Hurry up and wait...what you do while waiting for the mash, boil, etc....

[seatazzz]

I'm not talking about keeping notes, checking inventory, dreaming up new recipes, or preparing for the next step in the brew day...since I've got my process pretty much solid now, there's plenty of time for doing things non-brewing related while I wait for the mash or the boil. Trolling facebook, playing the piano, doing laundry, or playing with my dogs. Tomorrow I am going to try to find a relatively cheap guitar and finally learn to play.

What do you all do in those "down" times during brewing?

 

[nobadays]

Crank up the blues and blow a little harp....

 

[Boomer]

I’ve usually got the smoker going and between the two of them I can stay pretty busy. All the down time at that point is used to pour beer into my mouth.

 

[seatazzz]

Crank up the blues and blow a little harp....

Read this post while Blues Traveler was playing on Pandora...timing is everything!

 

[homebrewer_99]

Play my 12 string. I play several times a day, everyday.

EDIT: FWIW, I started playing in 1971.

 

[madscientist451]

I watch (and listen to) videos of America's hottest women:

 

[6Tap]

Play/ listen to Country music videos, drink beer and read Homebrew Talk posts.

 

[seatazzz]

Play my 12 string. I play several times a day, everyday.

EDIT: FWIW, I started playing in 1971.

I come from a musical family. Parents and sister all sing, me not so much, but I've been playing instruments (mostly woodwinds) since I was 10 back in 1977. My father can't read a note of music, but even now at 83 with Alzheimer's he can pick up his guitar and play stuff from the 60's, all by ear. Music is a VERY important part of my brewday.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

I clean.
There is always cleaning to do.
Or laundry.
but now it's above freezing and i'm moving outside i'll probably drink and listen to music.

 

[Jtk78]

Clean the previous or next steps equipment, check HBT (including upgrading the how many gallons of beer this year thread), plan future upgrades to my process or kegerator, take inventory of odds and ends like brewing salts, yeast nutrient, DME, etc, check HBT.

I always brew 2 batches running 20-40 minutes behind each other depending on projected chilling times (is there a whirlpool addition?), so I can usually find something to keep me busy. The days I relax too much in the middle, are the ones that the cleaning seems to take forever at the end. I try not to pour a beer until the first batch has started chilling. I'm not always successful in that, but a usually am.

 

[Manufacturedevolution]

I have a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old and SWMBO is in school full time (so constantly studying).. Juggling kids and brewing leaves no time to kill!

 

[homebrewer_99]

I come from a musical family. Parents and sister all sing, me not so much, but I've been playing instruments (mostly woodwinds) since I was 10 back in 1977. My father can't read a note of music, but even now at 83 with Alzheimer's he can pick up his guitar and play stuff from the 60's, all by ear. Music is a VERY important part of my brewday.

I hear you there. I learned the old fashioned way, other players tips and by ear. I was even a Music Major (just 1 semester) during my 1st semester at college. I still can't read a dot. I had to change semesters because I got my dream job (at that time). I spent the next 6+ years going to college at night. Never missed a semester.

I'm the Black Sheep in my family. Not in a bad/illegal way. I was first and the only one who's left handed. Have a degree (although we were all HS dropouts), etc.

I can only really sing in my head. What I hear in there doesn't come out of my mouth. Funny how that works.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I have a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old and SWMBO is in school full time (so constantly studying).. Juggling kids and brewing leaves no time to kill!

Let them help. I've made (supervised) Root Beer with several of my great grandkids. I take pictures at all the stages and they have bragging rights at school and with their friends.

 

[Manufacturedevolution]

They do help. Mostly during mash. They love the smell and taste of sweet wort. 4 year old wakes up on the weekends and asks "daddy are we going to make soda today?".

 

[histo320]

Play/ listen to Country music videos, drink beer and read Homebrew Talk posts.

This but replace Country with Metal inuding but not limited to Sevendust, Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, Ghost, etc.

Sometimes I switch it up with classic rock.

If I'm by myself I just relax a d HbT it up. If a friend is over I explain the process in a way they can understand stand.

 

[thetrueceltsbrew]

Clean the previous or next steps equipment, check HBT (including upgrading the how many gallons of beer this year thread), plan future upgrades to my process or kegerator, take inventory of odds and ends like brewing salts, yeast nutrient, DME, etc, check HBT.

I always brew 2 batches running 20-40 minutes behind each other depending on projected chilling times (is there a whirlpool addition?), so I can usually find something to keep me busy. The days I relax too much in the middle, are the ones that the cleaning seems to take forever at the end. I try not to pour a beer until the first batch has started chilling. I'm not always successful in that, but a usually am.

I've been trying to set this up..
Always wanted to roll a double into another batch too.

 

[V-Fib]

Youtube. Or if the wife is home yard work, clean the garage or truck.

 

[DeeEnvy]

I also have my smoker going. This weekend is three hams ready to go while the brew is running.

 

[PADave]

I always clean up from the previous step, and get ready for the next step. As the mash is going, I'll sanitize everything for fermentation, measure hops, etc. Once the boil starts I clean the grain bag and start putting away anything that's not needed anymore. That way once the yeast is pitched, all I have to clean is the kettle. Cut down my brew day time by over an hour.

 

[sonic7173]

I always clean up from the previous step, and get ready for the next step. As the mash is going, I'll sanitize everything for fermentation, measure hops, etc. Once the boil starts I clean the grain bag and start putting away anything that's not needed anymore. That way once the yeast is pitched, all I have to clean is the kettle. Cut down my brew day time by over an hour.

^^^this. Oh, and drink a homebrew and listen to some tunes

 

[Oginme]

Well, since you wanted to know... I brew in the early morning. Usually I am up by 5 on the weekends.

Once the mash tun has been stirred in and pH checked, I grab the milk pails and head out to the barn. Haying, watering, feeding, milking during the winter months takes about 40 minutes, so I am back inside about 5 to 10 minutes before the mash is complete.

Once I've taken my measurements and started the kettle to heating up to boil, I wash the dishes and the milk pails, measure out my hops and additives, make coffee (OK, maybe this comes before the dish washing), and grab something that might resemble breakfast. During the boil, I am cleaning up following the mash, emptying the spent grains for the goats, sanitizing the carboy and other items needed for post boil tasks.

Overall, I try to keep moving and the time flies by.

 

[kh54s10]

I get involved with threads like this, then post a reply. It is a sure way to get a boil over!

 

[kristiismean]

get everything else ready to go, make sure the valves are clean, reclean the kettle, set up the hoses and pumps, then play video games, leave the house, play with kids, etc for the other 45+ minutes.

I also might start while wfh, get it going, then finish up the work day.

 

[brewcat]

Eat breakfast, make coffee. Otherwise I'll check HBT, clean & prepare. If I have nothing else to do...Standing by the boil kettle and enjoying the morning is great!

 

[catdaddy66]

I always clean up from the previous step, and get ready for the next step. As the mash is going, I'll sanitize everything for fermentation, measure hops, etc. Once the boil starts I clean the grain bag and start putting away anything that's not needed anymore. That way once the yeast is pitched, all I have to clean is the kettle. Cut down my brew day time by over an hour.

A lot of this. Occasionally I can operate my chrome cast to engage my playlist of great tunes. Classic rock to damn near everything else (I take requests). Mostly it's getting ready for the next step in the process.

 

[Sparkncode]

Read HBT, plan next recipe, work on my other hobby projects etc.
I try not to write software while brewing though as its way too easy loose track of time and the interrptions to tend to the beer arn't a good fit with programming.

Wireing up a control panel for my CNC on the other hand is a pretty easy task that I can do in small pieces between tending to my brew.

 

[Wreck99]

I'm usually timing something during those wait times (i.e. mashing) like making dinner, cleaning, or doing something with the kids.

 

[thehaze]

Drink beer, smoke, eat, make food, watching a good movie, listening to music...

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

Usually I just sit there and listen to music. Shrug.

 

[JohnSand]

I generally use a 40 minute mash and 40 minute boil, so not too much spare time. When I'm not cleaning, recording or measuring, I often use a heat pad on my back. (An active life and middle age!)
During the mash I might take a nap, or heat dinner, depending on the time of day.

 

[aprichman]

While mash water is heating up I make sure my grain bag and whisk are clean and ready to go. Usually pour my first homebrew of the day at this point. After I have a drink I'll add my brewing salts.

While mashing in I weigh out my hops then get my whirlfloc and yeast nutrient ready to go. I also make sure I have a clean bucket to transfer the bag into.

After I pull my bag I let it drain on a pulley. As soon as the bag is on the pulley I start heating my mash to boil. I'll throw in my FWH addition and usually start getting something ready for lunch. The second homebrew of the day is usually poured with lunch.

When the boil starts I'll get my IC sprayed down, prepare a 2.5 gallon batch of Starsan, get my carboy rinsed out and then sanitized, sanitize my airlock / hoses, etc.

After the boil is finished I start cooling. Usually I'll agitate the wort with the IC for the first 15-20 minutes and then give it 10-15 minutes for the proteins to settle. In the Fall, Winter, and Spring this gets me to pitching temp. In the summer the wort usually needs to cool down a bit more in the fermentation chamber before pitching.

After pitching the beer it's cleanup time. My mash bag gets dumped with the yard waste and hosed off. My kettle gets hosed out and scrubbed with a green scouring pad. After cleanup it's time for a celebratory homebrew.

 

[filthyastronaut]

Usually tidy up, get stuff ready for runoff or knockout, and my mashes are usually only 30 min. of down time because I'll start a 15 min. decoction after 30 min. and have to occasionally stir for most brews. Then my boils are 90 min., and even after preparing everything I'll have a solid hour to sit on my ass, drink beer, and watch TV.