How long does your brew day take with your electric systems?

[bwible]

If its time saving you’re after, just brew extract. I can do an extract batch in half the time or less because there’s no grain grinding, mash water heating, hour long mash, sparge, or mash tun to clean out. Every time I do an extract batch I’m reminded how much easier and quicker everything is.

Just be sure to have the freshest extract possible and I prefer to use DME over LME in a can.

 

[Huv13]

I just finished my brew day, 6 hours start to finish, using a stove top, all grain, BIAB, full boil "system". I know of one time reduction I can do by using an outdoor propane burner, but how long does it take for your electric systems? I've been tempted by the all-in-one electric systems but haven't justified the cost yet in my head, even for the least expensive ones. Would it really save any time?

My beer has come out consistently good for years this way so that isn't an issue.

I brew 5-7 gallon batches with Brew-Boss. It takes about 4 1/2 hours start to finish, which includes set up. Maybe add another 15 minutes the following day to put away the equipment after everything has dried.

 

[d146895x]

I use a 20litre Braumeister, usually doing 23litre (in the fermenter) batches. I fill the system the night before (and my 8 litre sparge water pot). On brewday I start at 7am (switch on system to start heating) it is usually in the fermenter by 12:00/13:00 depending on mash steps and length of boil. So maximum 6 hours for the brewday and 1 hour to clean up.

 

[macbrak]

Currently 4-5 hours on a 6.5 Anvil Foundry (2.5 gallonish batches). I'm still perfecting the process and can probably get that under 3 brewing time, with .5 prep the day before. I have been able to make 10 gallons in 5 hours on my propane/cooler/batch sparge system (with decent chilling water temps and not cutting too many corners).

I'm liking the anvil as even though it took 4-5 hours, I was much less engaged. I wasted a lot of time doing active things elsewhere. I used to spend a lot more time babysitting the kettle without doing anything vs running around the house, making breakfast and other minor chores. I see some super short days in my future once I get the process flow down and do come short and shoddies if I need to turn the crank to get more beer in the pipeline.

I might be able to reclaim the cold brew/soda/seltzer tap for this purpose.

 

[matt_m]

I'll usually weigh out my grain, water salts (into a jar) and hops (into bags for each addition), mill grain and fill the kettle in evening(s) the week week ahead so that's all ready to go. I usually start heating when I wake up then go make breakfast before mashing in. I'm not rushing through anything and lately have been experimenting with a 90 minute mash to improve consistency. I'll often wrap up cleaning in time to help make dinner or if we are going out, to get there early enough to beat the crowd on a "normal" CIP cleaning day. I've got my rinse and clean method down pretty pat after brewing provably 20 times over Covid. If I knock everything down after the CIP for a more thorough cleaning it will go longer.

 

[augiedoggy]

Started at 7am yesterday morning (but premeasured and ground grain the day before) finished CIP on boil kettle at 2pm after brewing...so 7 hrs for brew till sitting chilled in the conical with cleanup... but that was 102 gallons of finished wort into the fermenter- this was at the brewpub.
At home the whole process used to take me about 5 hrs give or take.

 

[BarryBrews]

Some of my best time savers since going all electric include:
1. Crushing grains directly into the mash tun. Less steps and less dust.
2. Using a pump. Huge time and labor saver.
3. Using a Counter Flow Chill. Faster and doesn't effect a whirlpool.
4. Pumping RO water from my 30 gallon storage barrel. Faster and no lifting!
5. No propane tanks to refill and all the other nuisances entailed.
6. Indoor brewing is weather independent. Brew on your own schedule.
7. Electric brewing is about 25% the energy cost of propane. Ok, not a time saver.
8. Electric brewing is quiet. Though the wrong pump can quickly change that situation!
9. For me, boil-overs with additions are nonexistent.
10. Easier temperature control. This is weak since never had a problem with propane.
11. Wheeled brew cart for easy setup, easy storage. Ok, just wanted 11 things to say.

 

[swimIan]

5.5 hours total for me. Brewing and clean up. 5 gal batches on 3v hermes with 5500 watt elements in HLT and BK.

 

[zacster]

What I'm reading here is that it may save a little time but not a lot. 6 hours beginning to end includes a lot of down time for me too.

• 1/4 hour to get gear together.
• 1 hour to get to mash temps, while having coffee
• 1/4 hour to add grain, wrap kettle
• 1 1/4 hour to mash
• 1 hour to get to boil, meanwhile I'm squeezing/sparging the bag to get the last out
• 1 1/4 hour boil, meanwhile cleaning/sanitizing carboy, hoses, etc...
• 1/2 hour to chill and empty the kettle, add yeast
• 1/2 hour to clean up

All times above are approximate but it does add up to 6 hours. Where could I actually save time? Again only in the time it takes to heat up. I only brew about every other month if that much, so it just wouldn't be worth the investment to me.

 

[DuncB]

I enjoy my brewdays, so very happy doing various brew related activities whilst the Guten 70 ( similar to Brewzilla ) gets on with step mashing or simple mash, boil etc. Not a lot of time spent hovering over the kit, especially if only half batch being done as the auto program is well dialled in so no chance of a boil over.
I'm happy to wander away, do a bit of cleaning as I go and have a beer and try not to forget some bit of the process.

 

[Birrofilo]

Not a lot of time spent hovering over the kit, especially if only half batch being done as the auto program is well dialled in so no chance of a boil over.

That's another thing that keeps me too much near the kettle. I have this possibly wrong idea that I have to stir the wort during boiling to reduce the risk of scorching. I suppose this makes no sense, because I have theoretically no solids in the wort, and the convective motion should move the wort all around.

There is some "dust" coming out from the hop basket, but I have the impression that it will all swim at the surface and tint of green the froth.

From what you say, I should realize that stirring the wort is not necessary at all, and that during the tedious boil I can do whatever else without paying attention to the kettle, once the first 10-15 minutes have elapsed without overflow.

 

[Bohern]

On my 3V Herms it takes me 6 hours from turning it on and pouring water to clean and lights out. I have also come up with a very quick method too and it only takes about 20 min from start to finish. How ever the beer seems to cost more per glass?

 

[DuncB]

I just peek in to check all okay and lob the hops in. I don't stir during the mash just adjust the recirculation flow as it improves.

 

[jtgoral]

5-6 gallon BIAB using Avantco 3.5 KW induction heater takes me 3-4 hours including cleaning. I use hot water from the faucet which takes me to around 140F to start with.

 

[ehall]

brew boss, 5gal about 3.5hrs, 10-15gal, 4.5hrs total start to finish

 

[zacster]

5-6 gallon BIAB using Avantco 3.5 KW induction heater takes me 3-4 hours including cleaning. I use hot water from the faucet which takes me to around 140F to start with.

I should try the hot water as it is about 130 in my house. It would kick start the process. I'm always a little shy about using hot water from the tap and the only thing I currently use it for cooking is when I use my sous vide, which never actually touches the food. I have a relatively new hot water heater so maybe the crud buildup hasn't happened yet.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

About 5 hours for a 5.5 gallon batch using a 3500W induction plate. Doing 2 batch sparges while heating runnings.

From starting to heat strike water while milling to wort oxygenation and pitching yeast. Cleanups while the brew progresses, such as dumping and rinsing out mash tun.

This does not include cleaning the boil kettle, pump, plate chiller, hop bags, etc. That's another hour I'd say.
But I often brew 2 batches back to back so there's only one kettle/rig cleanup at the very end.

Same here. I don't even attempt to get rid of the spent grain if a few days haven't passed. I let the grains drain in a bucket and I try to collect them when they are not too wet. I must recycle them in the humid collection and I cannot just throw "garbage" in it, I dry it as much as possible and "pack" it in compostable shoppers. Only then will I be able to clean the grain basket.

In my last brew I used some PVPP (in tiny amounts) so I cannot save some of it for bread.

Be careful with spent grains. Don't ask me how I know (what a mess!)

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Seems, at least to me, posts are not counting time they "walk away". The "walk way" time, do something else, is still part of the overall brew day time length.

 

[Birrofilo]

Be careful with spent grains. Don't ask me how I know (what a mess!)

Yes the more one lets them dry, the more they ferment until there is an acid smell going round the apartment. Putting the grains in the compostable shoppers develops an acrid smell. The thing is sticky too. I use some cardboard boxes to bring the heavy shoppers at the bin, because I am afraid they would disastrously break on the way.

Spent grains management is the most annoying thing of the hobby, and it makes me certain that I will do some E+G kit in the future in any case, just to take an holiday from that mess!

 

[DuncB]

Shame it can't be dried and compressed and then used for fuel, now if I had a pellet boiler reckon it would be all up in smoke. That's a capex on the brewing budget I'm not going to.

 

[zacster]

With BIAB the spent grains are already contained in the bag and go back into the big plastic bag they came in, and then into a kitchen garbage bag. The big problem is that you can't just put them out into a garbage can as the animals then make a mess of them. This is why I brew on Tuesdays now, garbage pickup is Wednesday morning. I let them sit one time and the smell became overwhelming.

And yea, walk away time is still elapsed time. My brew day would be 3 hours if I didn't count that. I'm talking from the time you pull out the first equipment to the time it is all cleaned up and put away with the brew in the fermenter.

 

[sicktght311]

120v 3vessel system, so most of my brew day is heating times, but with those longer times, I don’t have to be present, so it’s negligible to me

An average ipa brew day from the minute I touch my kettles to the minute I put everything away, is about 7ish hours.

-2-2.5hours initial heating of HLT water + Mash Tun depending on time of year and ground water temp
-15 minutes to mash in and set up recirc
-1 hour mash
-15 minute ramp to mashout
-45 minute sparge
-45-60ish minutes to ramp to boil
-1 hour boil
-5 minutes to chill to whirlpool temp
-20-30 minute hopstand/whirlpool
-20 minutes to knock out to fermenter
-another 20 minutes to rinse the boil kettle and drain remaining liquid from system. I clean the MLT while wort is boiling

 

[Carolina_Matt]

I made a 5 gallon BIAB batch yesterday with my 120v Digiboil. I started at 7:30 and was pretty much finished by the time my 11:00 meeting started (the only thing left to do was rinse off the chiller and a bucket - too bad the meeting didn't start at 11:03). So it was 3 1/2 hours. That's with an hour-long mash and an hour-long boil.

The big caveat is that I measured/milled my grains the night before, and I got the water ready as well. When I woke up, it was at strike temperature so all I had to do was add grains for the mash. If I was starting from scratch, it likely would have taken another hour to pour the water and heat it. I don't consider it part of my brew day because I'm asleep when it's heating, but I can see why someone would feel otherwise.

 

[odie]

about 24 hours for me...

I'll measure and mill grain the night before and fill my kettle.
In the morning I'll dough in and let it mash all day long while I'm at work.
Come home mash out and brew.
By evening it's in the fermenter.

 

[zacster]

I made a 5 gallon BIAB batch yesterday with my 120v Digiboil. I started at 7:30 and was pretty much finished by the time my 11:00 meeting started (the only thing left to do was rinse off the chiller and a bucket - too bad the meeting didn't start at 11:03). So it was 3 1/2 hours. That's with an hour-long mash and an hour-long boil.

The big caveat is that I measured/milled my grains the night before, and I got the water ready as well. When I woke up, it was at strike temperature so all I had to do was add grains for the mash. If I was starting from scratch, it likely would have taken another hour to pour the water and heat it. I don't consider it part of my brew day because I'm asleep when it's heating, but I can see why someone would feel otherwise.

I guess my point in posting this originally was to see if the actual brew day could be shortened. If heating the water unattended overnight works I would count that as a win. I've at least had the water set up the night before, but I'm using the gas stove so I can't have it ready in advance.

I'm retired so the time doesn't really bother me, but while I was still working it basically took an entire weekend day, even if I started at 6am when I'd normally be getting up for work. By the time I was done I didn't want to do much else even if it isn't a physically difficult activity to brew. And starting that early wasn't an option because it took the kitchen out of service and with 3 kids they always wanted something.

 

[Wigglebutts Brewery]

5gal BIAB 240V 5500 watt element w overnight mash (sous vide cooker). Total 3.5hrs as follows; 1hr in evening for initial water heating, grain milled, hops set aside in freezer, water adjusted and finally grain in bag into the pot. Sous vide to hold temp over night w sleeping bag. Next morning 2.5hrs; BIAB lift, heat to boil and put out hops. During 60min boil, finish off grain bag & dump grains in compose bin, filter water for next brew (into 5g jugs), keg prior brew in cold crash frig, clean FV for this batch. Towards end of boil drop in wort chiller which uses recycled water from 35g brute trash can with 6-7 gallons of ice in 1/2g milk jugs and sump pump. During chilling clean BIAB/hop bags and any mess. Wort drained into FV at 75-70f with FV placed in chest freezer w temp control. Brew pot cleaned, yeast ready, milk jugs back in freezer and finally drop in yeast.... done. Time for breakfast!

 

[Barbarossa]

I guess my point in posting this originally was to see if the actual brew day could be shortened. If heating the water unattended overnight works I would count that as a win.

The anvil Foundry, and maybe other all I ones, can have a delayed start. You can set your kettle to start heating up at night and when you wake up, you're at mash temp.

 

[ajm163]

i cut a little time when going electric not a ton maybe went from 6 hours propane to 5 hours electric. But the big difference is i don't need to be nearly as attentive. I can flip the switch to get the water heating and go take care of some other things brewing related (or not) without worrying about overshooting my temps or burning my house down with an open flame in the garage. So yes saved a bit of time but more importantly brew day is allot more relaxed and easy

 

[DuncB]

Agreed a couple of different temps and a mash out very easy and as I normally only max 2/3 fill my guten 70 litre I don't watch over it coming to boil so it's a multi task day, or just a sit down and go back to it when the timer goes off.

 

[stealthfixr]

My homemade eRIMS BIAB with a propane burner brew sessions took about 5-7 hours, front to back with cleaning and all.

My first Brewzilla 65L session took 4 hours, with a 90-minute mash and a 1-hour boil, with cleaning. And, no prep ahead of time. I was astounded how much simpler/easier it made a brew day. Sticking with it and not looking back.