Weeknight outdoors brewing

Decided to have a go at brewing a batch outdoors, at night (after work), during the middle of the week.

I had planned my brew session pretty good, except that it rained on me but it worked out fine.

The night before:

- Weighed & crushed my grains
- Sanitized + covered my carboys
- Set-up my equipment
- Load up the water in the HLT and covered it
- Prepared the yeast (a couple days ahead actually)

The session:

6:00p: Got home and immediately fired up the burner under the HLT to gets things going.

6:20p: Start the mash. Mash temp was a touch high, added 1 quart of cold water, stabilized the mash

7:20p: Start heating the sparge water

7:35p: Start recirculating

7:50p: Start run-off

8:00p: Start sparge

8:45p: End sparge

8:50p: End run-off

9:00p: Start boiling

9:45p: Add Irish moss

10:00p: K-O. Whirpool

10:05p: Start cooling with CFC to carboys

10:30p: End cooling. Pitch yeast. Put carboys in temp-controlled fridge

10:31p: Pour myself a pint of homebrewed Kolsch

10:40p: Start cleaning

11:00p: End cleaning. Pour pint #2 (Black Pilsener).

11:30p: Pour pint #3.

It worked out quite well. I set-up a clip-on lamp to light up the mash-tun, and eventually clipped it next to the kettle. Next time I'll have one for each.

A few pics:


Mash


Run-off (I won't lie, this was later during the run-off. It wasn't quite as clear at the beginning)


Going into the kettle


Going into the carboys


Getting a pint.

M_C

Did similar last week. Worked great. I will probably do this from now on because free saturdays are sparse. We were all cleaned up by 11:00pm. My buddy has a larger pot and burner than me so we work together to do a 10g batch using my burner to heat sparge water while his is getting run-off to begin boiling.

I've been wanting to try this as well, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I imagine cleaning up at 11pm really sucks though, especially now that the colder weather is coming and I brew outside.

I did this the other afternoon from about 4p-9p. It was great. I was cleaning up in the dark but all the brewing was still in some daylight.

I may have to try this too. Lately weekends have been booked, and my pipeline is not where I'd like it to be. I get home later than that usually so I would in the brew garage till probably after midnight. Might be better suited for an extract batch, and maybe no chill.

I'm with you...free Saturdays are rare. Saturdays are now reserved for 10-gallon batches, but 5-gallon batches are a go for weekdays. I have a pretty flexible work schedule, so I can get home on brew day by 3:30, mash in by 4, and be cleaned up by 8:30.

LOL....I started a batch at 8:30ish on Tuesday and wrapped it up at 12:30 a.m......SWMBO was not excited, but it was a beautiful batch.

The only minor problem I ran into is that because of the clip-on light, the bugs were all over, and a couple of them fell into the kettle during the boil. No biggie really. They got filtered out by my hop ring at the bottom of the kettle.

I wouldn't want to do this every night, but once in a while, in a pinch, it's do-able.

M_C

My weekends are always full. I have 2 toddlers. I never start until at least 8:00 PM and usually wrap up some time between 1 and 2 AM.

Not as enjoyable as I'd like it to be, but I'll be damned if I'm giving up my favorite obsession!

I do this as well. I highly recommend it. I usually go 6pm start and 11pm pitch.

hiphopopotamus said:

My weekends are always full. I have 2 toddlers. I never start until at least 8:00 PM and usually wrap up some time between 1 and 2 AM.

Not as enjoyable as I'd like it to be, but I'll be damned if I'm giving up my favorite obsession!

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I'm in the same boat. my kids are a bit older (4 and 6), and I'm sorry to tell you, but it just keeps getting worse (from a time to brew perspective...otherwise life gets better and better as they get older). I end up being the midnight brewer on weekdays. mash in after the kids go to bed (usually by 8PM) and occasionally not done cleaning up until 1-2AM...especially if I end up doing a 90 minute mash and a 90 minute boil. It beats giving up the hobby, and not taking up family time to brew beer.

My wife was getting agitated that my brewing was taking up our weekend time to go do things so I've started brewing in the evening also. It beats vegging out in front of the tv.

Time was why I started overnight mashes. Work well and I can wrap up by 10:30 in the morning.

First pint at 10:30?? Wth??

I'm in your same boat too with kids and SWMBO wanting valuable brewing time for themselves. So selfish, hah. I have been able to commandeer my six year old to help me though, especially with bottling. I can kill two birds with one stone like that. I watch him and he helps me. Still leaves the baby for her but she's usually ok with that, but lately I've been opting for these late night brews.

I do a lot of cleaning while I brew and have been able to cut a full brew day down to just under 5 hours. I may be mashing for a shorter time though. My sparge usually starts just a few minutes after the hour, and that's doing a decoction mash-out. I think if I was as setup ahead of time as you were I could finish even quicker.

I don't mean to be a smart ass, but isn't a black pilsner a schwarzbier?

Spintab said:

I don't mean to be a smart ass, but isn't a black pilsner a schwarzbier?

Bottled: Black IPA

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Ha! ...and isn't a Black IPA now a "Cascadian Dark Ale"?!

okay, I guess that nomenclature is a bit more contested, but caught me as funny/ironic when I read your post.

Heh, yeah, you got me. I wrestled with what to call that batch, and actually to your defense it is more than just an IPA with carafa III. I added some other stuff too. It's a highly disputed subject. IMO it depends on the roast. If it tastes like an IPA but it's dark, it's a black IPA. If it tastes like a dark beer/IPA lovechild then it's a Dark Ale. Cascadian seems like it should imply yet another style but I'm yet to try a beer specifically labeled Cascadian Dark Ale. Even then, are we talking cascadian as in Pacific NW or cascadian as in cascade hops or what does cascadian really mean?

Like I said, I'm not trying to be a smart ass even if it sounds like it. I'm more curious what you see the difference to be between a black pils and schwarz. If there is a difference I'd probably be interested in brewing one.