How long is your brew day?

[shemp]

As I progress through this awesome hobby and add complexity and quantity, I'm finding the time required to brew is getting excessive. I just brewed a double batch of all grain ipa and it took me about 7 hours including clean up. Im batch sparging and using a double kettle technique. My mlt is a 10g round cooler which is requiring 2 sparges. I'm boiling with natural gas with the bayou bg14.

I'm thinking about going to a rims system if this will help speed things up.

 

[bucfan1234]

Mine have been averaging about 5-6 hours. I use an igloo marine cooler mash tun, a igloo water cooler asa HLT and I batch sparge. A lot of that time is waiting around during the steps, so I usually smoke a cigar, watch some football and clean as I go which shaves off a little time.

 

[Denny]

For a 5.5 gal. single infusion batch about 4-4.5 hours from heating water to finishing cleanup.

 

[TX_Brewing]

4.5-6.5 hours depending on mash time boil time, and my own time management. I do all grain using a breweasy style setup.

 

[iijakii]

I'm under 4 hrs since going back to a BIAB setup. A good chunk of the time savings is that my cleanup is under 5 mins now. Used to be a good 5hrs.

 

[hopsandmash]

It takes me about 6.5 hours from the time I start setting up to getting everything put back away. I'm doing 5g batches using 10g igloo coolers for the mash tun and HLT, fly sparging, and relying on my stove as a heating source.

With that said, my wife was kind enough to snag me a Blichmann burner for Christmas. Hopefully that will trim a little bit of time off brew days going forward.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

I'm under 4 hrs since going back to a BIAB setup. A good chunk of the time savings is that my cleanup is under 5 mins now. Used to be a good 5hrs.

My BaiB 9 gallon setup takes me about 5 hours. Of that, maybe 45 minutes is active brewing and the rest is doing something else will waiting for stuff to finish.

I do laundry. Keg the last batch. Go upstairs and clean or watch TV. The only things that require my attention are grinding the grain, last 10 minutes of hitting strike temp followed by dough in, hop additions, adding ice blocks to the chiller every 15 minutes and starting the drain to the fermenters.

I usually clean up the next day but that take about 10 minutes because of some compromises in my design.

 

[Jwin]

I just consider a brew day to be a full day. I do 2-3 batches when I brew. I've had a 13 hour brew day before. But I had to go to the lhbs because I wasn't organized. I have also done 2 batches in 6 hours with one burner.

 

[Big Monk]

1 gal batches. 45 min prep. 40 min mash. 25 min boil. Clean up during boil and chill ~10 min. 10 min to pitch and store.

~ 2.5 hours.

 

[applescrap]

Many here i dont think care about time. they either enjoy brewing or do it with friends or its a hobby i can understand all that....i seek 3.5 hours or less.

 

[Jimbodaman]

8 hour brew day today I hit a few snafoos. Over shot my expected efficiency tho! Usually about 5 hours for 5 gallons

 

[Stillraining]

5 Gal in 2 1/2 hours if I hustle, 10 gal 3 1/4 hours.

I just did 5 at a leisurely pace in 2 hours 50 min last Sunday. I think you guys are either walkin the dog or entertaining the neighbor hood one of the two.

 

[Jthornburgh]

It takes me 3.5 hours to brew, plus half an hour for cleanup to get six gallons into the fermenter. I use BIAB. My mash starts with a little over eight gallons.

 

[malt81]

You are fast.
I have done 2 BIABs, 6 gal, - 8 h both. Equipment washed previous day.

 

[glick]

I'm down to less then 4 now. I recently switched from 3 vessel all grain to BIAB. I don't think I'll ever go back!

 

[JonM]

Depends:

In warm weather when I can use the hose and clean as I go, then it's about 4.5 hours or so. In the winter when I have to lug everything up and down to the stairs to clean in the laundry room, and I have to use a pump to run the chiller, it's closer to 7. Of course, little recipe differences like a 90 minute mash, 90 minute boil, hopstands, etc. add to the total.

Setup - if I'm really moving with a purpose, I can have that done in 15-20 minutes. If I'm listening to music, having a beer or two, and chit-chatting with the neighbors (which is 90% of the time) it's about an hour.

 

[kman6234]

I brew 10 gallon batches on a Brutus 10 style system. It takes me 6 hours start to finish on brew day. I always measure and crush my grain the day before brew day too.

 

[binabik]

Mine is about 7 hours. I have a three vessel electric setup and have moved to a 90 minute mash. Then clean up take a couple of hours, though I can start that once the boil is under way. All in all it's a good day, with great results.

 

[Sparge]

I just schedule the entire day. It is an enjoyable hobby that I want to savor. Sometimes, I'll go out to lunch with the family and let the mash sit for a couple of hours while we are out - which extends the brew day. While I'm brewing, I'm piddling in the garage, enjoying music having a brew or two and cleaning as I go. I'm willing to suffer through a full day of brewing, drinking good beer and spending time with friends and family around the garage to get ten gallons of good beer. It is tough duty, but someone has to sacrifice.

Sometimes I want to get a jump start and will set a timer and a bucket warmer for preheating so that I wake up with warm water ready to go. Having water near 180 degrees at the start does save some time. Also, I'll set up everything the night before (including crushing the grains). If you are looking to save some time, that is one way of doing it.

 

[applescrap]

5 Gal in 2 1/2 hours if I hustle, 10 gal 3 1/4 hours.

I just did 5 at a leisurely pace in 2 hours 50 min last Sunday. I think you guys are either walkin the dog or entertaining the neighbor hood one of the two.

How? Please share....i would love to know! I am assuming no chill or 30 minute mash or quick boil or something.

 

[b-boy]

How? Please share....i would love to know! I am assuming no chill or 30 minute mash or quick boil or something.

I'm assuming extract.

 

[poptarts]

I feel like sub 3 hours isnt impossible if you batch sparge or no sparge. 1 hour mash 1 hour boil, 10 minute chill, 10 minute lauter and bring to boil. thats 40 minutes for heating strike and cleaning.

 

[masskrug]

Extract-1 hour:
10 minutes to set up.
15 minutes to get the water to boil.
15 minutes boil, hops at 15, 10, 5.
15 minutes chill.
5 minutes clean up.

 

[b-boy]

Extract-1 hour:
10 minutes to set up.
15 minutes to get the water to boil.
15 minutes boil, hops at 15, 10, 5.
15 minutes chill.
5 minutes clean up.

What size batch? There is no way I can't get 10 gallons of water to boil or chill in 15 minutes.

 

[poptarts]

You need a better chiller mate.

 

[Opiate42]

1 gal batches. 45 min prep. 40 min mash. 25 min boil. Clean up during boil and chill ~10 min. 10 min to pitch and store.

~ 2.5 hours.

Wheeeewwwww........ I do 1 gallon for experiments and still have myself 4-6 hours brew days depending on how much junk I need to clear out of the kitchen first . Curious what kinds of recipes you're doing?

 

[kombat]

Between 4 and 6 hours. 4 hours for a 5 gallon, 60 min mash & boil with no whirlpool/hop stand, 6 hours for a 10 gallon, with pilsner malt (90 min boil), whirlpool/hopstand (+20 minutes), or other factors.

Things that will speed up brew day:

• Prep all your ingredients and equipment the day/night before. I'm planning on brewing this weekend, and as I type this, my grains are already weighed out (thought not yet milled), my recipe is printed out, my hops are weighed out, vacuum sealed, and labeled with their addition times. My grain mill is already set up over my grain bucket, and the drill is next to it, ready to be connected and started.
• Start with hot water instead of cold water. I collect hot water from my tap and add it to my HLT to be heated the rest of the way to strike temperature. Starting with water that's already 120° F instead of cold tap water saves a lot of time. I mill my grains while the water heats the last 45° F.
• Invest in a good chilling solution. I use a Chugger pump and a Duda Diesel plate chiller. I can chill 5 gallons of boiling wort down to 60° F in less than 4 minutes (assuming winter tap water temperatures - can't get below 70° F in the summer months). Keep your glass carboys in the fridge until you're ready to rack the cooled wort to them. It'll buy you a couple extra degrees of cooling.
• Clean as you go. While I'm boiling, I clean the mash tun and the pump/hoses I used during recirculation.
• Manage your time. Don't wait until the end of the mash to start heating your sparge water. Don't wait until the wort is in the fermenter, all tucked into the fermentation chamber to start preparing your yeast. Don't wait until your strike water is up to temperature before setting up your mash tun.
• Other, more drastic measures can split up the brew day into more manageable chunks without actually speeding it up, such as mashing overnight, or employing the no-chill technique.

Hope this helps.

 

[Wgoose1]

Mine runs about 5 1/2 hours. It takes me 35-40 minutes to chill 10 gal. I need a better chiller.

 

[b-boy]

You need a better chiller mate.

I've got a nice Blichmann Therminator. I still can't do 10 gallons in 15 minutes.

 

[poptarts]

I've got a nice Blichmann Therminator. I still can't do 10 gallons in 15 minutes.

My homemade counterflow crashes as fast as I can drain the kettle. A little too much in winter. Different ground water temps make a chilling difference as well though.