoy brewing, I have often tried very hard to do things to cut down on the time without sacrificing quality. Here are a few things I do:

Multiple batches in a day. Reduces your cleaning time immensely and keeps you working during your brew day, having one mash going while the other wort is boiling, the next round of water heating up, etc. Making multiple yeast starters doesn't take much more time than making just one either.

Kegging. I keep no more than about a dozen bottles on hand. I keg it all. I will also pour into growers if needed.

Finalize your processes and commit to them. Get the right chiller, the right kettles, etc for your set up and leave it alone. Sure, there will always be stuff to tweak and build and modify, but get it done as early as possible in your brewing career so that one it's done, it's done. I have spent DAYS redoing my set up. I went from a 2 tier to a stovetop system and everything has to be reconfigured and simplified. But by experience, I know what I want and how it should work. By the time I do my first AG brew day on my new system, I doubt there's going to be much else for me to buy.

By far, I think that trying to make reproducible recipes is the biggest hurdle for homebrewers. Seeking that will add a TON of equipment. Forget it, I say. I make good beer. Each batch is just a little bit different and that is a point of pride. Everybody who tastes a beer will never have another exactly like it. It is not a reason to be embarrassed. It is a point of pride... Just like homecooking. It is authentic, unique, special... And TASTY! I tweak each recipe. People who had the last batch can come over and become overnight beer critics with my new batches. Regardless, it is guaranteed. They will find something they like.

If your tired of the whole labeling process these work really well. Easy and reusable, they will save you some time. www.beerclings.com

Other than that it i feel like a lot of the time savers come in the form of better equipment. Perhaps you could pretend to be a real brewery and hire some interns to work for free ?

Why label? Just put a number on the cap


Forever cleaning bottles? Just rinse with water within a week of pouring.

Why grind the night before? What are you doing while the mash water heats?



Brewed for the first time in 2 years the other day. No prep other than remembering to pop a smack pack.

I use metallic markers and write the name of the brew right on the bottle. While not fancy, the hand written name has a certain aesthetic. I also write the ABV if I'll be sharing a lot.

The marker doesn't wipe off with water, but comes right off with Starsan.

I also write on my kegs the same way now.

Neat, I just wish Star San didn't wash its own instructions label off. I always wonder if I am doing it right.

One thing I do. For my labels, I make the label go all the way around the bottle and then tape it to itself. Stays on long enough when I give beers out to people, but comes of easier than glue on.

My brew area is in the back of my man cave so I will drink a beer or two during the week and clean something, or soak new bottles or whatever while I am doing something else. That way it doesn't feel like work.