Thought I was too old for this S***

[BobBailey]

I got either brave or stupid over the weekend and decided to brew two batches on Monday. I work 10 hour graveyard shifts and my weekend starts when I get off at 4:30AM on Sunday. We had a BBQ planned for Tuesday, so I was limited to Sunday afternoon and Monday for brewing chores.

I had run out of kegged beer because I have had a Barley Wine taking up space in my kegerator, which holds 2 kegs, for the past month. Sunday afternoon, I bottled the Barley Wine from the tap and put it in a cooler under the house to cellar until at least Thanksgiving. After that, I cleaned kegs and beer lines and then kegged the 2 batches I had in the fermentation fridge. After supper, I milled my grains then filtered and measured out water for the first batch.

Monday morning at about 7:00 AM I began brewing the first batch, and got it chilled and into the carboy by about 1:00 PM, ate lunch, had a beer and started prepping grains & water for the second batch. Got the second batch chilled and into the carboy at about 7:00PM. A little bit of cleanup and I was done by about 8:00.

I was amazed at how much how much time it saved doing 2 batches in the same day and also a bit surprised that at 63 I was able to get it done and still feel pretty good afterwards. From now on, I think that's going to be normal for my brewing, freeing up a few more weekends in between.

Bob

 

[Vance71975]

I got either brave or stupid over the weekend and decided to brew two batches on Monday. I work 10 hour graveyard shifts and my weekend starts when I get off at 4:30AM on Sunday. We had a BBQ planned for Tuesday, so I was limited to Sunday afternoon and Monday for brewing chores.

I had run out of kegged beer because I have had a Barley Wine taking up space in my kegerator, which holds 2 kegs, for the past month. Sunday afternoon, I bottled the Barley Wine from the tap and put it in a cooler under the house to cellar until at least Thanksgiving. After that, I cleaned kegs and beer lines and then kegged the 2 batches I had in the fermentation fridge. After supper, I milled my grains then filtered and measured out water for the first batch.

Monday morning at about 7:00 AM I began brewing the first batch, and got it chilled and into the carboy by about 1:00 PM, ate lunch, had a beer and started prepping grains & water for the second batch. Got the second batch chilled and into the carboy at about 7:00PM. A little bit of cleanup and I was done by about 8:00.

I was amazed at how much how much time it saved doing 2 batches in the same day and also a bit surprised that at 63 I was able to get it done and still feel pretty good afterwards. From now on, I think that's going to be normal for my brewing, freeing up a few more weekends in between.

Bob

Let me be the first to say WOW im 35 and i doubt i could do that on no sleep!

 

[unionrdr]

I burned the candle at both ends for too many years on graveyard shifts at Ford. I'm "only" 55,but a bad disc,a few ground down joints & several broken bones later,it takes me a weekend to do two brews. Good job man.

 

[Mongrel]

Let me be the first to say WOW im 35 and i doubt i could do that on no sleep!

Yeah I'm 36, and too old for that ****

 

[Vance71975]

Yeah I'm 36, and too old for that ****

No Kidding right! Hats off the the OP!

 

[unionrdr]

I remember when I was at the age of you & Vance,Mongrel. It's the point in one's life where you realize this aging shizz works. I took the buy out to retire before I'm 72,do to being just plain chewed up & spat out. I,like many hired at the time I was,had the seniority,but not the age. I'd have to have worked till 72 in order to get full Social Security. Which likely won't be there at that point anyway...

 

[Vance71975]

I remember when I was at the age of you & Vance,Mongrel. It's the point in one's life where you realize this aging shizz works. I took the buy out to retire before I'm 72,do to being just plain chewed up & spat out. I,like many hired at the time I was,had the seniority,but not the age. I'd have to have worked till 72 in order to get full Social Security. Which likely won't be there at that point anyway...

Believe it or not, at 35 i know exactly how you feel! I am Ex Army AND Ex Navy, Two Medical Discharges. I have Degenerating Discs, Arthritis in every joint in my body plus my back,Mid thoracic scholosis, two blown knees, a Blown ankle, and a Blown shoulder and on top of all those physical problems i have Severe ADHD. So i also feel pretty chewed up and spit out, which is why i started writing to try to generate an income since my body cant handle a "normal job" due to severe pain.

 

[Gilbey]

Nice work on the double batches!

I am always pressed for time. Work is a cake walk for me except when I am traveling. Normally I am on a 8:00 to 4:00 M-F schedule. I have plenty of energy. My issue is that I have a bunch of kids and finding a 4 hour block of free time is a real challange between school, sports, scouts, etc.

So things that work for me;

Brew late - makes for a late night, but if I start at 8:00 PM when my youngest kids go to bed I can be done and in bed by midnight.

Brew 10 Gallon batches - I would MUCH rather brew 5 gallon batches, but just to keep beer in the pipeline it's what I have to do.

When a full brew day presents itself I will brew two batches. I find I can shorten the per batch time by multi tasking. IE I can be mashing for the second batch while the first batch chills before yeast pitching. It's prone to errors, so I really have to be on my A game. I have made mistakes

When I don't have time to brew but I have a free hour do the little tasks that need to get done....clean kegs, clean lines, clean fridge, weigh out ingredients, keg a batch, wash yeast, etc.

One day life should slow down and I will be able to take my own sweet time to brew whatever I want to brew whenever I want to do it. One day....

Alan

 

[unionrdr]

Believe it or not, at 35 i know exactly how you feel! I am Ex Army AND Ex Navy, Two Medical Discharges. I have Degenerating Discs, Arthritis in every joint in my body plus my back,Mid thoracic scholosis, two blown knees, a Blown ankle, and a Blown shoulder and on top of all those physical problems i have Severe ADHD. So i also feel pretty chewed up and spit out, which is why i started writing to try to generate an income since my body cant handle a "normal job" due to severe pain.

I hear that loud & clear! my L2 disc slips out now & then,besides not being able to carry the load for very long. I screwed up both knees speed scatting when I was a kid,never went to the Dr for it. Not to mention gout & arthritis in both feet. And sleep apnea. Also have advanced carpel tunnel syndrome in both hands that worked it's way up both arms to my neck from working at Ford nearly 31 years.
Not trying to one up you or anything,just understanding of your plight. We've been trying to think of something I could do to bring in some more cash as well. Like pop used to say,"ya do whatcha gotta do,doesn't mean ya gotta like it".

 

[Vance71975]

I hear that loud & clear! my L2 disc slips out now & then,besides not being able to carry the load for very long. I screwed up both knees speed scatting when I was a kid,never went to the Dr for it. Not to mention gout & arthritis in both feet. And sleep apnea. Also have advanced carpel tunnel syndrome in both hands that worked it's way up both arms to my neck from working at Ford nearly 31 years.
Not trying to one up you or anything,just understanding of your plight. We've been trying to think of something I could do to bring in some more cash as well. Like pop used to say,"ya do whatcha gotta do,doesn't mean ya gotta like it".

Yup we are both walking train wrecks! I must say tho man i think you are worse off than i am!

 

[unionrdr]

Yup we are both walking train wrecks! I must say tho man i think you are worse off than i am!

Wow,strange that you said that...I said the same thing to my wife 2 days ago! (cue Twilight Zone music here). I just wish I had the money over insurance to do something about this stuff. But,like Arrowsmith,Train kept a rollin...Guess we just keep chuggin along.

 

[BobBailey]

Wow!

I guess many of us are brewing & drinking to ease our pain I have cervical spine disease, arthritis and an upper arm & shoulder that was patched together with a girder and 9 screws after a motorcycle accident 3 years ago.

Guess us crippled up old goats can still show the kids a thing or two!

Bob

 

[Vance71975]

Wow!

I guess many of us are brewing & drinking to ease our pain I have cervical spine disease, arthritis and an upper arm & shoulder that was patched together with a girder and 9 screws after a motorcycle accident 3 years ago.

Guess us crippled up old goats can still show the kids a thing or two!

Bob

Yes we can! and honestly, home brew is a great pain killer lol

 

[Vance71975]

Wow,strange that you said that...I said the same thing to my wife 2 days ago! (cue Twilight Zone music here). I just wish I had the money over insurance to do something about this stuff. But,like Arrowsmith,Train kept a rollin...Guess we just keep chuggin along.

Great minds think alike?

 

[BobBailey]

Great minds think alike?

And fools seldom differ

 

[unionrdr]

A fool like to differ...that's why they're thought of as fools. But yeah,I guess we do think alike. Now,all we need is a fogies brewing society...