How often to brew...

[JoanofArc]

Hi, all.
As a newbie brewer, I got all excited about brewing. I've over purchased on kits.
I had two brews in fermenters about a week apart.
Just finished bottling the second.
Honestly, I come to a decision to only do one kit a month. It's a lot of work.

 

[mongoose33]

Part of the game is figuring out how to minimize time and work where desirable. Some are happy with 8-hour brew days; others, like me, would appreciate a process as short as reasonably possible.

One way is to reduce as much chasing around for equipment as possible. When I started brewing everything was stored in the basement; I must have had 20 trips up and down by the time I was finished with a brew day. A lot of it was "shoot, I forgot to bring that up with me" types of trips.

To solve that, I bought a rolling cabinet for the garage into which most of the equipment could be stored. It's stored in a corner/nook in the garage. On brew day, I just roll that over to the space I was using to brew, and I was for the most part set.

Another way to reduce the length of the brew day is to do some setup/preparation the night before. Setting up a burner, filling the kettle with water, organizing water additions or hops, getting the grain set up--much of that can be done ahead of time.

A third way to save time, if you're doing all-grain, is to look into Brew-in-a-Bag (BIAB). Saves on cleanup, speeds things up. I was well under a 4-hour brew day using BIAB, and it's simpler. BIAB is the most relaxing way of brewing I've done.

Finally, trust that this will get better. I remember--vividly--how long my first few brews took me to finish. But as time went on, I got better at it, and it was faster. Not so much consulting directions all the time, or digging out this or that piece of equipment.

**************

Here are a few ways I organize to save time. Here's that rolling cabinet. It cost something like $209 from Sam's Club, which is stupidly cheap for what it is. The cabinet is 6' tall, 3' wide, 18" deep.



See that toolbox in the cabinet? It's a great way to store hydrometers, thermometers, water additions, all the flotsam and jetsam you need for brewing.



There are lots of ways to save steps and save time. The more you do that, the more relaxing you'll find a brew day to be, and the less time you'll have to devote to it.

************

And as to your question in the subject line: I brew about 20-25 times a year. The biggest problem is moving that beer out of the keezer to make room for another batch.

 

[Zimm9]

I still get excited and over purchase kits.

When you're starting out you do need to balance things based on equipment. For example, I didn't have as many bottles back when I started brewing so I had to work around that.

If you're worried about burning out, then definitely dial it back a little.

 

[Pappers_]

I brew about twice a month. Sometimes more if I'm brewing for a party or festival, or a barrel project.

 

[Moose_MI]

Hi, all.
As a newbie brewer, I got all excited about brewing......
Just finished bottling the second.
Honestly, I come to a decision to only do one kit a month. It's a lot of work.

Just curious...is brewing a lot of work or bottling? I’m assuming the “kits” are extract which is generally thought of as the “Easy” way to brew.

Bigger bottles or kegging may be something for you to think about.

Brewing is work and it takes a lot of time. It has to be something you “want” to do because you want to invest time, money, and effort into producing beer.

You can love beer and be very passionate about it w/o loving actually making the beer. I love ice cream..but I don’t make it. I like cheeseburgers but I don’t have cattle and I don’t make cheddar.

Cheers!

 

[balrog]

It does get easier as you get used to process, you adjust, you enhance process, etc. It's a hobby and like I say with woodworking -- it's fun until someone wants 37 of something at which point it's not longer fun, but work.

 

[Bklmt2000]

I brew anywhere from 1-3x/month, usually 2x, all things being equal.

I tend to brew more in the late fall, (before it gets too cold to brew where I live in SW Ohio), and then in the spring, when I need to build the beer pipeline back up from heaveri winter consumption.

In the mid-spring to late-fall months (Mar-Nov), I average around 2x/month, which serves my needs well.

 

[JoanofArc]

Part of the game is figuring out how to minimize time and work where desirable. Some are happy with 8-hour brew days; others, like me, would appreciate a process as short as reasonably possible.

One way is to reduce as much chasing around for equipment as possible. When I started brewing everything was stored in the basement; I must have had 20 trips up and down by the time I was finished with a brew day. A lot of it was "shoot, I forgot to bring that up with me" types of trips.

To solve that, I bought a rolling cabinet for the garage into which most of the equipment could be stored. It's stored in a corner/nook in the garage. On brew day, I just roll that over to the space I was using to brew, and I was for the most part set.

Another way to reduce the length of the brew day is to do some setup/preparation the night before. Setting up a burner, filling the kettle with water, organizing water additions or hops, getting the grain set up--much of that can be done ahead of time.

A third way to save time, if you're doing all-grain, is to look into Brew-in-a-Bag (BIAB). Saves on cleanup, speeds things up. I was well under a 4-hour brew day using BIAB, and it's simpler. BIAB is the most relaxing way of brewing I've done.

Finally, trust that this will get better. I remember--vividly--how long my first few brews took me to finish. But as time went on, I got better at it, and it was faster. Not so much consulting directions all the time, or digging out this or that piece of equipment.

**************

Here are a few ways I organize to save time. Here's that rolling cabinet. It cost something like $209 from Sam's Club, which is stupidly cheap for what it is. The cabinet is 6' tall, 3' wide, 18" deep.

View attachment 604734 View attachment 604735

See that toolbox in the cabinet? It's a great way to store hydrometers, thermometers, water additions, all the flotsam and jetsam you need for brewing.

View attachment 604737

There are lots of ways to save steps and save time. The more you do that, the more relaxing you'll find a brew day to be, and the less time you'll have to devote to it.

************

And as to your question in the subject line: I brew about 20-25 times a year. The biggest problem is moving that beer out of the keezer to make room for another batch.

Thanks for the photos. This second bottling went better. It happened that I am sick with bronchitis and my housemate has no interest in brewing but lives beer.

 

[JoanofArc]

Just curious...is brewing a lot of work or bottling? I’m assuming the “kits” are extract which is generally thought of as the “Easy” way to brew.

Bigger bottles or kegging may be something for you to think about.

Brewing is work and it takes a lot of time. It has to be something you “want” to do because you want to invest time, money, and effort into producing beer.

You can love beer and be very passionate about it w/o loving actually making the beer. I love ice cream..but I don’t make it. I like cheeseburgers but I don’t have cattle and I don’t make cheddar.

Cheers!

The bottling takes the most time. I find the brewing fun.

 

[Moose_MI]

The bottling takes the most time. I find the brewing fun.

OK..well, bigger bottles can make it a little less work but if you’re enjoying making beer and hate bottling then start planning on kegging.

BTW...kegging is still work....less than bottling but there’s still time involved...and some expense..and some space.

Kegging has been the best thing i’ve done but I’m doing 15G batches so bottling is not really practical for me.

If you want to continue to pursue this passion here’s what i suggest..

1. Kick you housemate in the a$$ or get a new one that wants to pitch in a bit. Seriously, if he/she really enjoys beer and has someone like yourself that is willing to do 75% of the work then he/she needs a swift kick in the a$$.
2. Craigslist for a $50 5cu ft freezer
3. Inkbird for a $30 temp controller
4. $75 for a CO2 bottle
5. $50 used ball lock keg
6. $100 at keg connection for a starter keg kit...2 picnic taps, regulator, and 2-way manifold

Have a nice day.....and don’t forget to kick your housemate in the a$$

 

[seatazzz]

I suffer from the ages-old paradox of, if I have time to brew, I don't have $$; and if I have $$, I don't have time to brew. So I tend to have super-brew weekends where I'll do two batches, then don't brew for 3-4 weeks. If I had my way I'd brew every weekend; but then again, if I have time to drink my beer I don't have enough, and if I have enough I don't have time to drink it! Comes from having 2.5 jobs.

 

[Blazinlow86]

Every 2 weeks .I prefer to do it everything in the fermentor and it generally takes just under 2 weeks to ferment,dry hop, crash and clear, carbonate. I generally rack that finished batch on brew day and the process starts over. Cheers

 

[catdaddy66]

I am a 2x/mo brewer... On average. My personal record was 8 brew sessions in 8 weeks. The reason I brewed so often was my daughter was hanging out with a friend who happened to be an alcoholic.

Yeah...

 

[Home_alone1]

I do all grain and try to brew once a month , I skip December because it’s a mad house with all the events the wife has me going to . I really look forward to the 6-8 hours it takes . I treat it like an event , I have guys from work over and we smoke pipes and cigars while brewing !

 

[Sadu]

Are we talking about extract kits here or all-grain kits?

If extract kits, you should be able to smash those out as fast as you need to. You should be able to get "brewday" down to 30 mins with a few odd tasks here and there like dryhopping and such.

If you mean all-grain kits, then yeah, they can be a bit of work. I've been doing all-grain since I started but recently have been doing a few extract kits and partial mash brews to save time and increase capacity. Don't let anyone tell you that extract is inferior, you can make awesome beer if your process is solid. Biggest downside is that it costs a lot more.

 

[thehaze]

I brew 5 different batches every 2 months. Lasat year I brewed 31 batches and could have brewed more. This year, I will brew 35 batches.

I do all grain and usually brew all 5 batches in the course of 2 and a half days. 2 batches is around 11 hours. After the 5th batch, I will scrub, clean and sanitize my equipment which takes a few hours.

But it depends how much you drink, share with friends and why you brew.

 

[Sadu]

1. Kick you housemate in the a$$ or get a new one that wants to pitch in a bit. Seriously, if he/she really enjoys beer and has someone like yourself that is willing to do 75% of the work then he/she needs a swift kick in the a$$.

Best advice on this thread so far.

If they are oputting a dent in the beer supply but aren't helping out with the significant amount of work involved, then they need to be sponsoring all the ingredients.

 

[madscientist451]

Get the small 2.5 gallon kegs on sale and then you can use a regular size refrigerator to hold them. Keep it simple and use a picnic tap with 5' of hose. I still bottle sometimes, but kegging saves a lot of time and work.

 

[Kharnynb]

swing-top pint bottles, best way to make bottling bearable, get them with good plastic stackable crates if at all possible.

 

[DVCNick]

I've got the bulk of the "brew day" down to about 5 hours in the garage from the time I light the burner to start warming strike water until I bring the partially cooled brew kettle inside. Probably not the fastest in the world but I had to do some multitasking just to make that happen.

I prep all the water the night before, then organize other ingredients and clean gear as I can during water heating, mashing, and the bulk of the boil while not much else is going on. This means on brew day morning I just hump the kettle with prepped strike water out into the garage and immediately light it off, and then when I shut off the immersion chiller I've got all the other stuff cleaned and out of the driveway and I just brink the BK back inside and close up the garage door.

Bottling.... is just a pita. I am looking forward to kegging.

 

[Druman07]

I brew small batches, which take about 4 hours, and I do it frequently. I enjoy the all grain process, it's similar to cooking, which I also enjoy. I have a couple of grain recipes pre-milled and ready to go when I get the itch to brew. I usually have to two batches in a fermenter most of the time. Should be brewing a brown ale/holiday ale tomorrow.

 

[Aleforge]

Years ago I always had a few batches going each month along with a mead. I then ended up on a long hiatus and plan on trying to do just one a month now that I am back brewing. It's partly due to money though. My idea behind brewing is to make it a relaxing day. When I have a free weekend I get everything ready, fire up the smoker and sit outside brewing while of course having some beer. Sometimes I have friends over but usually I just hangout alone. The aroma's going on outside are amazing.

 

[Diomed12]

My average is 2 brews a month and I am anywhere between 4-5 hours for the brewing with an hour of clean-up for all grain. I started with 1 gallon brews, escalated quickly to 3 gallons, then 5 gallons, and peaked with 8 gallons before I settled back down to 3 gallons over the course of 2.5 years. For me, I found that drinking/sharing more than 2.5-3 gallons become monotonous and a variety of good beer is really what I'm after.

I have started to brew with extract as well and have been surprised by how great the results are. In my experience, extract brewing is about the same cost when you factor in time and effort considering that I brew in the 4-6% ABV range; I'm looking at $15 for fermentables and 1.5 hours total (start to done with cleaning) for an extract beer and then $10 and up to 6 hours total for an all grain beer. I think it's a little like driving a manual versus an automatic transmission for me as one may be more effort, has more control, and can feel more rewarding, but you end up where you want to go nevertheless.

In the 2.5 years that I have brewed, I bottle exclusively by choice and it is not so much of a pain since I got a 1/2" bottling wand and invested in fermentors with spigots. It used to take me about 2 hours from start to finish for 3 gallons but now I'm done to just over an hour, including the time needed for rehydrating and pitching in bottling yeast (CBC-1).

 

[balrog]

I"m surprised you need bottling yeast. Typically that's not necessary except in the cases of very high gravity or long sitting brews. In a typical 4-5% beer, 2-4 weeks in primary, the yeast in solution still is plenty to carb bottles.

 

[MaxStout]

OK..well, bigger bottles can make it a little less work but if you’re enjoying making beer and hate bottling then start planning on kegging.

BTW...kegging is still work....less than bottling but there’s still time involved...and some expense..and some space.

Kegging has been the best thing i’ve done but I’m doing 15G batches so bottling is not really practical for me.

If you want to continue to pursue this passion here’s what i suggest..

1. Kick you housemate in the a$$ or get a new one that wants to pitch in a bit. Seriously, if he/she really enjoys beer and has someone like yourself that is willing to do 75% of the work then he/she needs a swift kick in the a$$.
2. Craigslist for a $50 5cu ft freezer
3. Inkbird for a $30 temp controller
4. $75 for a CO2 bottle
5. $50 used ball lock keg
6. $100 at keg connection for a starter keg kit...2 picnic taps, regulator, and 2-way manifold

Have a nice day.....and don’t forget to kick your housemate in the a$$

Housemate not contributing a fair share to the beer production? There's an app for that.

 

[shawtd]

Are we talking about extract kits here or all-grain kits?

If extract kits, you should be able to smash those out as fast as you need to. You should be able to get "brewday" down to 30 mins with a few odd tasks here and there like dryhopping and such.

If you mean all-grain kits, then yeah, they can be a bit of work. I've been doing all-grain since I started but recently have been doing a few extract kits and partial mash brews to save time and increase capacity. Don't let anyone tell you that extract is inferior, you can make awesome beer if your process is solid. Biggest downside is that it costs a lot more.

Forgive me if this is a silly question, I'm new here; but how does anybody brew an extract kit in 30 mins? Every kit I've had is a 60 minute boil which doesn't happen till after a 20 minute steep of the grains....what am I missing?

Thanks!

 

[Andre3000]

I brew small batches, which take about 4 hours, and I do it frequently. I enjoy the all grain process, it's similar to cooking, which I also enjoy. I have a couple of grain recipes pre-milled and ready to go when I get the itch to brew. I usually have to two batches in a fermenter most of the time. Should be brewing a brown ale/holiday ale tomorrow.

This is how I am too. I really enjoy the process and its refinement.

I started brewing in October 2017. I did one wort kit and was extremely disappointed with the lack of engagement so I dove in head first with all grain for my second batch.

Believe it or not, I've done almost 50 5gal brews since I started. That's almost one per week on average .

 

[VirginiaHops1]

Forgive me if this is a silly question, I'm new here; but how does anybody brew an extract kit in 30 mins? Every kit I've had is a 60 minute boil which doesn't happen till after a 20 minute steep of the grains....what am I missing?

Thanks!

You don't have to boil extract for 60 minutes, or really at all. It's pretty much already been boiled. You boil wort from all-grain because you need to drive off certain chemicals.

Your boil time for extract can really be designed around your hop additions.

 

[shawtd]

You don't have to boil extract for 60 minutes, or really at all. It's pretty much already been boiled. You boil wort from all-grain because you need to drive off certain chemicals.

Your boil time for extract can really be designed around your hop additions.

Mind=Blown. Thanks for the reply. I should probably do some more reading on this forum.

 

[khannon]

You don't have to boil extract for 60 minutes, or really at all. It's pretty much already been boiled. You boil wort from all-grain because you need to drive off certain chemicals.

Your boil time for extract can really be designed around your hop additions.

Well... You might want isomerization of alpha acids to occur https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hops (there are better sources). I know there are plenty of no-boil styles, and partial boil styles, but I'm not sure you can get the proper levels of bitterness with a 30 minute boil for some styles.

You might also boil for color..

Steeping the grains in extract may be to add color, or sugars (like roasted malts or crystal malts) but sometimes it might be for other reasons, like additional long chain sugars/malt profiles etc..

Yes, DMS is less a factor in current extract and many of the current modified malted grains, but that is not the only reason for a boil of any length.

[edit] I guess to the original question though.. It is like any other hobby. How often should I go fishing? I brew ~once a month, more when I'm lucky, less when I have other stuff to do.. I find 10 gals to be my sweet spot, although I (maybe) wish for 15, I have 5 taps, and can manage to keep them full most of the time, but I also have a wife and 2(that live with me) boys over the age of 21, whose friends have determined it is cheaper to hang out here than at bars, so your mileage may vary. My sons also help with the brewing when it fits into their school/work schedule, though recently I've found that a valid reason for a sick day is to brew beer as long as I bring a growler in for the boss, so they help a little less. [/edit]

 

[VirginiaHops1]

Well... You might want isomerization of alpha acids to occur https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hops (there are better sources). I know there are plenty of no-boil styles, and partial boil styles, but I'm not sure you can get the proper levels of bitterness with a 30 minute boil for some styles.

Sure, if you feel like your recipe needs a 60 minute hop addition do it, but many of my IPA recipes now only use late addition and whirlpool hops and get plenty bitter. Lots of ways to pack IBUs into a beer

 

[shawtd]

Sure, if you feel like your recipe needs a 60 minute hop addition do it, but many of my IPA recipes now only use late addition and whirlpool hops and get plenty bitter. Lots of ways to pack IBUs into a beer

I have so much to learn.

And sorry for hijacking the thread...

 

[Sadu]

Forgive me if this is a silly question, I'm new here; but how does anybody brew an extract kit in 30 mins? Every kit I've had is a 60 minute boil which doesn't happen till after a 20 minute steep of the grains....what am I missing?

Thanks!

OK, might be a bit of terminology confusion going on here. I consider an extract 'kit' to be a can of hopped extract with some kind of extra fermentable (LME, DME, dextrose). These you mix with boiling water, stir, topup to 6 gallons and you are done. If we are talking about having to do a boil with hop additions then yeah, that will take longer. I can punch out a partial mash brew in 2 hours easy, or a bit less for extract plus steeping grains. 30 min boil is fine for most styles.

 

[khannon]

I apologize for assuming non-hopped extract. I don't know any homebrew stores locally that carry hopped extract , so I made some assumptions... ass/u/me...
I only do all grain, so am also a little out of touch with the extract offerings.
I guess my point was there are reasons (valid or not) for doing many of the things we home brewers do. There are places to learn and places to let go.. Do/brew what works for you, follow the interesting rabbit holes, let the other ones go, and most importantly enjoy (and share) good beer.

 

[NGD]

Forgive me if this is a silly question, I'm new here; but how does anybody brew an extract kit in 30 mins? Every kit I've had is a 60 minute boil which doesn't happen till after a 20 minute steep of the grains....what am I missing?

Thanks!

@shawtd Give this thread a read. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/when-do-you-add-the-lme.656785/#post-8414222

I no longer do 60 min boils with extract. Its really not needed. You can condense your hop schedule and likely get similar utilization while dropping the boil to 30 minutes.(I’m guessing via taste test...but anyone that knows better I welcome the education).

Currently I’m thinking about making a pale ale by making hop tea, and pasteurizing DME for 15 minutes then combine.

 

[Iowa Brewer]

All depends on your level of enjoyment. So much great advice has already been given. I'd just point out, if it's becoming taxing, you're doing it too often. If you're enjoying geeking out on equipment and trying new techniques, train the dog to do the dishes

 

[JoanofArc]

It does get easier as you get used to process, you adjust, you enhance process, etc. It's a hobby and like I say with woodworking -- it's fun until someone wants 37 of something at which point it's not longer fun, but work.

Yes. I discovered that the second bottling went better.