Started brewing earlier in the day.... It was great!

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beerinthebloodco

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I'm sure many of you already know that getting an early start is great. I tried it for the first time today! I built my recipe from grain and hops I had on hand. I love having a small storehouse of supplies!

I measured my grain, built my water profile and set up my gear the night before. When I got up at 7 I got ready for a run, had breakfast and went out to the garage to start heating my water. I mashed in by 8 and left on a 12 mile run. (Training to run a marathon to commemorate my 26th year)

I came back to my mash about 2 hours later. It had only lost 3 degrees! Pulled the wilser bag out on the pulley and let it drain, turned the burner on low. I went inside, cleaned up and had a post run meal. When I got out to the garage it was just starting to simmer!

I hit all my numbers and then some for my "session" ipa. First time using citra hops. I'm looking forward to the finished product! I had all my clean up done by 2 pm. Not bad for multi tasking and it didn't feel like it took up my whole day!

Anyhow, I thought I would share my experience to perhaps persuade those who dislike earlier mornings as much as myself. It was a very worthwhile reason to get out of bed.
 
My last brew say I had mashed in by 9 am it was by far the smoothest brew day I had ever experienced. I drank coffee up until mash in and the. Hit the sauce and I still managed to not flock anything up. I took very good notes and somehow managed to hit 81 % efficiency I'm hoping to get similar results for my ends batch. Cheers!!!
 
The trick is getting stuff ready the night before. Then, it's an hour for mashing, time spent heating water, time spent heating wort, and done. Cleanup is usually 30-45 minutes for me, though if I get lucky I can do some of it while I'm doing the boil.
 
Same here. I set everything out the night before and then get up early morning before 6 and heat the wort. I have the beer in the fermenting vessel by 10.

Then I "think" about cleaning up for the rest of the day.
 
It sure is! Days spent not working are rare for me and worth extending as long as possible
 
I get home from work at 7:00 am and try to have grains milled water measured the day before. I start heating the strike water in the garage before I go into the house, usually start mash by 8:00 always nice to finish before noon. Then get it cleaned up before1:00. Cook dinner for family, clean that up and in bed by 3:00 to get up at 8:00 and do it again.
 
Another morning brewer here. I weigh out (and sometimes mill) my grain the night before, and keep it stored in an airtight bucket with a Gamma seal lid. I weigh out my hop additions and vacuum seal them with my Foodsaver. I label them all with a Sharpie indicating their name, and what time they're supposed to go in (eg., "1 oz CITRA 60:00").

Then I wake up around 6:00 am or 7:00 am, measure out and treat my strike water (hot water from my tap, treated with crushed-up Campden tablet), heat it up to temperature (takes maybe 10 minutes, since it's starting out at 140-ish from my tap already), then dough-in and make some breakfast. Heat sparge water, collect runnings, boil, chill, aerate, pitch, cleanup, I'm done by noon at the latest, and that's if I'm doing a slower recipe (i.e., pilsner malt so 90 minute boil instead of 60) and take my time.

It's great to be completely finished a brew, with all the gear cleaned and put away, and still have the rest of the day to do other things. The only drawback is, it makes it awkward to enjoy a pint while tending the boil. People (neighbours, my wife, etc.) tend to frown on that at 10:00 am. :(
 
question:
How does the rest of your day go when youre halfway drunk by noon? Thats my main aversion to starting the brewing before like 5pm or so


I always have different grain bills weighed out. Ill grind them, clean the system one last time, and get the water ready the day before. That way, I can come home from work and relax for a bit while the water heats up and get things going when its ready
 
I love brewing early, especially with kids on my schedule now. I brew while they are still sleeping. Usually I try to mash in by 6:30-7:00 and try to be boiling before 9. Makes SWMBO much happier than taking a full afternoon/evening. Nothing better than enjoying coffee and the sunrise in peace and quiet while your mash is working magic. Previously I tried brewing after everyone went to bed, but I much rather wake up early to brew than to stay up late. Getting to bed at 2-3am and then waking up early with crying kids is not fun.
 
I live in Mississippi and brewing during the summer can be absolutely brutal. There have been years where I brew a ton in the spring to build a stockpile so I don't have to brew at all during the summer.

To beat the heat in the warm months, I try to start my brewing around 6:00 am. I love it. Plus, everyone is still in bed, so I get some quiet time to myself too. And since it's 6:00 am, I'm drinking coffee instead of beer so my beer day goes more smoothly. I'm also more motivated to get things cleaned up. I'm usually done before noon, so I also feel like I have the rest of the day to do whatever still needs to be done around the house.
 
I am not surprised to hear so many brew early in the morning !!

I have a wife & 8 yr old son - and our weekends are PACKED !

So i get up at 7 am - feed the boy, and get to brewing !

Bonus is now the wife is bringing me breakfast in the brewery !!
I do have to wait until she wakes up, so its more like brunch....:D

I am usually all done - wort in fermentor, cleaned up by 1pm
So we still have the day to play

Steve

IMG_4935.JPG
 
grain, built my water profile and set up my gear the night before. When I got up at 7 I got ready for a run, had breakfast and went out to the garage to start heating my water. I mashed in by 8 and left on a 12 mile run. (Training to run a marathon to commemorate my 26th year)

For you it means you get to squeeze in a run for me it means I start drinking earlier in the day.:drunk:

In reality I don't drink on brew days anymore, usually because I start early also I am usually too busy working out a new component of my brew rig. Although last brew session was on my new rig was pretty darn smooth.

I used to mash in at 6 am which was sleeping in for me on my day off. My electric rig by fluke of design has a separate source for 110V from 220V. The 110V controls the control part of my brew controller and the 220 controls the "heat".

My method for an early start was:
  • Grind the grain the night before.
  • Fill the kettle and set the controllers to the temp needed to fill the MLT to the correct strike temp.
  • Plug the 110V into a timer for 4:45 a.m.
  • When the alarm goes off at 5:30 get started
  • Circulate the hot water to preheat the MLT
  • Mash in.
I celebrated my 37th year with a Marathon, my first running race ever.
 
I've only brewed in the mornings, since I work nights. Mill grains and collect water the day before. Up at 7, mashing in by 7:30. Make coffee and breakfast during mash. I've got it down to a routine by now, cleaning as I go, brew day is around 5 hours. I'm usually done and cleaned up by 1pm, with time for a quick nap before work.

One thing I had to share with you guys that a fellow brewer showed me- have u heard of a hot scotchy? Take a cup of the first runnings off the mash, pour into a glass and add a shot of scotch or whiskey. Makes for a great cocktail on brew day!
 
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