Getting Weary (12 gallons, and 18 to go)

[DeadYetiBrew]

I don't know if i can do this.... I had 5 brews on the docket, i had a week or two off of school, was going to space them out. Well, i got a job, i start monday, i just lost that week. So today i mashed (no pun intended) two brews in today, ed's haus pale ale and a guinness clone. Well, that leaves 3 brews on the bill (again no pun intended) for this weekend. I'm going to try to tomorrow, i hope i'll get at least 2 in, if i succeed with that i'll leave the 5th for next weekend.

But relaxing now, been going since 12pm (yes only 12 hours to brew 2 beers *sarcasm*), i don't know if i can do it. If i pull this off i won't brew for a WHILE.

AG sure is a pain in the ass, but it's worth it. See if i can't get some pictures up after i get all 5 (if not just 4) brewed, it'd be a pretty picture.

So anyway, has anyone else tried to commit brewing suicide/overdose like this?

 

[kenche]

SWMBO is going to be away next weekend, which is a long weekend up here, and I plane to brew 25 gallons. I brew 10 gallon batches though so it is considerably easier.

1 10 gallon batch of Oatmeal Stout
1 10 gallon batch of Bavarian Wheat
1 5 gallon batch of apfelwein

If I had more fermenting buckets, I would consider doing a third 10 gallon batch.

You should really consider scaling up to 10 gallon brews. The extra work/time is minimal, but the extra beer produced is significant.

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

I would but last time i did a 10gal batch i burned it, though that was the first time i used the newer burner so that was probably why. The amount produced is nice, except it's hard to get rid of when you burn it.

I think the reason for 5 gallon batches right now is mainly the ease of trying new recipes and refining old ones. There's only 2-3 styles that i can say i have a grasp on (Northern Brown, Brown Porter, Irish Red) and would consider 10 gallon batches on.

 

[WBC]

You really need more equipment. A bigger mash tun and bigger fermenter.

A good way to do it to save time is several mash tun/coolers. You also need 2 ea 15 gallon HLT's and 2 boilers and burners. Now with 1 helper you can make a lot of beer in a short time. I have used Sanky kegs to ferment in but you can only get 13 gallons in there. You need head room for blow off. I made nylon adapters to fit over the Spear housing with a 1 inch barb in it for the blow off hoses. These can sit in a plastic party tub with ice as needed to maintain 63F. They are really easy to clean by heating them on your burner and then adding oxyclean to them and let it soak. Brush with a modified carboy brush. Go For it.....

 

[EinGutesBier]

Ah, memories. That reminds me of when I did a 4 gallon and an 8 gallon batch in the same weekend. I know, not the same, but my equipment seems to require a lot of TLC. Besides that, I'm one of those brewers who's there the whole darn time...except for mashing. But while that's happening, I'm getting things set up for the next step. So all the way from getting the mash water heated to yeast pitching time, it's about 5 or 6 hours for each brew. When you consider a 48 hour weekend and theoretically 16 hours of sleep and 12 hours for brewing, not counting prep, that gives you a 20 hour weekend!

 

[Hoosierbrewer]

Sounds like fun time. If you stagger correctly, you could do several in a day. Much like a manufaturing line. Let us know how you do it ad any learnings. I would like to get a process down for 2 all grains at a time. I know it can be done with probably an extra hour or 2 of time.

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

well i was going to start about 2 hours ago, i decided (after yesterday) sleep was better. I'm going to space them out, i'll do 2 next weekend, and 1 the next. It's just too damn much and i'd rather not lose interest or get tired and make stupid mistakes. I've got 2 burners, 2 keggles, 1 mashtun, various buckets. Last week when i did two lager i had the one mashing while the first was boiling. Worked good.

Yes it would go faster if i had a partner that knew as much as i did or that actually helped. 1) brew partner naps the entire time so that leaves me with 2) my 10 year old neice, lol, she helps but not enough lol....

6 hours a brew isn't bad but i am one of those constantly moving around monitoring stuff, cleaning stuff, and getting some kind of something ready. So that much time running around outisde, in the house, and up and down stairs gets really tiring. 12 hours of constant brewing = exhaustion. add another one i'd probably pass out, but alas it is still really fun...

 

[WBC]

Oh you are soooo right on the tired part. The only way I can do it is with help. There is just too much to do when you are standing the whole time and lifting, bending over, cleaning, measuring, testing wort etc. I am 67 now and I am trying to automate as much as I can and eliminate as much lifting as I can. Some days I just do not feel up to it.

I have to keg 12 gallons today, and I got the kegs ready yesterday so I am using CO2 to push the beer from carboys to CO2 purged kegs (closed system).

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

Oh you are soooo right on the tired part. The only way I can do it is with help. There is just too much to do when you are standing the whole time and lifting, bending over, cleaning, measuring, testing wort etc. I am 67 now and I am trying to automate as much as I can and eliminate as much lifting as I can. Some days I just do not feel up to it.

I have to keg 12 gallons today, and I got the kegs ready yesterday so I am using CO2 to push the beer from carboys to CO2 purged kegs (closed system).

Well i can't say i'm 67, but i dislocated my knee Dec 31st of last year (no not in a drunken stupor). So the standing and walking and lifting was close to being a bit much the other night, it's actually kinda sore today and i don't want to take it too far and have it dislocate again just before going to work.

 

[DUCCCC]

I hope you keg! Bottling day for this much brew would be just about as much work too.

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

I hope you keg! Bottling day for this much brew would be just about as much work too.

lmao, funny you mention that..... no i don't keg.... i actually planned 5 because with them, and the 2 lagers i did a week ago, they will fill every single bottle i have.... Yeah, you DON'T want to know how many i have.... damn near 500... oh yeah i'm so selling these puppies when i get a kegerator.

 

[Seabee John]

I can't remember where I read it, but in one of the bigger brew mag's I picked up at the book store, they had an article on marathon brewing (2 or more brews in a day) It's actually more cost efficient to brew that way, saving all those BTU's stored up in your HLT... but I digress.

I have a herms system that I set up for simultaneous 10 gal batches to be brewed... slightly staggered (not the brewer) but from beginning to end for two batches it takes about 7 hours.... throw in a third and you've got a full day, but that's 30 gal in one shot.

And yes, I absolutely keg. I cringe what a buddy asks me for a 6'r to take home. I've got a beer gun at the ready too.... bottling is such a pain.

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

I can't remember where I read it, but in one of the bigger brew mag's I picked up at the book store, they had an article on marathon brewing (2 or more brews in a day) It's actually more cost efficient to brew that way, saving all those BTU's stored up in your HLT... but I digress.

I have a herms system that I set up for simultaneous 10 gal batches to be brewed... slightly staggered (not the brewer) but from beginning to end for two batches it takes about 7 hours.... throw in a third and you've got a full day, but that's 30 gal in one shot.

And yes, I absolutely keg. I cringe what a buddy asks me for a 6'r to take home. I've got a beer gun at the ready too.... bottling is such a pain.

Last week when i did the two lagers i somewhat staggered them... I collected mash and sparge water of one in the kettle then started mashing the other while i was boiling the first.... It wasn't really that staggered but it took off about an hour or two.