Epic/Idiotic BrewDay - 3 batches, flying solo

[dcHokie]

I haven't had much time to brew lately, so I'm planning an adventurous 20 gallon brewday Saturday.

I'll be doing a modified version of Deathbrewer's PM with a kettle on the stove, moving it to the oven to maintain temp, then full boils in the keggle. I can chill quickly w/ a 50' IC & a 50' pre-chiller for ice and I've already got two backup propane tanks. Orfy's 3 brew thread gives me hope that this is feasible, but I'd love some advice from the peanut gallery - my draft schedule below.....

My fool’s errand Brew Day schedule
Batch #1: 5 gallon partial-mash Roggenbier
Batch #2: 10 gallon partial-mash American Pale Ale
Batch #3: 5 gallon partial-mash Coriander Witbier

0700 am – wake up, run 9 miles
0800 am – Coffee, throw some tunes on, heat 2 gal H20 to 160F in SS kettle
0830 am – Batch #1 (Roggen): mash in 4 LBS grain, move SS kettle to 150F oven
0840 am - heat 4 gal H20 to 175F in Keggle, breakfast
0930 am – remove SS kettle from oven, strain
0945 am – move grain-bag to Keggle for 10-15 mins
1000 am – drip/drain, start heating wort
1030 am - begin 60 minute boil, clean both kettles
1120 am – put IC into Keggle, begin heating 4 gal H2O in SS for Batch #2
1125 am – rack a Hefeweizen from primary to secondary, harvest half of yeast cake
1135 am – flameout, hook up pre-chiller & start IC
1200 pm – take OG of Roggenbier & rack onto Hefe yeast cake
1215 pm – Batch #2 (APA): mash in 12 LBS grain, move SS kettle to 150F oven, heat 8 gal H20 to 175F in Keggle
1230 pm – lunch and first homebrew of the day
0115 pm – remove SS kettle from oven, strain
0130 pm – move grain-bag to keggle for 15 mins, drain
0145 pm – start heating wort
0220 pm – begin 70 minute boil, clean kettles
0310 pm – put IC into keggle, begin heating 2 gal H2O in SS kettle for Batch #3
0330 pm – flameout, hook up pre-chiller & start IC
0400 pm – take OG, rack 5 gallons w/ Kolsch starter & 5 gallons w/ Wyeast American Ale I starter
0415 pm – Batch #3 (Wit): mash in 3.5 LBS grain, move SS kettle to 150F oven
0425 pm - heat 4 gal H20 to 175F in Keggle
0515 pm – remove SS kettle from oven, strain
0530 pm – move grain-bag to Keggle for 10-15 mins
0545 pm – drip/drain, start heating wort
0610 pm – begin 60 minute boil
0655 pm – put IC into Keggle
0715 pm - flameout, hook up pre-chiller & start IC
0735 pm – take OG, rack to primary
0800 pm – clean up, dinner, RDWHAHB(s).

 

[Walker]

0700 am – wake up, run 9 miles

I'd drop that step right away.

1230 pm – lunch and first homebrew of the day

Move that homebrew to the now vacant 7am slot...

 

[NoNothing]

I'd drop that step right away.



Move that homebrew to the now vacant 7am slot...

Says it all!

Otherwise, your schedule looks feasable.

But this is homebrew, nothing ever works out as planned. Ive stopped planning my brew days all together, I just wing it.

I'd add an extra hour for OH ****, time before you're finished.

 

[tamoore]

Keep the running! Nothing gets my blood ready for a nice brew day like a 10 mile run first thing in the morning! I like to start at 5:30 or 6:00 AM!


Looks ambitious, but also fun! Go for it!

 

[Olddog]

My hats off to you. You are way more organized and ambitious than I am.

 

[dcHokie]

Says it all!

Otherwise, your schedule looks feasable.

But this is homebrew, nothing ever works out as planned. Ive stopped planning my brew days all together, I just wing it.

I'd add an extra hour for OH ****, time before you're finished.

Too true, I'm probably jinxing myself with such a tight schedule. And now that I look at I haven't given myself time to use the bathroom....adding 0810 am - Strap on adult diaper.

 

[munche]

I had a really ambitious weekend last week.

Brewed a batch and bottled a batch on Saturday, then did my first AG batch and bottled another one on Sunday. Halfway through Sunday me and my buddy were hating life and I didn't even want to think about brewing for about a week after that.

YMMV

 

[Montanaandy]

Make certain that you allow about 3 hours + for "Murphy's Law" which will come into play in a situation such as this. Figure on finishing around midnight and you will be fine. Montanaandy

 

[goose1873]

I'd say run real hard for 1/4 mile then get a cup of coffee...that should save you some time

 

[mariojr]

I had a really ambitious weekend last week.

Brewed a batch and bottled a batch on Saturday, then did my first AG batch and bottled another one on Sunday. Halfway through Sunday me and my buddy were hating life and I didn't even want to think about brewing for about a week after that.

YMMV

A whole week? Must have been going through some serious withdrawals.

 

[HIM_Tattoos]

I didn't even want to think about brewing for about a week after that.

Blasphemy....

But really that's a hardcore schedule...that's all you dude!

 

[dcHokie]

I had a really ambitious weekend last week.

Brewed a batch and bottled a batch on Saturday, then did my first AG batch and bottled another one on Sunday. Halfway through Sunday me and my buddy were hating life and I didn't even want to think about brewing for about a week after that.

Very impressive, a brew-weekend is a ton of sustained effort! I'm terrible at back to back days, I get so tired of cleaning, and sanitizing...and drunk.

 

[22415 Brewery]

You can totally do it. I've done three batches in a day just once...and I will never do it again.

Toward the end of the second batch I started getting "lazy" well..."drunk".

Then I fired up the gas grill and started "forgetting" about things.

It was totally fun though and if you lived around here I'd totally come over to give you moral support!

 

[demonrichie]

sounds intense pullin off 20g in 3 batches. sure you cant get no help? i think some HBTers near you wouldnt mind playin wingman for you to relieve some of the stress or to watch a boil when you have to relieve yourself. i know if i was around id be more then happy to help

 

[northernlad]

The only thing that makes less sense than running 9 mile at 7 in the morning is doing it before a 15 hour brew day.

 

[GC89]

Says it all!

Otherwise, your schedule looks feasable.

But this is homebrew, nothing ever works out as planned. Ive stopped planning my brew days all together, I just wing it.

I'd add an extra hour for OH ****, time before you're finished.

+1,

I stopped planning time schedules, I just have a list of tasked to check off in order. My first two all grain batches on a completely new, never tested system were done in the same day. They turned out to be two of my best batches yet but would I attempt it again even after having a good number of runs on the system. Probably not, inevitably something still always seems to go wrong. Your a brave man

 

[HokieBrewer]

I'd expect nothing less from a fellow Hokie!

 

[EricCSU]

You can definitely do it. Do as much prep work as you can the night before. I always print out brewsheets, fill up carboys with star-San, measure hops in numbered plastic cups, get out all equipment and set everything up in the garage, and make a couple sandwiches for quick, easy food.

I have done three seperate all grain batches in ten hours when I have prepped the night before.

If you want to schedule everything, I would make it a little less detailed so you have some wiggle room.

Hope it goes well.

Eric

 

[dcHokie]

You can definitely do it. Do as much prep work as you can the night before. I always print out brewsheets, fill up carboys with star-San, measure hops in numbered plastic cups, get out all equipment and set everything up in the garage, and make a couple sandwiches for quick, easy food.

I have done three seperate all grain batches in ten hours when I have prepped the night before.

If you want to schedule everything, I would make it a little less detailed so you have some wiggle room.

Hope it goes well.

Eric

thanks for the vote of confidence! I think I half expected most of the replies to be of "Don't do it!" , "disaster waiting to happen, run away!" variety.

I'm going to have everything I can think of, and backups, cleaned & sanitized the night before. One of the reasons I'm trying to squeeze so much into one brewday is that I have a tiny DC rowhouse with no storage. I literally have all my brewgear arranged Jenga-style in an office closet and it's a real PITA to get everything out and then Tetris it all back into the closet for one 5 gal batch.

I really like your hop cups idea, and the pre-made sandwiches.

 

[EricCSU]

thanks for the vote of confidence! I think I half expected most of the replies to be of "Don't do it!" , "disaster waiting to happen, run away!" variety.

I'm going to have everything I can think of, and backups, cleaned & sanitized the night before. One of the reasons I'm trying to squeeze so much into one brewday is that I have a tiny DC rowhouse with no storage. I literally have all my brewgear arranged Jenga-style in an office closet and it's a real PITA to get everything out and then Tetris it all back into the closet for one 5 gal batch.

I really like your hop cups idea, and the pre-made sandwiches.

For the hop cups, I use the clear plastic 6 oz tasting glassesand then mark the time of addition and batch on the outside (60A, 10B, etc.). Don't forget the whirlfloc and yeast fuel too.

Eric

 

[ksbrain]

Looks like an awesome day!

I would mention that you could start mashing on batch two as soon as you start boiling the first batch. That ends up shaving a few hours off your day.

At first I planned out everything step by step like this. Then gradually I got away from that. When it took me 8 hours to make one batch earlier this year, I knew it was time to get back to planning. Now I have the key steps planned out with general timing of pacing steps. As a result I can make two five gallon batches in six hours with 45-minute mashes and 60-minute boils. At any time I can look where I am on the checklist and see what I'm supposed to be doing "right now".

Maybe it comes down to personality but I love having it all planned out. That way I avoid the OH **** moment, for the most part.

 

[northernlad]

If Murphy stays away I think I could get two 5 gallon batches and two bottling sessions done in about 6 hours.
Definately set out your equipment and prep your ingredients the night before.

 

[vinyl_key]

You'll save on some water and energy if you take the heated water from your wort chiller, and use that as mash water for the next brew. Although with three batches, you can only do that once heh

 

[northernlad]

You'll save on some water and energy if you take the heated water from your wort chiller, and use that as mash water for the next brew. Although with three batches, you can only do that once heh

Thats not a bad idea, but something in my head does not like the idea of using water run through my IC.

 

[dcHokie]

Thats not a bad idea, but something in my head does not like the idea of using water run through my IC.

My IC & pre-chiller are homemade and I just used garden hose so that I use the outside spigot on my patio. The hot water coming out smells like the house, sort of rubbery.

My next DIY project will likely be an in-line H2O filter setup so that I can brew entirely outdoors and at that point I'll probably switch out the hoses for food grade tubing and re-using the IC H20 might be more feasible. Of course than I'll need a proper stand, and a second burner, and a HLT, and .......

 

[SC_Ryan]

You may want to schedule a shower in there somewhere after the run.

 

[Joker]

I say you skip the run at 7am for just running in circles while you are brewing, I bet you can get in at least 9 miles while brewing at the same time.

 

[dcHokie]

You may want to schedule a shower in there somewhere after the run.

Now THAT is what I can use the IC runoff water for -- Yard shower!

 

[jjones17]

I'd drop that step right away.



Move that homebrew to the now vacant 7am slot...

ROFLMAO - Jesus man, I could not have said it better myself.

 

[jjones17]

You may want to schedule a shower in there somewhere after the run.

Or name the beer "Sour Satchel Kentucky Common"