How long does it take you to rack your beer?

[fritochip]

Been brewing for nearly twenty years. Brew day always takes some time and I'm okay with that....in fact, I love every minute!

But racking my beer to a secondary fermenter or to a keg is always a chore. It seems like a quick task but it always takes more time than I think it should. Tonight, I racked two batches (5 gal each) to kegs from the secondary and it took me over 2.5 hrs. with cleaning. Am I just slow or does it take everyone that long?

 

[max384]

I'm honestly not sure how it could possibly take you that long to transfer a couple of batches into kegs. Even if I'm dissembling and cleaning both kegs (which is rare, since I clean kegs and leave them sitting with sanitizer, to be filled at a later date.), it takes well under an hour to transfer, and clean the fermenters. If I'm transferring bee into cleaned kegs, it takes about fifteen minutes per keg, including cleanup time.

 

[TennBrewer]

You're just slow. But hey! Relax, have a homebrew while you're waiting. I just racked two batches yesterday, one into a secondary, another into a keg. I think I spent more time getting the receiving vessel clean and sanitized, than I did cleaning up the source container. I don't think it took 2.5 hours, more like 1.5 hours. Draining 5 gallons of beer through a tiny plastic hose takes at least 20 minutes or more. Then, cleaning up the fermenter/secondary is another 15 minutes or so. It looks about 35-45 minutes per batch, so two batches should take about 1.5 hours. I have a handy-dandy cleaner running off a pump that does a really nice job cleaning/sanitizing kegs, carboys and buckets. Check out the DIY forums and build it yourself. I really like the convenience of just setting it on top of the cleaning sprayer, turn it on and walk away. Made my day a lot more enjoyable.

 

[fritochip]

I AM slow! My wife tells me this every day! I guess I take a bit too much time with my beer but it's okay. I am enjoying some pints of past brews when I am transferring, listening to music, sometimes talking on the phone, playing with the dogs, and generally multitasking. Still enjoying the process though!

 

[Greatbreweh]

Been brewing for nearly twenty years. Brew day always takes some time and I'm okay with that....in fact, I love every minute!

But racking my beer to a secondary fermenter or to a keg is always a chore. It seems like a quick task but it always takes more time than I think it should. Tonight, I racked two batches (5 gal each) to kegs from the secondary and it took me over 2.5 hrs. with cleaning. Am I just slow or does it take everyone that long?

WOW I keg while boiling (to free up fermenter) with a beer or 3 in my hand and really takes me 15Min to keg 2 5 gal kegs. I have prepped them during mashing with sanitizer for an hour or so.

Now... that leaves me 45 min to drink beer while boiling and BOOM hops.......

 

[shortyz]

how much u smoking

 

[Gameface]

I probably take an hour or so.

I always take it with a grain of salt when people say they do this stuff in 15min. Yeah, it only takes me a few min to open the valve and drain my fermentor into a keg.

But if I get home from work at 5pm and have somewhere to be so I have to leave at 6pm I'm not gonna try to get two kegs ready and do all the little things I do before opening the valve and draining the fermentor. I might be able to do it but I'm not trying to do any of this stuff in a rush. I don't need to come on HBT and tell people how I can do this or that in 5min.

 

[Greatbreweh]

how much u smoking

slow down mannnn!

 

[andrewmaixner]

The size of your siphon will affect that (that's my biggest pet peeve currently, small diameter siphon). You may need to actually tell us how long each step takes to get a good analysis.

 

[1977Brewer]

I get beer things done so much slower than I do anything else. Except pouring, I pour way too fast. Years of bar tending. Dump and run. Everything else I'm so meticulous it takes ages.

 

[IslandLizard]

Where do you think most of the time went? Rounding up your stuff? Prepping the work area? Cleaning the kegs? Actual racking? Cleaning the fermentors and tubing?

See where you can save some time next round. I always clean 2-6 kegs at the same time, without having a dedicated keg washer, it's a chore and a workout, but some good prog metal and a beer keeps it moving and the mood high.

You get faster at cleaning kegs the more you do it. I think I did 3 kegs in under 45 minutes total a while ago. That includes total disassembly, lubed, and sanitized, ready for fills.

 

[sky4meplease]

how much u smoking

Man if I smoked and did that?!... you would find me dead with a fully consumed vessel and an empty box of Oreo cookies.

But if all I had to do was rack it would be easy. It's the....cleaning, sanitation, temperature check and documentation, ph check and documentation, pull a sample and look at under microscope, purge everything with CO2, check adjust for temperature and document gravity, check and document volume and pull a sample for tasting and make notes on that....that take me so long. Racking takes about ten minutes.

I am with you. It takes me about two hours.

 

[Gavin C]

I wouldn't worry too much about speed. Sometimes we all can have slow days where one's head is just not in the game so to speak. I've just started using a wider tube on my new sterile syphon starter with stainless racking cane. It's much faster than my auto-syphon tubing I was using. Very pleased indeed.

One other thing you could consider is trying to go without a secondary. Not wanting to start the debate just thought it was relevant to mention if your looking to shave off some of the legwork in getting your beer.

I too clean and sanitize my kegs so they are ready to go already purged with C02 and stored under pressure. Nice to have them all ready. I only have 4 kegs and two taps so its not much prep work.

 

[compumasta]

... temperature check and documentation, ph check and documentation, pull a sample and look at under microscope, ... , check adjust for temperature and document gravity, check and document volume and pull a sample for tasting and make notes on that...

What are these items, and why do you do them? I have never seen anyone do this...

 

[fritochip]

I've always felt that I needed to sanitize my kegs right before I use them. I always clean them as soon as they are empty but never thought about sanitizing them and having them ready to go. How does this work for everyone? Anyone do this with their fermentors and secondary vessels as well?

 

[Gameface]

I've always felt that I needed to sanitize my kegs right before I use them. I always clean them as soon as they are empty but never thought about sanitizing them and having them ready to go. How does this work for everyone? Anyone do this with their fermentors and secondary vessels as well?

I've left sanitizer in my kegs and it forms a thick not so nice smelling slime on all surfaces and I end up having to clean it more than had I just sanitized it right before use.

 

[IslandLizard]

I've always felt that I needed to sanitize my kegs right before I use them. I always clean them as soon as they are empty but never thought about sanitizing them and having them ready to go. How does this work for everyone? Anyone do this with their fermentors and secondary vessels as well?

I leave a few inches of Starsan in the bottom. Then when ready to fill, I dunk them upside down into a bucket with Starsan, to sanitize the tops, lids, posts etc., remove the lid, and drain the Starsan.

I've left sanitizer in my kegs and it forms a thick not so nice smelling slime on all surfaces and I end up having to clean it more than had I just sanitized it right before use.

What kind of "sanitizer" is that? Definitely not Starsan.

 

[douglasbarbin]

I use an autosiphon and 1/2" ID tubing and it takes me 10 minutes, tops.

 

[Gameface]

I leave a few inches of Starsan in the bottom. Then when ready to fill, I dunk them upside down into a bucket with Starsan, to sanitize the tops, lids, posts etc., remove the lid, and drain the Starsan.



What kind of "sanitizer" is that? Definitely not Starsan.

Starsan

I've heard that it depends on your water. Mine is pretty hard. It definitely forms a slimy film on anything I leave it on for any sort of time. I use growlers with about 2" of starsan water for my blow off tubes and they have a very thick film on them when the batch is done.

If that doesn't happen to you then that's great, but it absolutely happens to me.

 

[sky4meplease]

What are these items, and why do you do them? I have never seen anyone do this...

Basically anytime I rack beer for whatever reason I grab any information I can. Temperature readings may be for bottling or priming considerations. Ph readings allow me to compare previous batches of the same recipe for consistency or to check the overall health of my beer. Gravity readings for attenuation. Microscope samples let me look for yeast that will carbonate beer (important for high floc yeast, heavily cold crashed beers or lagered brews) or look for signs of infection. Volume measurements help with priming calculations for bottling. Tasting samples help me to see how the beer is progressing or compare previous batches at the same stage.

 

[IslandLizard]

Starsan

I've heard that it depends on your water. Mine is pretty hard. It definitely forms a slimy film on anything I leave it on for any sort of time. I use growlers with about 2" of starsan water for my blow off tubes and they have a very thick film on them when the batch is done.

If that doesn't happen to you then that's great, but it absolutely happens to me.

I get that white greasy deposit on my blowoff tubes too. But in the kegs and carboys, the Starsan stays nice and fresh, alas it gets cloudy, but the pH stays around 3.

I did notice a very thin oily film in some of my Starsan buckets, but I always blamed that to keg lube.

 

[IslandLizard]

I wouldn't worry too much about speed. Sometimes we all can have slow days where one's head is just not in the game so to speak. I've just started using a wider tube on my new sterile syphon starter with stainless racking cane. It's much faster than my auto-syphon tubing I was using. Very pleased indeed.

One other thing you could consider is trying to go without a secondary. Not wanting to start the debate just thought it was relevant to mention if your looking to shave off some of the legwork in getting your beer.

I too clean and sanitize my kegs so they are ready to go already purged with C02 and stored under pressure. Nice to have them all ready. I only have 4 kegs and two taps so its not much prep work.

Now that's a fancy name for a racking cane and carboy hood...

I've used that same system including the stainless racking cane since my first homebrew days, the SS cane is of the best pieces of equipment I've come across. Since I started kegging I use a little CO2 to get it started. I've scrubbed the inside a few times with Barkeeper's Friend and a 3/8" line brush, and was happy to get rid of a lot of gray (oxide) deposits. I keep it filled with Starsan, always ready to use.

Since I went back to buckets, mainly, it's a bit of a chore to keep it clamped to the edge with some, and of course it now needs a sanitary suck or some other trick to get it started.

 

[CJ-3]

I am roughly an hour to:

Get my gear out of the basement
Sanitize everything
Rack from primary to secondary
Wash everything I used/clean up.

You being at 2.5 hours for two batches doesn't sound too bad to me.