Bumping up production

[eppo]

I have an opportunity to brew 12 kegs for a party. Ok trying to figure out the best, but cheapest easy to do it. I can do 10 gallon batches, so I could do 20 gallons a day for 3 days. Use 20 buckets? Then transfer to half kegs for carb/conditioning. Maybe I can naturally carb, I don't gave any sanke connectors. If I buy ingredients in bulk, I could save money there.
Sounds like fun!

 

[nebben]

12 sanke kegs? Like 1/2BBL kegs? If so, that's 180 gallons of beer. If corny kegs, that's still 60 gallons. What kind of party are you talking about?

 

[kpr121]

You could also use the half barrels to ferment in? I don't know how many you have, but it might be easier if you do it that way. Dealing with 20 buckets does not seem fun.

 

[eppo]

12 sanke kegs? Like 1/2BBL kegs? If so, that's 180 gallons of beer. If corny kegs, that's still 60 gallons. What kind of party are you talking about?

12 Corny's.
but i think they are going to tap from the sanke's. so the finished product has to go in there.

 

[kpr121]

Hmm if you dont have a sankey coupler then that might make it a bit more complicated. I agree that you should consider naturally carbing in the kegs, otherwise how will you get CO2 dissolved beer from corneys into the sankeys?

 

[CoolHandLuke]

Can you pay to use a local microbrewery's system or have them brew your recipe(s)?

 

[BrewThruYou]

Sounds like a PITA. Buy some Natty Light.

 

[Snafu]

12 kegs? You sure you want that many BMC drinkers trying (more than likely for the first time) a homebrew?

+1 on the Natty Light.

 

[eppo]

they actually wanted 12 1/2 kegs. no way i'm going to pull that off. i just told them for the next party, if you can give me about 2 months advance notice, i can brew up 2 1/2 kegs, and they can buy the rest in bud/coors.

 

[kpr121]

they actually wanted 12 1/2 kegs. no way i'm going to pull that off. i just told them for the next party, if you can give me about 2 months advance notice, i can brew up 2 1/2 kegs, and they can buy the rest in bud/coors.

Dude where is this party?

 

[Malticulous]

You could do 20 gallon partial mashes, but it will cost more. You may even be able to push it to 30 gallon batches. A 20+ gallon kettle is a good idea.

 

[nebben]

I have an opportunity to brew 12 kegs for a party. Ok trying to figure out the best, but cheapest easy to do it. I can do 10 gallon batches, so I could do 20 gallons a day for 3 days. Use 20 buckets? Then transfer to half kegs for carb/conditioning. Maybe I can naturally carb, I don't gave any sanke connectors. If I buy ingredients in bulk, I could save money there.
Sounds like fun!

You "have the opportunity to brew 12 kegs for a party" or is it more like someone is asking you? I'm just asking because that is a lot of beer to make in 10 gallon batches!

You will absolutely be buying in bulk, so at least you'll save there. Are you doing extract or grain? You'll pay a bit for that much grain, hops and yeast (unless you make starters from one packet/vial), and if you're doing extract instead, you'll pay quite a bit. Consolidate as much as possible - brew as much as possible at the same time, and ferment as much as possible at the same time. Splitting up mashes, boils, and fermenters will only increase your workload and allow for varying qualities in your finished beers.

I would only do this if these conditions were met:

• The people/person I am brewing for is very near and dear to my heart. If they are an aquaintance, I would recommend some beers to them and be on my way.
• Only if I had a proven recipe that I already had experience serving to many differnet people who also liked it. There is no reason to try a new recipe when making 60 gallons of beer for someone's party. If the beer underwhelms because it is a bad recipe or has been brewed with an imprecise manner, then you've helped make the party underwhelming. Only if I've repeated it several times before, consistently would I consider brewing it big for a lot of people
• Make the beer simple and without a lot of alcohol. I would shoot for 4-5% or so and not go overboard on hops and adjuncts. Probably a simple pale ale or pilsner or something is what I would zero in on. Not a lot of people will enjoy drinking 60 gallons of 8% imperial stout
• If it is a sibling's wedding, parents' 50th anniversary...something very special- I would consider brewing 60 gallons on my own dime, but again, only if it was a lower ABV brew as mentioned above. Even with buying in bulk, and cutting corners everywhere I could to save money, I would be pushing $200+ in ingredients alone. Propane would be extra, and any equipment on top of that would be moreso. If it were extract, I can't imagine that I could do it for less than $400. This isn't even touching the cost of the time it would take to brew up 10 gallon batches 6 times and fermenting all that, then racking all that, then getting them into sankes somehow. That is a LOT of work.

 

[BrewFrisco]

Buy two kegs and then say - here they are! You win - they win.

 

[superjunior]

I agree with nebben here. They'd have to be real special people or paying me well for my efforts, ingredients, propane - everything. do you have a big kettle or two? We make 30 gallon batches all the time (partials) with a 25g and 15g kettles side by side, but thats with 3 or 4 guys. than there's the fun part of lugging all the fermenters from the garage to the basement. what your proposing is certainly do-able, but that's gonna be quite a task if your only doing 10 gallons at a time and without help. come to think of it, I like brewfrisco's idea

 

[ShakerD]

I know a guy that brewed 60g in 6 days so it's doable. If you had 2 keggles and 2 burners you could do 20 g a day.

I would stick with really easy drinking recipes as stated above. How much time do you have to age it?

If one of those batches gets screwed you will be behind the eight ball.

Nothing is impossible!

Oh yeah and where is the party? It sounds like it'll be a gooder.

Cheers

 

[kpr121]

If one of those batches gets screwed you will be behind the eight ball.

You might want to think about doing even a couple extra 5 gallon batches (I know, its going to be cutting it close to begin with) to save yourself if one or two buckets go bad...

 

[eppo]

I have a very close friend that works for a radio station. she texted me to ask if i could make the beer. it turned out to be 12 kegs, and she needs them in a few weeks. i know i couldn't do it anyway. but i figured i would take a look into it for the next party and i might be able to brew something for them then. i told her that for the next party, maybe i could just brew 30 gallons for them, and they could get the rest in miller kegs or whatever. She is kind of doing this as a favor to me, to get the word out for my beer, i want to start selling it, but i want to start small, and see how the common Joe likes my beer.
it is for a huge radio station party they are having.

 

[nebben]

Selling your beer?

Your profile doesn't say where you're from, but if you want to start selling in the US, I wish you good luck and efficient paperwork

 

[eppo]

so i have heard, thats why i want to see if it is even worth the effort...even though... MY BEER IS GOOD! LOL

 

[ed_brews_now]

so i have heard, thats why i want to see if it is even worth the effort...even though... MY BEER IS GOOD! LOL

Make a call out on HBT for all homebrewers near you. Then you will get all types of beer they guest will get to taste.