Earliest Time it is "Acceptable" to drink on brew day...

[chaydaw]

Now that is an interesting recipe. Now I just need to track down some 10 yr old LME. Sounds like it worked out in the end though!

 

[Golddiggie]

My typical brew day starts at 8:30am. Heat strike water, dough in, eat breakfast during the conversion, and usually switch from coffee to homebrew sometime around 2nd batch sparge. Every now and then I'll pretend like I'll hold off until noon but then I stop kidding myself. I don't need a clock to tell me when it's OK to have a beer - after all, it's just a beer.

At least you're waiting until AFTER you've had something to eat before you start drinking.

My own personal 'rule' is if I have breakfast that day, and it's been more than 1-2 hours since then, I can let myself have some home brew (if I'm brewing at that time)... Often, I skip breakfast, and just have something to eat 30-60 minutes before I start drinking... Way I see it, as long as you've had something to eat (fruit doesn't really count) and the coffee pot has turned itself off already (mine is on a 2 hour timer), then it's all good. On brew days, when brewing at home, that usually puts it after 10-11am though... If I got up at 5am to get ready, I'd probably be pouring my first pint by 10am...

I do think you have the right idea... Get the mash at least started before you have some home brew... Since I've gone to a cooler mash tun, I'll probably be drinking earlier in the process. When using the BIAB method, I wanted to keep a clear head for longer. The mash tun and ball valves on things makes it so much easier that I'm not worried about F'ing something up... :fro:

 

[Houblon]

We had just enough time to grab a hefeweizen and a pretzel in the airport, so we couldn't resist. For the record, it was midnight EST, but 7 AM in Frankfurt. No one blinked when I placed my order.

We did the same thing after a overnight flight but at the Frankfurt train station.

 

[edmanster]

Now that is an interesting recipe. Now I just need to track down some 10 yr old LME. Sounds like it worked out in the end though!

For sure... This was just last month I kegged it and I'm down to maybe a fourth keg left.. I'm thinking sunday is brew day and I want to make a session stout so I'll boost the grain bill and take the first runnings for a coffee stout.. Should be a good one for breakfast don't ya think!!

 

[Airborneguy]

I usually wait until I wake up to start drinking.

 

[SkinnyShamrock]

I've never really understood the "you can't drink before X time of day" rule. Must be leftover from the Puritan days of this country. Having a beer at breakfast does not make you an alcoholic. Having 6 before 10 AM...and you might be...or you're in college and it's St. Patrick's Day.

I have no problem drinking a beer with breakfast. I rarely do, but I don't see anything wrong with it. A nice, roasty coffee stout goes great with a stack of pancakes. There's a reason the beers are called breakfast stouts!

 

[Golddiggie]

SkinnyShamrock, I'm going to have to agree here...

Just never had a beer with breakfast before... I might just need to brew something up with that in mind... I've seen enough references for recipes that I should be able to make something that will work... Of course, if I go to pour one at the breakfast table with family, they'll probably look at me funny and start to question if I'm turning into an alcy... Such prudes...

 

[pavs]

Exactly! Breakfast stout is meant for breakfast! Don't forget, they have beer in the morning in most european countries so why does society tell us it's wrong to drink at a certain time? Like everyone else said, if you start drinking at 8:30 and you're wasted by noon, thats a problem. So wake up, grab your favorite brew and enjoy!

 

[Golddiggie]

I don't think it would be a good idea to have one of my 'normal' ABV brews first thing in the morning. Considering how most of those are at least 5.5-6% ABV... Either that, or not have a full pint with breakfast.

Now, something in the 4.5-5% range, that's just fine... Have your OJ, coffee, and breakfast brew with your waffles, bacon/sausages, eggs and maybe some hash browns... :rockin: Now THAT'S a way to really start off the day...

Really need to get a recipe worked out for this now...

 

[pavs]

Shoot me over that recipe when you get it worked out!

 

[DanVSTL]

When im brewing i dont "drink". I " Taste" therefore it can be done anytime. I hear that is what pro's do.

 

[ashplub]

My personal rule is not to drink berfore 10 am unless I'm fishin. Sometimes it gets broke...esp on brew days.

 

[aggiejay06]

When it's homebrew in general...any time is fair game! Just consider it vitamins because of yeast being high in the B complex! For instance...I was going to recap some bottles that were overcarbed, and one gushed out too much before I could recap it. So...I poured it in a glass and drank it. That was 8:00 in the morning...on a work day .

 

[Chuginator]

I'm getting a kick out of this thread. It has also made me thing about a breakfast beer recipe! My first thought was "hey, maple this or maple that" to go with pancakes. However, if you think about it - that's not providing the contrast that coffee does, rather it's being same-y - like drinking Pepsi instead of milk while eating Oreos. Yuck! Not that I eat Oreos. Or drink Pepsi. But you get the idea.

A coffee stout would be the ticket. My new mission! (well, after I figure out how to brew again without flavor defects!).

 

[Firebat138]

Brewing sober is like fishing.... sober

 

[Clef051]

Usually I'll pour my first one after I start my mash. I get up make something that I can snack on throughout the day measure everything out. I try to keep the number of pints down during the brewing usually one during the mash and one during boil. I've had more and it doesn't work out so well for whatever I'm brewing. Once I get The yeast pitched I may have a few to help clean up go a little faster. Lol

 

[Dome555]

It was an experiment with sum 10yr old LME from a brew in a bag from england that my sis gave me.. Tasted the malt and it was total molasses and I wanted to brew it up anyway.. The only thing I could think to cover the taste was coffee.. The kit was ment for 22ltr but I wanted to keep room for the coffee so I only brewd it to be 3 gallons with no extra hops because coffee is bitter anyways.. Fermented it with safeale-04 and it took off like a rocket.. Never got the OG since I didn't care but it did ferment all the way to 1008.. After fermentation and a month it tasted hot and like watered molasses.. I cold brewed 3 gallons of strong coffee and I remember having a cup and wanting to go run a mile it was so crazy strong. Put the brew in my keg and topped it with all but a third gallon of the coffee and carbonated for week.. It gives one of the best heads I've seen and I can only guesstimate it to be around 3.5 to 4% since the brew in a bag said 4% for the full 22ltrs.. Next time I'm thinking of doing some parti-gyle and using my first 3 gallons of runnings for it and keeping a record. So far most have liked it but I do get the occasional it's to bitter for me crap... Hope I made for some lite reading..lol

You are going to post some details on this next one right? Lagunitas Cappucino Stout had me thinking about attempting something similar. It's a little high in abv itself to be my breakfast beer if I need to leave the house before early afternoon, but I liked that it wasn't too heavy while still having that delicious coffeeness.

 

[kegtapper]

But as someone said, make sure you've got enough propane before you get lit to the point where driving is a health/ticket hazard.

This happened to me last month. Ran out of propane 30 min into the boil. Too lit to get more. So I said eff it and went inside to get another beer. But with my luck the keg was kicked. My worst brew day to date. Lessons learned.

 

[edmanster]

You are going to post some details on this next one right? Lagunitas Cappucino Stout had me thinking about attempting something similar. It's a little high in abv itself to be my breakfast beer if I need to leave the house before early afternoon, but I liked that it wasn't too heavy while still having that delicious coffeeness.

And my thought was to keep the caffine high.. I was thinking about it and I haven't seen any caffinated beers around for a couple years. Has anybody else our is it just the great state that I live in that hikes up a 200% tax on all alcohol..

 

[rycov]

And my thought was to keep the caffine high.. I was thinking about it and I haven't seen any caffinated beers around for a couple years. Has anybody else our is it just the great state that I live in that hikes up a 200% tax on all alcohol..

didn't they start banning caffine and alcohol drinks? i know that four loco drink got it. when the government takes it away, gotta start makin it yourself...

and father of FOUR GIRLS? wow! i thought two was a lot. respect man:rockin:

 

[ndsgr]

It could have been a coincidence, but my homebrew got a lot better when I started to relax during the brew process. If I missed a mash temp slightly or whatever, a shrug of the shoulders seems to cure the beer.

I discovered having 1 or 2 spread out during the brew day aided in the relaxation. Not enough to prevent the math involved or thinking through the process, but enough to remind you why you do this. Every beer has gotten better since I did this. Is it just experience? Could be, but I prefer to think of it as the beer.

 

[rycov]

yes. beer helps relax and relaxation is the key. if your stressed the whole time, for one, your missing the point of the hobby in the first place, and two your gonna make mistakes out of fear.

 

[TomRep]

My buddy and I did a four batch day last year. I started at about 5:45 am and he strolled in around 6:10. I think the first beer I/we had was around 7:15am or so and we drank all day with moderation. All four batches came out great. I missed one hop addition on an Amarillo IPA and I tipped over my little bottle of iodine used for checking conversion (spilled a small amount on the table). There is a thread about the whole day here on HBT somewhere.
Tom

 

[bigsilk]

Oh, you're serious! I thought you were jerking our collective chains. Beer, being liquid bread, is suitable during every hour of any day.

What's a good time... Good one.

 

[Homercidal]

Not sure if you noticed or not, but there is a beer called BREAKFAST STOUT. IF that's not an encouragement to start drinking early, I don't know what is!

 

[bbrim]

I always wait until I'm into the boil. I don't want to catch a buzz while I'm brewing and overlook something stupid.

 

[DrunkbobSanspants]

What is the earliest you guys will dirnk on a brew day?!

Yes :cross:

 

[malkore]

there is no ' too early' for beer man.

did a bus trip to Boulevard Brewery in KC last summer...drinking at 8:15am on a Sunday.

If I brew at 8am, I have a beer by 8:15 or the beer gods get pissed.

 

[srubbo]

i find having an oatmeal stout on hand is handy in these tricky moral dilemmas. Oatmeal is for breakfast, therefore, Oatmeal Stout is perfectly alright in the morning.

hope this helps.

cheers

 

[edmanster]

This is why I have a session coffee pale ale on tap.. After a couple I can't tell if it's the brew or the bean giving me a buzz... Most likely the bean since it's at least a cup worth coffee to a pint..

I'd like to see that recipe. Sounds pretty good on morning brew day.

It was an experiment with sum 10yr old LME from a brew in a bag from england that my sis gave me.. Tasted the malt and it was total molasses and I wanted to brew it up anyway.. The only thing I could think to cover the taste was coffee.. The kit was ment for 22ltr but I wanted to keep room for the coffee so I only brewd it to be 3 gallons with no extra hops because coffee is bitter anyways.. Fermented it with safeale-04 and it took off like a rocket.. Never got the OG since I didn't care but it did ferment all the way to 1008.. After fermentation and a month it tasted hot and like watered molasses.. I cold brewed 3 gallons of strong coffee and I remember having a cup and wanting to go run a mile it was so crazy strong. Put the brew in my keg and topped it with all but a third gallon of the coffee and carbonated for week.. It gives one of the best heads I've seen and I can only guesstimate it to be around 3.5 to 4% since the brew in a bag said 4% for the full 22ltrs.. Next time I'm thinking of doing some parti-gyle and using my first 3 gallons of runnings for it and keeping a record. So far most have liked it but I do get the occasional it's to bitter for me crap... Hope I made for some lite reading..lol

thought id better give a show of the coffee ale experiment before its gone.. my daughter is holding the camera..


heres after i drank it, about 5 min and the head is tough.. gonna try to make this again for sure..


yup caffine.. planning on sleeping tonight so no full pint... now on to something with no caffine..