How long does brew day take you?

[te-wa]

6 hrs on my last AG brew. then again, i was changing water filters, tinkering with hose lengths, cutting, prodding, amusing myself. i did a 90 min boil. and then some, trying to get the volume i wanted.
i think if 4 hours is spent and you make a good brew, that's great. but if you take longer, let it flow, let it ride, hit your targets then that's 4 hours you didnt waste from a mistake. brewing is a journey, not a destination... (lol, aerosmith)

 

[schematix]

I do 10 gallon batches and I brewed on Wednesday and it took 7+ hours. Started heating water at 9am, and crushing grain while it heated. Mashed in around 10am and did a multi-step mash for about 2 hours. Started to lauter around noon. Boil started around 1pm, with a 90 minute boil. Cooling was a clusterf*ck. I used my Hop Stopper for the first time and it plugged. 90% of the beer was in the ferms by 3:30pm then it took an hour to clean everything (kettles, pumps, hoses, plate chiller, etc). Long day but at least i'll get 9-9.5G of outstanding beer out of it.

 

[619Brewer]

Just did back to back brew days. Yesterday was a cluster so it ended up taking a lot longer, but today was relaxed, lazy Sunday brew day. Started at 11:30 and pitched yeast and put in the fermentation chamber at 4:00. I didn't rush, 75 min boil, and did a extra long sparge, maybe 1.5 hours and a 60 min mash time.

 

[Corey_SS]

It usually takes me about 6 hours from the time I start heating my water to the time I'm done cleaning up. Though that's usually about an hour longer than I estimate when I promise the GF how long it'll take.

 

[schematix]

It usually takes me about 6 hours from the time I start heating my water to the time I'm done cleaning up. Though that's usually about an hour longer than I estimate when I promise the GF how long it'll take.

Forgiveness is much easier to obtain than permission ;-)

 

[Komocabo]

7-8 hours for me on a 11 gal batch. I like to take it easy and slow. I hate feeling rushed. Yes, I could do it after, but dangit, that's the best part... RDWHAHB

Lazy Sunday brews are good on the heart...and the fememter

 

[ianw58]

Usually about 6 hours from rolling out the brew rig to rolling it back.

Brewing is a hobby and activity that I enjoy - so I'm not actively working to make it uber-efficient. I'd compare brewing to sex - I'm grateful when I get the chance to do it so I'm not interested in finishing quickly.

How very well said, sir! My sentiments exactly.

 

[Mirilis]

5-8 hours:
60 min mash after finally hitting strike temp
30 min sparge
60-90 min boil depending on rec
30 min chill/ whirlpool

In between that set ups and 45 min clean ups

 

[ianw58]

It takes me about 6 to 7 hours from rolling the brew rig to rolling it back into the brew house.

Brewing is a hobby and activity that I enjoy - so I'm not actively working to make it uber-efficient. I'd compare brewing to sex - I'm grateful when I get the chance to do it so I'm not interested in finishing quickly.

Vey well said, Sir! My sentiments exactly...

 

[saxman1036]

Several you are saying that your brew day only takes you about 4 to 5 hours. My brew days, for all grain, rarely take under 6.5 hours. I'm trying to figure out what aspect of my operation is taking so much longer than yours. Do any of you who are taking only four to five hours boil water or the wort on your stove top? Or are all of you using propane burners? Are you doing full 60min boils? Are you counting from starting the water for the mash until things are cleaned up?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[runkelia]

Several you are saying that your brew day only takes you about 4 to 5 hours. My brew days, for all grain, rarely take under 6.5 hours. I'm trying to figure out what aspect of my operation is taking so much longer than yours. Do any of you who are taking only four to five hours boil water or the wort on your stove top? Or are all of you using propane burners? Are you doing full 60min boils? Are you counting from starting the water for the mash until things are cleaned up?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

I hear you, how is this possible? Do you have several burners? Do you not have kids running around the house? It takes me a solid 6.5 hours.

 

[stevo4361]

Several you are saying that your brew day only takes you about 4 to 5 hours. My brew days, for all grain, rarely take under 6.5 hours. I'm trying to figure out what aspect of my operation is taking so much longer than yours. Do any of you who are taking only four to five hours boil water or the wort on your stove top? Or are all of you using propane burners? Are you doing full 60min boils? Are you counting from starting the water for the mash until things are cleaned up? Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

Propane burner outside. 60 minute mash and boils for me as well. Yep, from getting equipment out of my brew room until the last piece is back hanging up. Four to five hours is about it. Don't mill my own grain yet, and usually formulate my recipes much earlier. Thinking of trying 90 min mash, but haven't yet.
My wife usually takes the kids so I have a brew day to myself, some "me" time, especially as my kids are too little to help yet. I don't rush anything, and don't think I'm missing anything. Have a pipe of tobacco once and awhile during the mash or boil. I like my process, and my beer. It's not a contest, whatever works for you, short or all day.


Cheers!

 

[eastoak]

Several you are saying that your brew day only takes you about 4 to 5 hours. My brew days, for all grain, rarely take under 6.5 hours. I'm trying to figure out what aspect of my operation is taking so much longer than yours. Do any of you who are taking only four to five hours boil water or the wort on your stove top? Or are all of you using propane burners? Are you doing full 60min boils? Are you counting from starting the water for the mash until things are cleaned up?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

my brew day is usually between 4-4.5 hrs. my top tier sits in the garage and i i don't move it outside when i brew. i mill my own grain which takes maybe 15 min, all of my grain bills are very simple. a 5 gallon batch requires 8 gallons of water on my system so i fill 2 pails of water for the HLT and the MT, the MT is heating up as i mill the grain. once the water is hot enough i dough in and start the 1hr timer. 5-10 min in i start to recirculate and the Blichmann mash module takes over the burner. after an hr the first runnings go into the boil kettle and i batch sparge. the boil is usually going within 15-20 min and goes for an hr. i dump the spent grains and set the MT in the driveway along with the HLT, i'll run the cooling water in there to rinse out the grain bits and collect water for cleaning. 5-10 min before flameout i pull the hoses into the garage for the plate chiller. chilling takes 8-10 min. i'll grab buckets of water to pour into the boil kettle and run through the plate chiller, scrub the inside of the BK while i'm at it. if i'm using dry yeast i pitch dry and put the bucket in the fridge. if i'm re pitching slurry i aerate with a stainless wand, pitch the slurry and i'm done.

 

[Beernik]

Brewday is my Fortress of Solitude. Interruptions are kept to a minimum by agreement. If my wife wants me to stay sane, I get one day a month by myself brewing, racking, or bottling. I got two this month because it's my first time brewing in half a year.

In the summer, I do it all on a propane (turkey fryer) burner.
1. Start the strike water. Set up while it warms.
2. Dough in, finish setup.
3. Mash out.
4. Heat wort for boil, clean MLT & mash equip.
5. Boil.
6. Cool, start to put things away.
7. Pitch.
8. Clean rest of equip, put rest of equip away.

Because I can do multiple things at once and don't have to worry about keeping the kitchen nice or dry, it's a bout 5 hours. Saturday and Sunday I mashed, cooled, and cleaned in the kitchen. Saturday was 8 hours because of a double decoction and a stuck mash . Sunday was a smooth step mash and took 6 hours.

Both days I drained the MLT and then cleaned it before starting the boil so I could keep the kitchen clean.

Not having to move your equipment shortens the day. The 8 hours Saturday included moving everything into the house. The 6 hours Sunday included putting everything back in the garage.

Being able to heat water and cool wort quickly will really cut down your brewday.

 

[dobe12]

I'm in the 4-5hr camp. All grain, BIAB, outdoors using a turkey frier setup. I have a 2yr old at home and 4-5hrs is hard to come by, so time is a factor. I'm up between 6-7am and starting to brew between 7-8am. A few things I do to speed things up:

- My recipes are planned out days if not weeks in advance. I usually have anywhere from 3 to 6 recipes that I want to brew so it'd just a matter of choosing one.

- Crush my grain the day before and get all my supplies out the night before. Can't be banging pots around at 6am.

- Like others, I multitask. Cleaning equipment while boiling or weighing out hops while mashing, just thinking ahead and having things ready when I need them or clean things when done so I'm not cleaning everything at the end of the day. By the time I pitch my yeast all I have to clean is my brew kettle, racking cane/tubing, wort chiller, maybe a flask from the starter and that's it. Everything else is already clean and up away.

I'd love to slow down and really take my time, but i just don't have the time. If I could afford 6-8hrs, I'd be trying to get 2 batches in back to back. Again, with a 2yr old, it's all about maximizing my time.

 

[EdMerican]

So, you have to ask yourself. Would you rather have really good sex once a week or go quickly through the motions every night?



Damn! That's a tough question. :cross:

Being as I have married with kids mediocre sex only a couple times a month if I'm lucky i would take lame sex every night, thank you very much.

 

[ChuBru]

4-5 hours here too..like pumpkinman says keep busy during down time really keeps the ball rolling...i used to just hang out while heating water or while mashing etc and that easily added another hour or more to brewday

 

[dobe12]

Being as I have married with kids mediocre sex only a couple times a month if I'm lucky i would take lame sex every night, thank you very much.

Couldn't agree more!

 

[m3n00b]

Forgiveness is much easier to obtain than permission ;-)

This is pure gold right here.

 

[saxman1036]

Well, I've certainly gotten my answer: move my arse outside and get a propane burner. I've become remarkably efficient (IMHO) with my brew day, but the heating (mash water, sparge water, boiling the wort, etc.) just takes too dang long. Once I complete all the possible steps I can to prepare for the next brewing step, I find myself doing other things around the house while I'm waiting for the next hop-addition. The wife likes that part (and the fact that she always gets a clean kitchen after a brew day), but waiting for things to heat-up definitely stretches out my operation.

If I were to guess, right now...
* 45-75 min to heat up 4-6 gallons of mash water
* 30-45 to bring the wort (6-7 gal) from the sparge to a boil

I'm guessing with a propane burner outside I could knock those down to 20min & 10min? Granted, we just came off a wicked cold-snap up here (St. Paul) where daytime highs were -18F (not a typo), so perhaps I'll wait for it to warm up just *a little*.

Thanks fellas!

 

[soccerdad]

When I brew with either my son or daughter we can go 3.5 hours by splitting duties. That's with 60 and 60 mash and boil (and BIAB). When I am brewing alone the final clean and wipe might be 4 or even 4.5. Sunday was 11am to 3 pm. Finished in time for soccer at 3.30

 

[EdMerican]

Well, I've certainly gotten my answer: move my arse outside and get a propane burner. I've become remarkably efficient (IMHO) with my brew day, but the heating (mash water, sparge water, boiling the wort, etc.) just takes too dang long. Once I complete all the possible steps I can to prepare for the next brewing step, I find myself doing other things around the house while I'm waiting for the next hop-addition. The wife likes that part (and the fact that she always gets a clean kitchen after a brew day), but waiting for things to heat-up definitely stretches out my operation.

If I were to guess, right now...
* 45-75 min to heat up 4-6 gallons of mash water
* 30-45 to bring the wort (6-7 gal) from the sparge to a boil

I'm guessing with a propane burner outside I could knock those down to 20min & 10min? Granted, we just came off a wicked cold-snap up here (St. Paul) where daytime highs were -18F (not a typo), so perhaps I'll wait for it to warm up just *a little*.

Thanks fellas!

I was brewing 5 gallon AG batch sparge brews in my kitchen on an electric stove. Had it down to 5 to 5.25 hours from clean kitchen to clean kitchen. Heating strike water and getting to boil was the most time consuming part. Got a turkey burner for xmas and took it outside. Wound up at about 5.5 hours. I didn't really know how or what to set the flame at for best performance and economy so I was a bit conservative. I also started with 36 degree water (which was awesome for chilling). It was a new process so I didn't expect much. I won't be surprised if I can knock it down to 4 hours when I get it dialed in.

I do tend to stick to known good recipes most brews, but if I develop something new it is rarely on brew day. I have 21 keepers in my book so far, so I run a good variety through the system regularly enough as not to get bored.

I also have to mention that the fredom experienced outside was delightful. Didnt have to worry about the kids bitching or fighting or any spills or anything. Brought my radio out, put on some coveralls and enjoyed the day. I'm sold on outside.

 

[stevo4361]

I believe coveralls are mandatory attire.

 

[Zubius]

Typically 3 hours for me, including clean up.. All grain, 5 gallon batches, electric BIAB.

 

[C-Rider]

Typically 3 hours for me, including clean up.. All grain, 5 gallon batches, electric BIAB.

Wow that's fast. Me, 5-6 hours including "prep" brewing and clean-up. Of course I can't use a wort cooler in the house as my sinks don't have hose connections. Takes about 1 1/3 hrs to cool 2 gallons using ice bath in small sink.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Wow that's fast. Me, 5-6 hours including "prep" brewing and clean-up. Of course I can't use a wort cooler in the house as my sinks don't have hose connections. Takes about 1 1/3 hrs to cool 2 gallons using ice bath in small sink.

Aerator thread to hose thread adapter is available at any hardware store for under $5!

 

[Brewn4life]

It takes me a good 6 hrs. I have to connect all my hoses and things like that. 26lbs of grains take a bit to clean out as well.

 

[smizak]

Always 5-6 hours. 90 minute boils.

 

[Poobah58]

Minimum 6 hrs with 3 or 4 guys doing 15-20 gallon batches...

 

[AnOldUR]

Minimum 6 hrs with 3 or 4 guys doing 15-20 gallon batches...

Makes me wish I lived in Connecticut to have a chance to be part of that brew party . . .

 

[kombat]

Another 6-hour brewer here. I brew in my garage, but store everything in my basement (in the winter, at least), so that adds some time and several trips up and down stairs. That also includes at least an hour of cleanup at the end, once everything is back downstairs and it's time to start disassembling the boil kettle, cleaning the HopStopper, spoons, autosiphon, stir rod, pitcher, mash tun, Bazooka screen, all the tubing for the plate chiller, the cup the yeast was in, a funnel, the hydrometer and tube, propping everything up to dry, and so on and so on. I just put on some headphones and zen out while I do it. It's kind of relaxing, to be honest.

 

[dbrewski]

Good thread. It is interesting to see that some have the philosophy that it is an enjoying task, don't worry about time, others want to finish quickly but still take 5-6 hours. I am in the 4 hour camp myself, milling to pitching. I got there intentionally. After thinking through all the parts of brewing I did not like (cleaning lots of hoses and pumps and counterflow chillers, etc etc) I converted to a gravity stand (propane, outdoors), a cooler mash tun and a big-ass immersion chiller for 10G batches. As others have said the key is to always be cleaning the equipment you're done with when you get a down moment.

 

[ChuBru]

i think it all comes down to becoming comfortable and confident with the process which shaves off time..when i first started brewing it took me 8 hours to complete a brew day..now its like what bruce lee said" i dont hit it hits all by its self" except its i dont brew it brews all by its self..its very important to be efficient when brewing unless of coarse you have nothing else to do

 

[241]

Generally 4-5 hours from the time I start setup to the time I put the carboy into the fermentation chamber.

I usually do things like clean or weigh out ingredients while strike water is heating, during the mash and during the boil.

 

[CaribouBrewmasters]

Brewing a batch takes me 1.5 hrs total to do extract recipes. All-grain, anywhere from 3-6 hours depending on what technique I'm using.

 

[Brewtah]

Today about 4-41/2. 70 minute mash, hour boil. I have gotten better at multi-tasking during a brew day.

 

[NTXBrauer]

Around 4 hours here also, from start to finish of clean up. This does not include the time to the LHBS to pick up ingredients.

 

[smizak]

Another 6-hour brewer here. I brew in my garage, but store everything in my basement (in the winter, at least), so that adds some time and several trips up and down stairs. That also includes at least an hour of cleanup at the end, once everything is back downstairs and it's time to start disassembling the boil kettle, cleaning the HopStopper, spoons, autosiphon, stir rod, pitcher, mash tun, Bazooka screen, all the tubing for the plate chiller, the cup the yeast was in, a funnel, the hydrometer and tube, propping everything up to dry, and so on and so on. I just put on some headphones and zen out while I do it. It's kind of relaxing, to be honest.

Exactly that way for me as well. Just 6 hrs of singular focus, shut out the world for awhile.

 

[AnOldUR]

Just when I'm worried that my brewday may be getting shorter, someone mentions 80 minute hopstands.

Well, damn! Gotta try that.

 

[EdMerican]

I just ran a double brew on Sunday and it was just under 6 hours including cleanup. Mashed batch 2 while boiling #1 and brewday went as smoothly as its ever been. Heated strike and sparge water on the stove inside while boiling outside. Checked my time at the first batch going into the fermenter and was right at about 3.75 hours. It was awesome being able to keep the wort hot and heating while running off the mashtun. Made going to boil take about 5 minutes from final sparge. Second time using the new burner and I believe I have it figured out. I ran my chiller water into a bucket and used it to clean everything up. Works great and conserves a bit of water.