Trying to do too much at once

[camgolfer]

So Friday night the three of us who brew together to brew. We bought an extra carboy to bring our total to three and decided each of us would try a recipe a piece. All of these were extract recipes with two going on the stove and one outside. We also needed to bottle our other two beers in order to clean and use the carboys they were occupying. So between tending to the grain steep, boil and timing of the worts on the stove, we were trying to clean hoses, bottles, carboys, bottle and cap beers, and make sure we had everything going correctly. After it was all said and done we had handled 5 different types of beers and juggled them all between pots, carboys, buckets and bottles. We had no down time to stop and relax. Next time we will bottle a day or two before we brew because we all ended the evening exhausted and surly.

Does anyone have tips for a smoother process to do all of that?

 

[MalFet]

You don't indicate how experienced you are, but since this is the beginner forum I'll assume that you are one. Apologies if that is mistaken. I remember how incredibly busy and hectic brew day felt when I first started. Now it's quite relaxing. Given some time, I bet you'll find things smooth out on their own.

As for actual process, be mindful of what things benefit from many hands and what things just get more complicated. Bottling with three people is great. If you get an assembly line going (one guy getting bottles out of sanitizer, one guy filling, one guy capping) you can bottle as fast as the drain on your bucket will let you. Assuming you don't need to degunk and delabel all the bottles, you can have two batches bottled in an hour.

Get stuff laid out before you need it; have your on-deck equipment waiting in a bucket of starsan. Mostly, don't stress too much if your 15-minute hop addition goes in at 10-minutes.

 

[millsware]

I would have all my cleaning and sanitizing done first, so you don't need to worry about that. Do it the night before and cap the carboys with foil or the airlock you will use. Store the bottles upside-down on something clean and you should be fine.

 

[shamrockdoc]

Would've staggered the brew day so one or two of your brewmates were free to bottle sanitize and open beers for the real brewers.

 

[motobrewer]

don't brew 3 beers and bottle 2 on one day

 

[camgolfer]

You don't indicate how experienced you are, but since this is the beginner forum I'll assume that you are one. Apologies if that is mistaken. I remember how incredibly busy and hectic brew day felt when I first started. Now it's quite relaxing. Given some time, I bet you'll find things smooth out on their own.

This is our 4th brewing day. We have brewed 6 batches prior. Usually two at a time. So yes we are beginners.

don't brew 3 beers and bottle 2 on one day

Great advice!

 

[Knucklehead47]

I try to stagger things myself. This past Friday I bottled a Black IPA then cleaned my equipment. Saturday I brewed my wifes request for a "Sundae Stout" then cleaned equipment. Sunday I started a jug of counter-top mead, then grilled burgers while enjoying the oatmeal stout I bottled a little over a month ago.

 

[BrewThruYou]

Yeah, I would've definitely done this on two separate days - one bottling day with cleaning of the fermenters and then a separate brew day starting with all clean stuff.

 

[camgolfer]

These three beers turned out to be the best ones we have brewed so far. Every one I crack open makes me happy.