How long do you take to brew a batch?

[MikeinCT]

I started about 8:30 this morning. Brewed one batch of all grain ale. Done at 1:30.

That includes a 75 minute mash, about a 30 minute sparge and a 1 hour boil. My wort chiller takes almost an hour to bring the boiled wort down into the 70s.

Also getting out all the gear from the basement and cleaning it up and packing it back. I leave the kitchen clean so I will have a pass from the war department to brew again


How long does it take you guys?

 

[brewd00d]

I do extract brewing and that take me a good 3-4 hours.

 

[Pappers_]

4 - 5 hours all-grain, from weighing out ingredients to clean up.

 

[moorerm04]

Around 3 hours for a partial boil extact brew.

 

[j1laskey]

Whirlpool your wort while chilling....cuts the time way down

 

[ozzy1038]

5-6 hours for all grain. I did my first DME beer this past weekend and that took 3-4 hours

 

[unionrdr]

I average about 3.5 hours to do a partial extract brew with hop additions & late malt additions. Longer if I have trouble chilling the wort down to 70F or less.

 

[jjjj]

i start mash at 8pm afterthe kids are in bed and im done and have the kitchen clean by mid night

 

[Hatchbrew]

4.5 hours from flame on to spic and span.

 

[mrk305]

I keep telling a friend of mine, it is not how fast I can make it but how good I can make it. It take me a little over 5 hours, but I like to do a 90+ minute boil.

 

[Ravenshead]

Assuming a 60 min mash and 60 min boil, I have AG down to about 3.5 hrs for 5 gallons if I hit my temps just right. If I overshoot a bit, it can take longer as I wait for the temps to go down.

I clean as I go so clean up time is a minimal hit to the overall brew day.

 

[likwidbliss]

All grain, about a six pack. 3.5 to 4 hours in real time.

 

[birvine]

I just finished cleaning up. I started around 11 am after deciding to try the Arrogant Bastard (or similar) AG clone. 60 min mash. Sparge took about 20 min. Boiled for 90 min. Our water is REALLY cold now, so the cooling was very quick. Into the carboy and cleaned up by 3:30 pm or so.

This is only my fourth AG and the first time I got my MT working well (initially the manifold fell apart on me). I can see working my way down the learning curve in the next little bit. Maybe shave off 30 min or so.

B

 

[JonM]

From the moment I turn on the stove to the moment it's all cleaned up and put away is 4.5-5 h. That's for a 60 min mash and 60 min boil.

 

[Zokfend]

me and a buddie brew together - we each do a 5 gallon batch of different brews, and we stagger our times because we have to share things like a wort chiller. doing extract, it takes us probably 4 hours from start to end of clean-up. we did our first all-grain a few weeks ago, and it took us 6 hours.

 

[nate456789]

4 to 5 hrs for BIAB all grain.
7 hrs traditional all grain
4 hrs extract

That is prep to clean up

 

[zachary80]

I normally allow 5 hours, depending on whether it's partial mash or specialty grain steep. That time also includes bottling

 

[skinny]

I average 6 hours for 10 gallon all grain.

 

[mikeysab]

8 hours for twenty gallons, two separate batches

 

[Fat_Bastard]

5 hours to do all grain,I'm using a single kettle and cooler so it takes me a bit longer.I have to use my kettle for the hot liquor tank and capture the runnings in my fermenter bucket then pour back into my kettle when I'm done sparging.

 

[BeerChef17]

3.5-5hrs depending on the brew...latest was closer to 5 since I roasted a pumpkin, did a 60min mini-mash, then 60m boil

 

[Rev2010]

I believe I'm at 3 hours currently for an extract brew on the stove top beginning to end. I too clean up as I go, a 30 minute steep with occasional temperature reinforcing and bag movement as well as a 60 minute boil gives a lot of time to clean up and get most of all that done.

I'd taken a brewing break over the summer due to too warm temps to ferment in the house without a cooler for it, since starting up again I've been rather impressed at my efficiency in workflow, definitely getting a lot more done in less time. Being I'm on the stove top the heat times are longer and since getting a 10 gallon pot I'm finding I will have to brew outside with it on a propane burner. The positive aspect of that is the steep and boil reach times are waaay faster than on the stove top so I honestly think I can cut an hour off my brew time. Even 30 minutes less will be a plus.

*EDIT - come to think of it I can't clean while brewing outside :-/ So yeah, maybe I can get it down to 2.5 hours total. lol

Rev.

 

[waldoar15]

Right around 4 hrs for all grain. But that kind of depends on mash and boil time.

 

[skyebrewing]

I weigh my grains out the night before so dont count that time. 3.5 hours into fermenter and cleaned up.
The key is doing multiple things at once: mill grains while mash water heating, heat sparge while mashing. Start to heat boil wort as soon as first runnings collected. Clean mlt and hlt, sanitize fermenter while boiling. I capture hot water from immersion chiller and use to clean pot, chiller and spoons right there.

 

[Apoxbrew]

5-6 hours for an all grain for me. that's with a 90min mash.

i just did a can kit for the first time in a long time tonight though. 30 minutes, start to finish!! LOL quickest 5 gallons of beer i've ever made!!!

 

[iron_city_ap]

I have my all grain down to about 4 hours.

 

[davcar74]

I recently invested in an outdoor propane burner. Best brewing purchase ever. Eliminates the "this stinks" theme from my family situation and cuts heating times WAY down from the stove top. I am down to under three from start to finish (including clean up) using extract and spec grains.

 

[davcar74]

tough to cool wort in the summer outside though with ambient 90 degree temps though...

 

[joeybeer]

I'm down to 4 hours for 5gals AG - if I do a 10gal batch, it's about 5..

 

[drew1d]

I do extract brewing and that take me a good 3-4 hours.

Same for me and my friend as well. We also extract brew, and it seems no matter how much we brew (5 or 10 gallons) it's about 3-4 hours.

I could only imagine all grain adding hours onto the process.


We're new at it, perhaps a more refined techinque would take less.

 

[Ravenshead]

tough to cool wort in the summer outside though with ambient 90 degree temps though...

If you shake your IC up and down you can speed the cooling process quite a bit. You can actually feel the output hose heat up as you shake it. I was getting my worts down to about 95 F in 20-ish minutes that way when it was 105 F in the shade this summer.

I think the increased turbulence helps with heat transfer.

 

[Chowe]

My brother and I brewed 2, 5 gal batches back to back yesterday, a Blonde and Porter. Start to finish took us 7 hours including clean up. We can cool the wort down to 80 in 5 min with our wort chiller using 48 degree well water and stirring rapidly.

 

[jfr1111]

Assuming 60 minute mash and 60 minute boil for a 19L batch, 3 hours from start to finish, but it's an intense 3 hours. I clean and put away things as soon as they are not needed anymore, so I don't have much time to drink and relax. I can do that afterward anyway. I spend more time next to the kitchen sink rinsing and washing than watching the beer boil.

My tap water is about 48F ambiant too, so it helps cooling down quite a bit. I can cool in 15 minutes no problem if I continually stir the beer with the immersion chiller.

 

[davcar74]

If you shake your IC up and down you can speed the cooling process quite a bit. You can actually feel the output hose heat up as you shake it. I was getting my worts down to about 95 F in 20-ish minutes that way when it was 105 F in the shade this summer.

I think the increased turbulence helps with heat transfer.

Good tip - thanks.

 

[BBKing]

about 4 hours, give or take.

AG batch sparging, with 90 minute mash.

 

[biggben]

takes me 3-4 hours to get it in primary, unless I'm drinking allot then it might take longer lol.

 

[chrislehr]

4.5 hours or so on 10 gallon all grain batches.

Typically 60 minute mash, 30-45 sparge, 60 minute boil.

Plate chiller bought me a solid HOUR of spare time.

5 gallon batches were about four hours... highly recommend upping batch size to make more beer in almost the same time to anyone who hates the time investment to beer ratio.

 

[Bradinator]

If I include milling time and transferring time, which I try to do the day before and day after the brewday, its about 4.5-5 hours for an all grain with a 60 minute mash and boil.

If its just the brewday, its usually done in well under 4 hours, including cleanup.

 

[Exbeerienced]

Wow! I think a few folks here are erring to the "efficient" side! I shoot for 13 1/4 gallons pre-boil, and a best case scenario requires at least five hours.

Roughly:

1 hour to heat strike water and grind grain
1 hour mash
.5 hour sparge
.5 hour bringing wort to boil
1 hour boil
.5 hour to cool wort
.5 hour to pitch yeast and clean up

But the reality? Truly from start (filling the kettle with strike water) to finish (entering data and notes) takes me six to eight hours. I must be a leisurely brewer!

 

[Spintab]

I'm at just about 5 hours or a hair less. That's AG, fly sparge, 60 mash 60 boil. I think I could do a number of things to drop that down. If I had a wash sink in the garage with me I could clean quicker and be more willing to clean as I go. If I had a 20amp rated extension cord for my HLT I could sparge directly into the kettle as it sits on the burner and fire it up as it fills. My IC is kinda ghetto. If I updated that, I could cool a little quicker.