How much time to allot for an all-grain brew?

[phatuna]

I'm an "all-dayer" myself. All good things come with time

 

[The Pol]

Next time I do a brewcast, I will market it as a 4 Hour Brew Day LIVE!

I dont pull any punches, I put a timeline up here when I do a brewcast to show when each step will be accomplished. My Brew days are always 4-4.5 hours, because that is just what it takes. I could take longer, but I dont know what I would be doing.

I could take longer, but I already do a 40 minute sparge and a 90 minute boil along with a 20 minute mashout. My times arent skimpy. It isnt like I am single batch sparging, with no mashout and 60 minute boiling over here... I take longer with each step in the process than most do.

30 people from HBT watched me do it yesterday... and MOST of the time I was in front of the camera BSing with them and letting them take shots at me Much if it depends on the system you use. If it is temp. controlled, you are free to do anything you want most of the time. If it is a dedicated system, there is little cleanup, as it cleans itself. My system cleans much of itself just by performing the sparge. The only thing left is the MLT which is cleaned during the boil, then the BK which is rinsed out after the wort is transferred.

My only disclaimer is this is assuming that my strike water is heated (temp controlled, so I just turn it on whenever and walk away, sometimes it waits 12 hours), and my grain is crushed.

 

[Hoppus_Poppatopolis]

You have another option. The last batch I did, which was a stout last weekend, I mashed Friday evening and did the boil Saturday afternoon.
I suppose the total hours were longer than if I did everything the same day but it seemed much more leisurely to me.

I used the wort from Friday to make a starter. That was my first starter and it comforted me for some reason to know that I was using the exact same wort, minus the hops, for my starter and my brew. The fermentation took off amazingly fast, to me at least.

 

[zac]

My first AG took over 8 hours.

As it stands now,I can do 1 batch in 4 hours, 2 in 6 hours, 3 in 8 hours etc.

Brew days are busy.

I dont count the time weighing grain, because, nomally I do that beforehand.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

Busting out 3 batches in 8 hours would be kick a$$. That would build your pipeline rather quick.

 

[zac]

Scrut,

It can be done.

 

[dontman]

I've done the 2 in 6 hours a few times, never a 3 batch day. 2 was plenty exhausting enough.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

My first AG took over 8 hours.

As it stands now,I can do 1 batch in 4 hours, 2 in 6 hours, 3 in 8 hours etc.

Brew days are busy.

I dont count the time weighing grain, because, nomally I do that beforehand.

That's amazing, my first AG was between 6-8 hours (I wasn't actually timing myself, and time slows when having homebrews!) w/clean up, I hope to improve that, but 3 batches in 8 hours, you da man! I envy you :rockin:

 

[springer]

I allot 5 hours . Most times I am done putting everything away at 4 to 41/2 hours. That's for 10 gallon batches I want to go to 20 shouldn't take any more time.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

I allot 5 hours . Most times I am done putting everything away at 4 to 41/2 hours. That's for 10 gallon batches I want to go to 20 shouldn't take any more time.

Yeah, I brewed my first AG (test batch) as a 5 gllon batch, but I purchased my equipment for 10, the way I figure is it should take approx. the same amount of time, maybe slightly longer, because of waiting for the boil to begin, but that time should be negligeable (10-15 minutes at worst).:rockin:

 

[The Pol]

Yeah, I brewed my first AG (test batch) as a 5 gllon batch, but I purchased my equipment for 10, the way I figure is it should take approx. the same amount of time, maybe slightly longer, because of waiting for the boil to begin, but that time should be negligeable (10-15 minutes at worst).:rockin:

I have even begun setting my PID at about 180F so that is keeps my wort as I am sparging at 180F to eliminate the 12 minute wait to boil.

 

[annasdadhockey]

Takes me 5.5 to 6. I don't rush and leave plenty of time to do what I need.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

I have even begun setting my PID at about 180F so that is keeps my wort as I am sparging at 180F to eliminate the 12 minute wait to boil.

Unfortunately, I do not yet have a brew rig, I just started AG brewing, and as much as SWMBO doesn't mind me brewing, she minds me spending money on equipment, but your rig looks awesome! I do aspire to have a brew rig someday in the not too distant future.

Did you DIY yours? I really don't understand the PID yet, what does the acronym stand for anyhow?

I do know someone who I could get to weld up a stand for me when the time comes, but as it goes right now, I want to get my process down. However, I definitely see a single tier brew rig in my future

 

[The Pol]

Unfortunately, I do not yet have a brew rig, I just started AG brewing, and as much as SWMBO doesn't mind me brewing, she minds me spending money on equipment, but your rig looks awesome! I do aspire to have a brew rig someday in the not too distant future.

Did you DIY yours? I really don't understand the PID yet, what does the acronym stand for anyhow?

I do know someone who I could get to weld up a stand for me when the time comes, but as it goes right now, I want to get my process down. However, I definitely see a single tier brew rig in my future

The rig is DIY...

Proportional Integral Derivative control. Basically a smart temp controller. I use it in "smart" mode to achieve and maintain 180F while sparging, then use it in "manual" mode to allow for 70% output from my heating element to allow for a precise boil off.

 

[Julohan]

I have done one all grain. It took me 4 hours with clean up.

 

[The Pol]

I have done one all grain. It took me 4 hours with clean up.

Shut up, you cant do that...

 

[beerocd]

Shut up, you cant do that...

Pre crushed & pre measured grain, BIAB for easy cleanup, brew outside so no cleaning/sanitation, start with hot tap water to save time, SMASH recipe, no chill, ferment in BK. Very easy cleanup. That'd come in under 4 hours!

-OCD

 

[Julohan]

Crushed night before. I am very very fast. Like The Flash fast. I use to race Usain Bolt back in the day. Lets just say I made him look like an idiot in the 200m dash.:rockin:

 

[Runyanka]

Just my two cents, but I have brewed two batches within the past two nights, both after work. I crush my grain the night before. I started around 6 last night and ended up finishing at around 10:15. Tonight I started at around 6 and finished at 10:30. Tonights ran a little longer due to the 70 min mash. I multi task a lot while brewing (with music cranked). I clean and get all sanitized while the mash is happening, while pre heating sparge water inside on the stove. While the wort is comming to a boil, I clean out MLT and all equipment used during it. I also make sure everything is soaked with sanitizer. After wort is cooled and chiller is taken out, I wirlpool wort and let sit for about 10 min while i clean chiller. Once everything is transfering to fermenter, I re-hydrate my dry yeast (if using). Normally my brewdays will take 4-5 hours. As you do it more, you will set up a routine all your own. My friends think im anal the way I brew. BUT mine dont take 7 hours, and I've never had an infected batch.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

Deuce,

I do almost the exact same things as you such as cleaning while waiting for wort to come to boil and after the boil has established and is self sufficient.

My time killers are getting everything setup and messing around with my crappy equipment as I don't yet have established equipment and I'm always using something different. You are right it's all about routine and practice but having established equipment would help me.

 

[BrokenBrew]

I've done the 2 in 6 hours a few times, never a 3 batch day. 2 was plenty exhausting enough.

+1! I did 2 in 7 hours, and was wiped out. Can't imagine doing three batches in a day!

 

[springer]

Yeah, I brewed my first AG (test batch) as a 5 gllon batch, but I purchased my equipment for 10, the way I figure is it should take approx. the same amount of time, maybe slightly longer, because of waiting for the boil to begin, but that time should be negligeable (10-15 minutes at worst).:rockin:

The first running are on heat when I sparge . Really doesn't take any more time to get to a boil , but I do have a kickabanjo burner for the boil and a sq14 for the sparge water. So both are going

 

[Grinder12000]

I can do 4 batches in 35 minutes with a mini mash! But I skip some steps and it's undrinkable.

 

[The Pol]

I dont think anyone is skipping steps in a 4-4.5 hour day.

 

[Julohan]

I have friends who are doing, ithink it was tat least 10 batches for an event they are doing for school. That will take forever.

 

[Synovia]

I dont think anyone is skipping steps in a 4-4.5 hour day.

Hour Mash and Hour Boil and everything going right, you should be able to get in under 4.

90 Minute mash and 90 Minute boil and everything going wrong (like my 25% wheat saison), and you're looking 8.

 

[The Pol]

Hour Mash and Hour Boil and everything going right, you should be able to get in under 4.

90 Minute mash and 90 Minute boil and everything going wrong (like my 25% wheat saison), and you're looking 8.

My times are always the same:

55-60 minute mash
20 minute mash out
40 minute sparge
90 minute boil (clean the MLT here)
20 minutes to settle and drain the BK to the fermentor
15 minutes to rinse the BK out

4:05

My rig cleans itself during the sparge (all sparge water is routed through all of my plumbing), except for the MLT obviously. The fermentor sits with StarSan in it from the day I empty it, til the day I re-use it. I have ONE hose that needs to be soaked in StarSan before the end of my boil, that is the only thing I have to sanitize on brew day.

I have brewed on my rig a lot, so I know what to expect and how much time I need for any given step. The worst that has happened is a stuck mash while recirculating through the HERMS coil... but that didnt cost any time since I was still mashing. Simply broke up the grain bed, re-primed the pump and restarted the HERMS pump.

If you have a dedicated system that is ALWAYS assembled, you really only add water and grain. If you are working on a cobbled system that is in pieces (like I did for a year) then it takes much longer. The steps are all the same, but the movement from one step to the other will take 5-10 minutes instead of moving one hose with a QD on it.

 

[IXVolt]

Longest time for me was my first batch, and it took about 7 hours. But I went slow and made sure I got everything done.

My shortest batch was 5.5 hours.

On average it takes me about 6 hours.

I would block out a sunday, and don't start at 5pm... Better to start around 11am so you don't finish when it's dark.

 

[Synovia]

My times are always the same:

55-60 minute mash
20 minute mash out
40 minute sparge
90 minute boil (clean the MLT here)
20 minutes to settle and drain the BK to the fermentor
15 minutes to rinse the BK out

4:05

You also preheat water the night before, correct? Most of us don't have that option.

 

[The Pol]

ALSO, make sure you have so quick and easy grub to chow on. Trust me, if things go to hell in a handbasket you arent going to have time to eat, and getting MAD hungry when the brew day is wearing on you, isnt good.