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

[The Pol]

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

Yes, I already mentioned that is assuming heated strike water and crushed grain.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

Pol,

Do you do all no chill now? I know you do it a lot I just wasn't sure if you do it all the time now.

 

[The Pol]

Pol,

Do you do all no chill now? I know you do it a lot I just wasn't sure if you do it all the time now.

I dont own a single chilling device.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

Doing a no chill would save me about 30-60 minutes (depending on tap water temp) and having my sparge water heated prior would save me about 45 minutes. This would bring my brew day down to 5 hours.

I don't have the option of automatically heating the sparge water but I could always do no chill. I simply have not read enough about it and from what I have read it has seemed inconclusive. Hmmmmmm..... perhaps more research is needed.

 

[Homercidal]

I usually figure about 6 hours from start to finish. I crush grains while the mash water is heating. But I've done it in about 4 hours, start to finish, clean up included. It just depends on how much messing around you do and that gets better with experience.

I would say my first one or two AG batches took like 8 hours. Lots more prep work going on right before and much less experienced. Now I know that having all ingredients ready and a brewsheet standing by is the key to brewing efficiently. And cleaning as you go (during mash, boil, etc.) I use a CFC to cool my wort in about 10-15 minutes, depending on the season.

 

[The Pol]

Doing a no chill would save me about 30-60 minutes (depending on tap water temp) and having my sparge water heated prior would save me about 45 minutes. This would bring my brew day down to 5 hours.

I don't have the option of automatically heating the sparge water but I could always do no chill. I simply have not read enough about it and from what I have read it has seemed inconclusive. Hmmmmmm..... perhaps more research is needed.

You have not read enough then, lots of guys doing it, lots of info here on HBT about the results...

 

[jgln]

I am around 7-8 hours start to clean up but that is basically for two reasons. One, I didn't have an efficient way of heating water and boiling the wort yet but I did just buy a 32 qt. turkey fryer last night so I will see if that helps. At least I won't need to have several pots going. And two, I don't have an efficient cooling set up. I still use an ice water bath in the sink and can only do one pot at a time. I know I could cut 2-3 hours off if I had those two issues resolved.

 

[DeathBrewer]

First time: 9 hours. You may get it done in 7, but it may take you all day.

It took me 12 hours to do my last 12 gallon roggenbier because of the slow run-off from mash tun and kettle.

 

[DeathBrewer]

I usually prepare stuff ahead of time to make it easier on myself. Like tonight, I'm making sure all my equipment is clean, staging the water for the mash and my burners, weighing out ingredients, making a starter, etc.

So when I get home from werk on Friday, I can just turn the burner on and get to brewing!

 

[brrman]

I don't preheat my strike water - that is included in my 4 hours. I am running A 5500w element in my HLT though, so I get about 6 F per minute. So starting from 70 deg water, I have my strike water to temp in about 16 mins. I only do 50min mash and 60min boils.

I use a CFC and march pump with a post-chiller (copper line in ice post-CFC) so chilling take about 10 minutes.

And since I run a 60Amp line to the garage I can run both 5500W (HLT and BK) elements at the same time, so I can heat and mash a second brew while boiling my first... Multiple brew days are easy with this setup.

Before I had the BREWT an AG session would take me 5 - 5.5 hours.

 

[Julohan]

I got a jet jet burner that brings it up to mash temp pretty quickly. The I have a plate chiller, that cools at super speeds.

 

[jgln]

To me not counting the prep work just because you did it beforehand doesn't mean you don't count the time spent doing so. I mean, if you leave the kitchen a mess and clean it the next day do you subtract that time too?

 

[The Pol]

To me not counting the prep work just because you did it beforehand doesn't mean you don't count the time spent doing so. I mean, if you leave the kitchen a mess and clean it the next day do you subtract that time too?

Right, this time has to be counted, I would think.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Yes! Then you can say, "I get my all-grain done in 4 hours flat! What takes you guys so long?"

 

[The Pol]

The main difference is having a dedicated system and area. If you have those, then you dont have the issue of cleaning a kitchen or anything else. Also, it depends on your equipment... do you have a chiller to clean? Tubing? Siphons? Some people dont, which again cuts mucho time off a brew day. Efficient use of equipment makes a huge difference in setup, tear down and cleaning needs.

Having these CIP systems that some people have, basically reduces your cleaning to making sure you have a sanitized fermentor, which most people do when they empty the darn thing, not on brew day. Your system cleans, while you are brewing.

Admittedly cleaning is a large part of many brew days, but on some systems, most dedicated systems, cleaning is much less of a factor. I mean I seriously have to clean ONE hose while rinsing my BK. What else is there?

 

[DeathBrewer]

I have a counter-flow chiller I use with my 10+ gallon batches. If I ran water really fast and had a fast run, it would work quickly. The only time-consuming part would be cleaning it afterward, because I run boiling water and then cleaner & sanitizer through it.

But I find I waste much less water if I do a slow run-off. This allows about a 1:1 ration of water-to-wort...especially if I use my pre-chiller, so it takes me about an extra hour.

Sanitizing is not a problem before-hand, as I do it during my boil.

Tomorrow I will be using my bag-in-a-can all-grain.

I'm setting most of it up tonight...so it should only take me about 4 hours tops tomorrow, including clean-up. Most of the stuff I'm setting up tonight, however, could e done during the mash tomorrow, so it doesn't really save time...just makes things smoother. I'm using my immersion chiller, which works fast.

It's about:

1 hour mash
10 minute sparge
20 minutes to boil (bayou burner for this setup)
60 minute boil
30 minute cooling
30 minute clean-up
beer

 

[The Pol]

Reaching a boil and chilling also add ample time depending on equipment choices.

I save time because it takes me 7 minutes to reach a boil in my E-Keggle and I save time on the chill, because I dont chill. It used to take me much longer to brew before I built a dedicated system that was designed to save time.

 

[bob1852]

It used to take me much longer to brew before I built a dedicated system that was designed to save time.

but did you count the time it took to build your new system as a part of your 4 hour brew day

Seriously, people - I think you're over analyzing this. Pol has his brew day down to about 4-4.5 hours; many take longer for whatever reason.

Let's not turn this into one of those "I get better efficiency than you" threads

 

[DeathBrewer]

neener neener?

 

[The Pol]

but did you count the time it took to build your new system as a part of your 4 hour brew day

Seriously, people - I think you're over analyzing this. Pol has his brew day down to about 4-4.5 hours; many take longer for whatever reason.

Let's not turn this into one of those "I get better efficiency than you" threads

Like I said from the start... Id plan a 6 hour day if I didnt have a dedicated system, and/or experience. Like I have also stated, depending on the equipment you use, how it is configured and how it must be cleaned after use... will make a LARGE difference in how long it takes to brew. Brrman runs the same system that I do basically, and his brew days are the same length, no coincidence.

If you have copious pieces of equipment that are not an integral part of your brew rig, then you will have a ton of cleaning to do. If you dont have a pump to automate the cleaning of your rig, again... more time. Chillers? More time. Siphon? More time. Tubing? More time. Set-up and tear-down? More time.

You need the correct set of circumstances to achieve this. I love to brew, I enjoy my time doing it... but part of that enjoyment, for me, is knowing that I can brew almost any time because I dont need a full day to accomplish it. I actually get to brew MORE now, because I dont have to wait for a full day to do so.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Reaching a boil and chilling also add ample time depending on equipment choices.

I save time because it takes me 7 minutes to reach a boil in my E-Keggle and I save time on the chill, because I dont chill. It used to take me much longer to brew before I built a dedicated system that was designed to save time.

Good point. When I do run-off, it works faster to get to a boil, because I turn on the heat while it's filling up. It's close to a boil by the time the runnings are complete.

 

[brrman]

The new electric rig I have makes brewing so easy that my wife complained that I was brewing too often... I'd come home from work at 7pm and brew up a batch... lol

 

[The Pol]

The new electric rig I have makes brewing so easy that my wife complained that I was brewing too often... I'd come home from work at 7pm and brew up a batch... lol

Sorry to get you into trouble with the Mrs....

 

[sudbuster]

Well, I guess i"m too old and slow, it still takes me 6 hours to brew a lager.Same as it did 30 years ago. I think that's a good all around timeframe for most brews. Please don't give me flack on this. That's just how long it takes me.:cross:

 

[jgln]

Reaching a boil and chilling also add ample time depending on equipment choices.

I save time because it takes me 7 minutes to reach a boil in my E-Keggle and I save time on the chill, because I dont chill. It used to take me much longer to brew before I built a dedicated system that was designed to save time.

Sorry for not reading through all 80+ posts here to see if you explained this already and you probably have, but if you don't chill what do you do? Wait until the next day to pitch the yeast or do you have some other cooling technique?

 

[Homercidal]

Sorry for not reading through all 80+ posts here to see if you explained this already and you probably have, but if you don't chill what do you do? Wait until the next day to pitch the yeast or do you have some other cooling technique?

Search for no-chill. Pol seems to have it down to a science. And the quick answer is, yes, they pitch the yeast the next day or whenever the temps have come down to the proper range.

 

[The Pol]

Search for no-chill. Pol seems to have it down to a science. And the quick answer is, yes, they pitch the yeast the next day or whenever the temps have come down to the proper range.

Thanks Homer!