How much in a typical brew day?

Just wondering how much everyone brews in a typical brew day?

I've been brewing 2 5 gal batches each brew day. I like at the end of the day, I have variety and 10 gal in my fermenters. However, it takes a lot of time and sometimes I get disorganized or make mistakes from jumping between the two batches.

Wondering to myself if I should try and keep it up or slow down to single 5 or 10 gal batches.

I do doubles as well. Ahead of time I measure & inventory everything for each batch and set them aside in separate locations, so I know to go over here for batch 1 and over there for batch 2.

Also, I don't try to hurry. If I'm doing a double, I plan on taking all day if I need to. It turns out not to take much longer than if I stressed out and tried to hustle and overlap everything to get done quickly--last brewday was 11:00AM first strike to 5:30PM final pitch for a pair of partial mashes.

SumnerH said:

-last brewday was 11:00AM first strike to 5:30PM final pitch for a pair of partial mashes.

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Those are some respectable times! I think my last brew day was more like 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The time before that was 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. I'm hoping to improve as my system gets more refined.

Other....single batch 1/4 barrel, 7.75 gal

Typically I do 1 batch of 5 or 5.5 gallons. I've recently decided to start running off an extra gallon-and-a-half or so on some beers where my efficiency is lower and boiling that up on the stove inside in tandem with my primary brew. Once I get the OG of the secondary to 1.040-ish I'll pressure-can it and use it as starter media. (It's an easy way to stay ahead on starters)

I've done 2 brews in one day before. It took me a while. I did them back-to-back and I realized I wasted a ton of time by not heating the second batch's strike water while running off the first runnings of the first batch.

I would think that if I had an extra propane burner and boil kettle I could almost do two batches staggered at an hour so that I could end chilling and racking to primary on the first and move the IC to the second for the last 15 of the boil or so. It'd be nice to have two five-gallon batches with only an additional hour on my brew day.

Also, for organization's sake (and because I'm a forgetful idiot) I recorded ringtones on my cell for mashout/hop additions/flameout and the like and I set alarms for each thing I need to do. Measure out everything before-hand in separate containers and it really takes the thinking out of my brew day.

Usually 8 gal batches sometimes 5gal.

When I brewed with Guzzle Boy, we'd do double batches, but now I only brew when a keg blows and just do 5 gallon batches. Even so, it's less than once a month.

Depends on what I'm brewing really, but generally single 10 gal. This week I was doing a 10 gal batch of a light Blonde similar to BM's Centennial Blonde. I'll be giving away 2 cases of it and kegging the other 5 gallons for myself. If I'm experimenting, like doing one of my single hop Pale Ales, or trying out a new recipe I generally do a double brewday with 5 gal batches. If I'm doing a big IIPA or a Barleywine, then I'm only going to do a 5 gal batch unless I feel like doing a partigyle also.

I do AG and feel it dont take that much more time to make 10 gallons of the same brew than making 5 gallons.

Usually do one 5 gallon batch but did 2 brews back to back today. 5 gallons Newcastle clone and 5 gallons Harpoon UFO Clone. started at 10 and just finished at 7. long day. if i do 10 G of 2 different again will try to do them overlapping the mash and boils.

I chose "other." Typical brew day is 35 gallons, but can be anywhere from 30-40 gallons depending on what I'm brewing.

Currently brewin 5 gal batches.....soooooo close to brewing 10 gals...soooo close...

Chose other. Sued to do 6 gallon batches. But now have upgrade t a keggle so can do a double 6 for a total of 12 gallons a brew day.

I switched from 5 to 10 gallon batches soon after I started brewing. . .the last 2 brew session I switched from a single 10 gallon batch to double 10 gallon batches. It definitely adds time to the day, but after the first one I added a second boil kettle and burner that way I can mash the second batch soon after the first batch is completely in the boil kettle. Of course it takes a little time to clean out the tun from the first batch, but overall it works out pretty well this way. I am thinking about getting a second cooler to convert and then I could literally do 2 simultaneous batches. This may be end up being a lot to keep track of all at once if I have both boils going simultaneously. Either way, I love having 20 gallons at the end of the day.

I'm REALLY surprised at the results of this poll. I would have thought that A LOT more people would be doing double batches.

When I started back up homebrewing for the second time, I really wanted to maximize my efforts. Doing double batches seemed like a no brainier to me. I figure I'm scheduling the time for it, doing all the prep work and clean up; why not put in a little extra time and get two instead of one.

Admittedly, I'm finding it harder to juggle two batches than I originally thought I would. However, I think its just a matter of time. Once I get my processes dialed in and make a few upgrades to my equipment I should be doing doubles with no problems.

pava said:

I switched from 5 to 10 gallon batches soon after I started brewing. . .the last 2 brew session I switched from a single 10 gallon batch to double 10 gallon batches. It definitely adds time to the day, but after the first one I added a second boil kettle and burner that way I can mash the second batch soon after the first batch is completely in the boil kettle. Of course it takes a little time to clean out the tun from the first batch, but overall it works out pretty well this way. I am thinking about getting a second cooler to convert and then I could literally do 2 simultaneous batches. This may be end up being a lot to keep track of all at once if I have both boils going simultaneously. Either way, I love having 20 gallons at the end of the day.

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DOUBLE 10's! That's pretty sweet!

Like you say, it does add time to the brew day but a lot of other processes it doesn't add much time at all: making starters, checking ferm temps, topping off air locks and racking into kegs. I'm doing all these tasks for one batch - why not two?

I brew with a buddy and we almost always do double 10 gallon batches. We overlap the first boil and second mash. The only real time added to the day is the boil and chilling of the second batch. The cleanup is the same either way. The prep work for the second batch is done during downtimes on the first. Makes for a much more productive day it seems.

I try to brew two beers if I have room....sometimes there just aren't a enough empyt buckets or carboys.

I start around noon and I'm done by midnight.....I take it slow and easy and lots of drinking along the way........

I only do a single 2.5 gallon batch every brewday due to space constraints. I do brew every weekend though.

I usually do double 10g batches. With 2 sets of equipment, it only takes maybe an hour more than doing a single batch.

I double up on 5 gallon batches. The second burner is very helpful to make a double batch day time-efficient. But a second mash tun would make it all too hectic. Mashing one while boiling the other works out great. I also find having an assistant is invaluable, just in case runoff takes too long or other unexpected things happen.

Sometimes after I pitch the first batch and then I realize I have to do it all over again for the second batch, it seems like a lot to do in a single day. But overall, I'm always happy to have two batches going live on kegging day.

From another perspective: I brew 5 gal single-batches. If I brewed bigger batches I'd have to brew less often, which for me is not a good thing. I like brewing every weekend. The pipeline is full. I did a double batch once and it wasn't that much longer or that much more work...and thus not that much more fun. Which again, for me, is not a good thing.

I can see why some would want to brew bigger batches or double-up brew days. But for me, that extra efficiency just means brewing less which is not my current goal. I'm sure that will change.