nyer
Well-Known Member
I'm trying it Friday when I make a rye IPA. I was thinking I would get less efficiency with a single sparge but I recirculate during the whole mash so maybe it will work fine.
AG brew day in less than 3 hours... possible?
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I'm trying it Friday when I make a rye IPA. I was thinking I would get less efficiency with a single sparge but I recirculate during the whole mash so maybe it will work fine.
I on the same page as erikhild59. I run just about the same process and my brew day is about 5 - 5.5 hours. That's from start to finsh... everything cleaned and put away.
let me back up.
I have a HERMs system, so I am also recirculating the whole time. I used to have a 10 gallon MLT. I was forced to do a double-sparge on 10 gallon batches made with that 10 gallon cooler. I simply could not get all of the sparge water in there at once.
My efficiency on single-sparge is about 75%. On double-sparge, it is closer to 80%.
So, in my experience, you will lose about 5% efficiency going with the single sparge.
LVBen
Well-Known Member
I've done no sparge and had great results.
OOC92
Member
Why rush the hands of nature? Let it boil and flow...
2 hours on brew day.
1/2 hour day prior.
Friday- Grind the grains and put in ziplocs. Then put recipe and hops in 5 gallon bucket and put lid on. Get mashtun all ready for next day for water and grains. 1/2 hour total time drink 2 beers .
2 Hours Brew Day
Sat- Go to beach from 10-3 get the water to 170 on the kitchen stove.
Add grains and water to mush tun and check temp, off by 1 degree, oh well, wrap up in blanket and let mash go for 90 minutes. Make dinner on the grill, everyone is full and dishes all done. Check water on stove for Sparging.
Check temp lost 2 degree's from 158 to 156, oh well who cares. I won't lose sleep over it. Start draining and sparging, get 4 gallons in first bucket and start the boil in the keggle. While the boil is starting the other 3.5 gallons collected, add that in keggle. Wow that took 30 minutes. Add 60 minute hops set timer have a beer. Water plants and then add flavor hops, have a beer. Add Irish moss and final hops and then turn off. Cover with lid, close garage.
Sunday-1/2 Hour
Siphon to primary and pitch the the yeast. Clean keggle all done.
Been doing this for 17 AG and never had a problem, and the time is under 3 hours.
I like to boil water on the kitchen stove, while saving my propane for just boil wort. It makes for a easy brew day.
I'd have to disagree with your accounting here and call this WAY more than 3 hours of time involved to make beer. Yes, you are not sitting there and watching the pot, but the clock is still running.
If you are only counting the time that your hands are busy, then I would say that it takes me under and hour to make beer and that's with a 60 minute mash (because I am just sitting there and it doesn't count) and a 90 minute boil (which I am only actively throwing hops in for maybe a minute.)
I single sparge also. I always got around 70% eff and never really cared until recently, so I have started stirring the mash half-way through. I'm now in the 75% range, and happy with it. My friend suggested trying a second sparge but I don't think its necessary.
I totally agree with you but I was just trying to make a point, that can a brew be done in under 3 hours. Yes. The other thing is if I sat in the garage for 3 to 5 hours straight the wife would of killed me. I showed that you can spend some time with the family while make beer. I like to break it up this way. My efficiency is at 72% , so I can't complain, but most of all doing this way the wife has not either.
nyer
Well-Known Member
Before I made my new system I was using a cooler and had to do 2-4 sparges depending on the batch size. I could do a no sparge but I'm not ready to try that just yet. I'm going with a single sparge Friday for sure.
nyer
Well-Known Member
Do you recirculate with a pump during the mash? I'm assuming you don't since you stir? I love having the pump and recirculating instead of stirring all the time, the wort clears up fast.
Brian2can: I am in your boat, so to speak. I love my hobby and my wife thinks I am obsessed with it. It is a learning process on how to break up the brew day so you can be a family man.
This is slightly
Has anyone ever tried to mash one day and boil/add hops on a different day??
This is slightly
Has anyone ever tried to mash one day and boil/add hops on a different day??Brian2can: I am in your boat, so to speak. I love my hobby and my wife thinks I am obsessed with it. It is a learning process on how to break up the brew day so you can be a family man.
This is slightly
I tried an overnight mash on my second to last brew. I did a mash at 158 at 10:00 PM and stirred around the grains and wrapped up in blankets. The next morning the temp was around 145. Heated sparge water to get to 168 and sparged. No problems. The Killians just got bottled this weekend and taste great.
EdWort
Well-Known Member
I pretty much dedicate 6 hours to the process, that way I'm not rushed to finish it.
To me, brewing is not a chore, but time to focus on creating a piece of art. Something folks will enjoy till the keg is blown.
I still try to get things prepped the day before brew day.
Weigh out grain
Set up equipment
Fill HLT (It heats up much faster after coming up to 103 ambient naturally)
On brew day, I fire up the HLT and mill the grain. The rest is process.
I do notice when brew buddies are over, the whole process takes longer. :cross:
To me, brewing is not a chore, but time to focus on creating a piece of art. Something folks will enjoy till the keg is blown.
I still try to get things prepped the day before brew day.
Weigh out grain
Set up equipment
Fill HLT (It heats up much faster after coming up to 103 ambient naturally)
On brew day, I fire up the HLT and mill the grain. The rest is process.
I do notice when brew buddies are over, the whole process takes longer. :cross:
No pump for the mash, just my chilling set-up. A friend was recently showing me how he does his with a pump and I'm definitely interested. When I move in a year or so, I plan on re-thinking everything I do and possibly getting into a more equipment-based setup. Right now I'm very bare bones other than my awesome fridge and freezer
Agreed 100%. Other than my cousin, generally tries to help out, I've learned that brewing with people around is just an annoyance. Even when we brew as a club it becomes more of a social event and things always get messed up. When I am alone, I never make mistakes because I can concentrate.
Good point... I think of that when I make my first mistake
I did forget to take an OG reading on my last brew, I guess that counts, right?
I did forget to take an OG reading on my last brew, I guess that counts, right?
Good point... I think of that when I make my first mistake
I did forget to take an OG reading on my last brew, I guess that counts, right?
Nah. That doesn't count. I never take FG and half the time I don't take OG either. I've brewed enough to know that I get 75% efficiency 99% of the time, so.... whatever. No need to look.
Bigscience
Well-Known Member
The best I've ever been able to do 10 gal in is 4:25 and that's with a 30 min mash and a 60 min boil. I think about the only place I can trim is heating the strike water. I'm looking into an eHLT on a timer or using an old RIMS tube as an instant water heater. I don't think it could take me all the way but it would help.
As for helpers, I have 2 brew buds that are fully trained and will pick up the slack should I get distracted. There are other times when others come over though that all hell breaks loose. They can be really distracting.
I think the best way to reduce your brew time is to average it out with a double header. Your equipment will be pre heater, you can mash the second while you boil the first, and you only have to setup and clean up once. Doing this, I can get close to 3:30.
As for helpers, I have 2 brew buds that are fully trained and will pick up the slack should I get distracted. There are other times when others come over though that all hell breaks loose. They can be really distracting.
I think the best way to reduce your brew time is to average it out with a double header. Your equipment will be pre heater, you can mash the second while you boil the first, and you only have to setup and clean up once. Doing this, I can get close to 3:30.
Mikethepoolguy
Well-Known Member
Just do extract brewing if time is the issue. Don't rush brewing or quality will suffer. If you are not that into it there are other hobbies out there.
Its a real shame that people have this outlook in this hobby. Its rare, but I am somtimes surprised by the reactions I see from certain topics: secondaries, "do you save money", "where can I save time", "do I need a starter"... Inevitably, these types of threads always bring out the people who criticize for no identifiable reason... (and even worse, take it personal).
How many times do you brew a month Mike? Do you have kids? Have you ever considered that some people absolutely LOVE this hobby, but might not have the time to dedicate 5-6 hours every time they brew? I'm working on a degree in brewing history right now, does trying to save time on my brew days negate that?
Is this a hobby that requires everyone to conform to a set standard? On some topics, it sure seems that some people believe that it is...
Airborneguy said:
I think you're overreacting, and I don't think it was meant to be criticizing at all. He specifically said that if time itself is the issue, extract brewing would be a good way to cut down time significantly without compromising too much. When he gave the alternative option of finding a different hobby, he prefaced that with, "If you are not that into it," which, in combination with the prior sentence, seemed to me to clearly mean that, if the reason for wanting to hurry the brewday up was a lack of enjoyment (in which case cheap beer would likely be the reason for brewing.)
So, from where I'm sitting anyway, it actually DOES look like he "considered" all that.
If thats the case, then I certainly apologize. Look back though, there's a few other intersting posts. Apparently some people know what is and isn't possible for others to do with their own equipment and process. I find that fascinating.
I'm on Airborn's side, I thought Mike's comment was a bit extreme even harsh. But I don't want to judge someone else's intent. There is lots of times when what you write in the forum doesn't roll out like you thought it would when you say it to yourself. I'm sure we have all had things typed that were taken out of context.4 hours is my best- but thats crushing grains the day before if that counts.
60 min mash, hybrid fly sparge; 30 min ( BM thread). heating the wort as you sparge is crucial for me, and cleaning with the chilling water helps a ton too.
60 min mash, hybrid fly sparge; 30 min ( BM thread). heating the wort as you sparge is crucial for me, and cleaning with the chilling water helps a ton too.
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No mash out, no sparge has saved my brewing hobby. It still may take me a while to brew, but it's a lot less work. I have two kids and interruptions are constant. Before when I'd have to prep mash out and sparge water it made the pre-boil process labor-some and difficult to break-away from for other matters without losing considerable time.
Now when I mash in, I don't have to do anything until I drain into the kettle. Even then, I am doing 5.5 gallon batches in a 15.5 gallon kettle, so I don't even need to worry about boil overs, so all I have to do during boil are my hop adds.
So, by the end of the boil I have maybe spent 20-30 minutes over the process and kept the wife from nagging.
I have a pretty in-efficient wort chiller, and I think my tap water is in the 60s now so by far the most work I spend on brew day is chilling the wort. This takes me a solid 30 minutes and countless gallons just to get to 75F.
If you do this method, expect 45% efficiency at first and see what you get.
However, with this method by the time I begin heating mash water and every thing is clean it's about 3.5 hours.
I forgot to mention you also only have to lug around two vessels. You don't need a separate pot for sparge water. You just heat up mash water in your boil kettle, mash, and drain back to your boil kettle.
Now when I mash in, I don't have to do anything until I drain into the kettle. Even then, I am doing 5.5 gallon batches in a 15.5 gallon kettle, so I don't even need to worry about boil overs, so all I have to do during boil are my hop adds.
So, by the end of the boil I have maybe spent 20-30 minutes over the process and kept the wife from nagging.
I have a pretty in-efficient wort chiller, and I think my tap water is in the 60s now so by far the most work I spend on brew day is chilling the wort. This takes me a solid 30 minutes and countless gallons just to get to 75F.
If you do this method, expect 45% efficiency at first and see what you get.
However, with this method by the time I begin heating mash water and every thing is clean it's about 3.5 hours.
I forgot to mention you also only have to lug around two vessels. You don't need a separate pot for sparge water. You just heat up mash water in your boil kettle, mash, and drain back to your boil kettle.
On a brewday, I don't get very busy until the sparge. The time actually hands on before sparging is about 10 minutes total. There may be a couple hours consumed, but I can do other things easily.
1. I don't have to watch the HLT at all, so I dump in the water and grind the grain.
2. Mash in 5min tops
3. Dump water into HLT again and turn on, let it get to 170 by itself and do other things.
4. Sparge and start boil. I have to sit and watch that happen and make sure that I don't boil over. 30 min
5. Boil starts and add hops numerous times. 5 mins
6. No Chill wort so I run straight into kegs. 10 mins
7. Clean everything 15 minutes
So hands on I spend approximately 60 minutes actually doing something over the course of 4 hours time. That gives me 3 hours of freetime on a brewday for distractions, family, drinking, etc. Not too shabby!
1. I don't have to watch the HLT at all, so I dump in the water and grind the grain.
2. Mash in 5min tops
3. Dump water into HLT again and turn on, let it get to 170 by itself and do other things.
4. Sparge and start boil. I have to sit and watch that happen and make sure that I don't boil over. 30 min
5. Boil starts and add hops numerous times. 5 mins
6. No Chill wort so I run straight into kegs. 10 mins
7. Clean everything 15 minutes
So hands on I spend approximately 60 minutes actually doing something over the course of 4 hours time. That gives me 3 hours of freetime on a brewday for distractions, family, drinking, etc. Not too shabby!
My last brewday (this weekend) was 5.5 hours total from measuring grains to everything put away clean. Actual brewing was 3.5 hours, measuring and crushing grains was 1 hour (pasta roller mill hehe) and cleanup about 45 mins or so.
CidahMastah
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The best way to maintain your family man status and brew is do 10G batches back to back. If you do this with Friday prep (measure hops, grains, crush get equip out and ready) you can easily brew 20G in 5-6 hours. I do this with my buddy and we split it up. You can get a great variety plus, brew less often so the wife is happy. If my buddy misses, guess who gets more pipeline?
I would much rather brew doubles less frequently than rush like crazy each week and have the wife complaining. That said, my wife is pretty darn accepting of this obsession.. er "hobby".
I would much rather brew doubles less frequently than rush like crazy each week and have the wife complaining. That said, my wife is pretty darn accepting of this obsession.. er "hobby".
Bigscience
Well-Known Member
This is pretty much what I do. I'll alternate in an extract batch to bulk up some yeast and a few weeks later brew a double header. I also try to do all the other brew duties (kegging, racking, line cleaning...) at the same time so I can make the most of my 1 day of free time a month. Plus I can use the same cleaners/sanitizers I'll need for the brew days I'm green that way (I mean cheap).
EdWort
Well-Known Member
That would be sweet for me. Two 15 gallon batches back to back, but I would need another chest freezer for temp control.
I may add 10 gallons of Saison to my next brew day since I can leave it at room temp before lugging it upstairs to my 85 degree hallway.
mikeysab
Well-Known Member
My last brew day was 2 ten gallon batches and im doing it again saturday. I just ordered a 50' x 1/2" IC, after leaving mine in the shed over the winter. Chillng was the most time consuming. I get to brew a bunch of beer once or twice a month and still get to spend a bunch of time being daddy. 2 ten gallon batches is the new method for me.
CidahMastah
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You won't regret it. Especially in the summer because you just clear your tun and hose it out quick, hit it with strike water for your next mash while your first brew is heating up to a boil. If when I get a dedicated BK (right now my HLT and BK are the same pot), I am sure I will try for the 3 10g batch day...
Two 15 gallon batches would be insane
Especially for the lower gravity brews that tend to fly out out of the kegs quickly in the summer (i.e. your hefe/haus pale!)This will sound crazy - but I use a portable air conditioner unit in a furnished room in my basement to hold my ales at 68F in the summer. The lowest I can go is 62F with the ac (temp of the fermenting liquid). I am sure it isn't energy efficient, but I just haven't gotten around to that ferment chamber yet.
CidahMastah
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+1 on the 50x 1/2'' IC. I built one myself and it is awesome. Takes me 12-15 minutes tops to get 11 gallons of wort down to 65-75F, respectively.
+1
Love trying to work it all in, makes remember the fun of kitchen multitask in my old restaurant days. I love the flow.
bigljd
Well-Known Member
I'm jealous of guys in the North who can still quickly chill wort in July using just tap water and not having to mess with pumping ice water thru the chiller. It's a pain in the arse and it takes me an extra 30-45 minutes to chill now.
However, I'm not quite so jealous in the winter when I'm brewing in sunny 50-60 degree weather and you are buried under 3 ft of snow.
However, I'm not quite so jealous in the winter when I'm brewing in sunny 50-60 degree weather and you are buried under 3 ft of snow.
cadarnell
Well-Known Member
no matter how much i try to plan and get thru the steps expeditiously .. I'm always at 4 1/2 to 5 hours including clean up .. and I use the "deathbrewer" BIAB method with a sparge ..
Bigscience
Well-Known Member
If volume is your goal then:
-10 gal extract in kettle while you mash
-10 gal AG
-10 gal AG mash while the first one boils
-10 gal extract in HLT or MLT while the second AG boils
This could yield you 40 gal of beer in about 6 hours and a scholarship to Betty Ford.
-10 gal extract in kettle while you mash
-10 gal AG
-10 gal AG mash while the first one boils
-10 gal extract in HLT or MLT while the second AG boils
This could yield you 40 gal of beer in about 6 hours and a scholarship to Betty Ford.
I've done double 10 gallon batches but I decided it's really too much like work. I'll do an occasional low gravity 15 gallon batch. But I find that a 10 gallon batch once or twice a month is plenty.
When I used a single propane burner in the garage a 5 gal batch took around 8 hours. Once I got my 3 tiered system built I knocked that down to an easy 5 hours for 10 gallons.
My wife is very supportive of my addiction and my kids are both grown and gone. When they were little I had a very flexible work schedule and could brew in peace while they were in school and the wife was at work.
However, I'm not quite so jealous in the winter when I'm brewing in sunny 50-60 degree weather and you are buried under 3 ft of snow.
I use the snow to chill! This year I even added a ton of it as brewing liquor for a stout.
CidahMastah
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You have to remember - I have a helping hand (my cobrewer). With two guys on it, it doesn't feel too much like work, but I hear yah.
I agree that the ideal is 1-2 times a month. What is nice about splitting the doubles is that if we brew twice a month, we both get 4 different kegs each. I am definitely all about having choices available on tap.
I'm jealous of guys in the North who can still quickly chill wort in July using just tap water and not having to mess with pumping ice water thru the chiller. It's a pain in the arse and it takes me an extra 30-45 minutes to chill now.
However, I'm not quite so jealous in the winter when I'm brewing in sunny 50-60 degree weather and you are buried under 3 ft of snow.
I use the snow to chill too. But clean up without a hose is a b!tch. You got me there...
