How do folks reduce their brewing time

[BrewSpook]

Simple. Brew less.

How dare you!

 

[prosper]

This cloth bag is big enough for 12 gallon batches and wont explode when lifting the wet grains? That sounds pretty sturdy. Would def be interested in seeing a pic of that. I don't think my MT can hold a large grain bill and all that water for a 12-15 gallon batch, though, so I wouldn't be able to do a full sparge water addition.

It's the same bag I use when I'm doing a BIAB batch. It's been strong enough in the past to suspend over the kettle (from a ladder) to drain.

looks like this (not my pic):

 

[Randar]

Simple. Brew less.

Heresy!

 

[kegtoe]

looks like this (not my pic):

Boy, that looks familiar - wink, wink.

 

[kegtoe]

In all seriousness are you guys including clean up time??? I did my frist real riecirculating All Grain brew and it took me like 7 hours includign set up, milling grains, mash, boil, cooling fermetning and cleaning.

 

[JewBrew]

I set up two hot water urns on a timer the night before so they are hot (190deg) by the time I wake up to brew.

 

[BargainFittings]

When I manage to find time to brew its 5-6 hours for 10 gallon batches and 4.5 - 5 hours for a 5 gallon batch. Add an hour or so if someone is watching me.

My time saving is to do something when something else is happening. Clean while wort boils. Clean while water heats up. Measure while you are waiting for anything to boil or heat.

Heat your wort while you run off if you can. Heat sparge water while you mash.

Wayne.

 

[kegtoe]

When I manage to find time to brew its 5-6 hours for 10 gallon batches and 4.5 - 5 hours for a 5 gallon batch. Add an hour or so if someone is watching me.

My time saving is to do something when something else is happening. Clean while wort boils. Clean while water heats up. Measure while you are waiting for anything to boil or heat.

Heat your wort while you run off if you can. Heat sparge water while you mash.

Wayne.

Thanks for the tips. PS, i place 3 orders the last 6 weeks through you guys and ordered several fittings for my all grain set up - very pleased. I like your stainless threaded to compression fitting. I used that to trasition to my copper sparge ring.

 

[lumpher]

Your biggest time saver is going to be cutting your mash time down. Cut your mash time to 15-20 minutes and then start recirculating. DO NOT RAISE THE TEMP FOR A MASHOUT! Not only is it unnecessary, but it'll stop the enzyme activity that you need. By the time that you finish recirculating, you'll have a long mash (I regularly only mash for 20 minutes then drain the cooler while batch sparging).

mash for 20 minutes? what's your efficiency?

 

[curlyfat]

Brew time is MY time. I enjoy letting it stretch to 6 or 7 hours. I've done ten gallons in under 5, but my efficiency suffered due to a quick sparge (fly-style).

 

[eanmcnulty]

I brew 2.5 gallon batches. I use a 5 gallon cooler, no sparge. Boil, send through the CFC and into a 3 gallon Better Bottle. I still can't get it under 3.5 hours start the burner to clean-up. But 3.5 is a breeze. I brew more often though because I'm only getting 20 or so bottles a batch, which is fine. I don't need more beer filling the basement. It works for me.

 

[twoodward15]

When mashing for 20 minutes I lose about 2 efficiency points. Not much. If you mash for 20 minutes, then drain, that time counts as mashing. So your really getting close to 30 minutes.

Mash out? I never do it. If I mash at 152 then the grain bednever gets hotter. Sometimes if I forget to turn the sparge water on to heat in time, then it gets dumped in at whatever temp it is. Something to back it up? I do it all the time. It works. I'm willing to gamble $8 worth of ingredients to try new things after someone else says they work, as long as it sounds reasonable. You'll stop enzymatic activity when you boil the wort. If you only mash for 20 minutes and the wort sits fora half hour before you bring it to a boil, then that's the samething as mashing for an ahour, isn't it? You be the judge. I do it all the time.

I can do a 10 gallon batch in 4 hrs 15minutes if I'm in a rush. I can do a 25 gallon batch in 5 hours.

 

[Randar]

If you only mash for 20 minutes and the wort sits fora half hour before you bring it to a boil, then that's the samething as mashing for an ahour, isn't it?

No, it's not, as you have removed the liquid from the grain. Conversion doesn't continue without the grain and enzymatic activity is affected by the thickness or thin-ness of the mash. At least this is what I have read in the past.

But I have also read that 30 min is usually sufficient for a basic one-step mash.

 

[Walker]

But I have also read that 30 min is usually sufficient for a basic one-step mash.

I've read this, too. I haven't tested it myself, but out of curiosity one time I did the iodine test after 45 minutes of my mash and it was fully converted.

After that one time, I chopped 20 minutes off my mash time and only mash for 40 minutes now.

 

[permo]

Brew time is MY time. I enjoy letting it stretch to 6 or 7 hours. I've done ten gallons in under 5, but my efficiency suffered due to a quick sparge (fly-style).

That would sure be nice. I don't have any MY time...my wife has me on the clock at all times. She is not all that supportive of my brewing. Too bad, cause I brew like crazy.

 

[jds]

I've managed 6-gallon, no-sparge, no-chill brews in around 3 hours, but I felt rushed the whole time. My usual brewday is 4.5-5 hours, but that also usually includes some puttering time. I've been known to go out to brew beer, and come in with beer, the lawn mowed, the cars cleaned out, and a few other small jobs done.

Back to the OP's question, "How do you save time", I'd answer: (1) Get a bigger burner so you can heat water faster and get to a boil faster. (2) don't brew with much Pilsener malt, so you can keep boil time down around 60 minutes. (3) Cover water while it's heating and maybe insulate your kettle, (4) consider no-chill brewing.

Or you could just batch sparge.