Nope all grain
OK here goes.
1) My brew burner is always set up and ready to go.
2) My grains are always pre-ground and weighed from my LHBS
2) All my gear is in a big tote and pre-cleaned and sanitized from last brew day.
Ready ? OK lets brew a 5.5 gallon batch....using 9 lbs of grain
a) Drag out 16 gal brew kettle set on burner and fill with 8 gallons H20 ( light burner as soon as water hits the bottom of kettle)
5 min tops
b) drag out everything else while water heats including brew step sheet..grains,,hops,,MLT,, hydrometer viles..etc etc.
c) Water is at 204 in <
15 min Dump into HLT ( Cooler #1) Kill flame... Set pot back on burner.
d) Transfer strike water volume called for in recipe with plastic pitcher from HLT to MLT ( cooler #2) and add cold water in short squirts from garden hose at same time to reach target temp and target volume for mash in ( Im more concerned with hitting temp then hitting the volume exact..a quart or two over wont hurt the mash any...I use an infrared gun for all my measurements. very quick and easy.
2 min tops
e) Mash in pre-measured grains ..stir... start clock.. make sure lids are closed on coolers.
2 min tops.. .Go in house and do whatever for 45 min. ( I come out and stir mash once or twice during this time unless I forget )
OK with me so far ...were at 24 min total clock time to mash in.
d) I mash for
50 min
OK mash out now begins with clock at a total run time now at 1:14
C) Mash out with about 2 gal of hot water from HLT ( less or more dosent matter much just hit your temp) with my 1 gal pitcher again as fast as I can, water in HLT is more like 200 by now. This is just a tad lower then I would like it to be in the winter but still works well. I still get about 165 mash out temp with around 2 gallons of water or less.
3to 4 min tops
Let mash out sit for for
5 min
OK total run time till ready to vorluf first running 1 hour 23 min
d) Vorluf till clear straight from MLT valve..when clear slip on hose and let fly into 5 gal boil kettle or bucket on ground under MLT (Vorluf takes 2 quarts usually)
2 min tops
e) While first running are draining fill a hydrometer vile while doing this.. drain MLT completely...close valve..
transfer to 16 gal pot on burner and light flame.
5 min tops
f) Check temp of water in HLT ( usually about 195 by now) Add water from water hose to get to 170... Dump all required remaining water from HLT ( Cooler #1) over grain bed in MLT (cooler #2) in one batch sparge. I will be within a couple degrees of 168, usually a tad low so don't have to worry about over temping grains....stir and let settle
3 min min.
OK were now into it 1 hour 33 min at this point.
g) Now same thing as with first running, let grains settle
2 min vorluf first 2 quarts
2 min tops ..then let fly into bucket and also fill a second hydrometer vile when doing this ( second Running's) when grains are drained "or" you have reached your boil volume close valve
3 min tops ..... now transfer this to 16 gal kettle ( first running are almost always boiling already by this time)
h) Now all wort is collected... bring all to boil
about 5 min and boil
1 hour
We are now at 1:45 min total run time to start of boil
Boil 1 hour...Add hops per brew schedule after hot break is over.
Clean and Put MLT HLT...stir spoon etc..all away during boil, you should have very few thing to clean after pitching yeast. Hydrate yeast at this time as well and have ready.
Total clock time atl flame now out is 2:45
Slide fermentation bucket under kettle valve and let fly... 208+ degree wort kills anything it touches no need to re-serialize pre_cleaned and steralized. fermentation bucket. ( You could chill in the pot but I prefer to do it in bucket.)
3 min tops to drain all wort. Close valve on boil kettle.
Toss in chiller and agitate in wort vigorously and
continuously.you can feel the difference in the inlet and outlet copper tubes as water sucks the heat out ...stop moving the chiller and outlet water gets cold fast..start agitaing it again and it gets very warm....SO keep it moving! that's the key to a fast chill..Our water is 51 degrees or colder in winter so 5 min is all it takes to get to 68 degrees...pull chiller and pitch yeast...snap on lid.. carry bucket in house to fermentation room and install air lock
7 min tops
There you have it 2 hours 55 min on paper..
Takes me maybe 5 min to clean the pot and put odd's and ends a way and star san my hose.
Obviously I can do these steps just a litter faster with out any rushing as I was completely cleaned and drinking a beer in 2:50 min last Sunday on a easy not rushed brew day.
Add 35min to 45 min for 10 gal batch
So what the heck are you guys doing anyway???
I don't know where my head was at with my original write up anyway..I never heat 8 gallons up to 204 degrees for a sparge in the first place.Getting old sucks!...I'll do a re-write one of these days with actual not guesstimated times, and volumes.
