Prepping for first brew day (time and tips needed)

[mmonacel]

Hey there,

I'm prepping for my first brew day and wanted to figure out the time it really takes from start to finish (cleaning / sanitation through cleanup). With a 10 month old, my free time is pretty limited so I'm hoping to start up after she goes to bed around 6:30pm during the week. My plan is to brew outside (in the NJ winter!) on a new patio burner which I'll test drive at some point this week. I'm doing an extract brew with steeping grains. I have a new immersion cooler I'll be using as well.

Given this my first time, what's a realistic expectation for how long this will take? Any tips for a first timer that might help speed the process?

Thanks in advance!,
Mike

 

[gunner65]

My first batch took about three hours from setup to cleanup and went without a hitch so I would imagine that will be the time for me to brew any extract. Some factors that could add some time are cooking temps I have a hefty 30K btu camp stove by Camp Chef so boiling times are minimal. I have a 1 year old and a three year old and they go to bed around 8pm. I finished everything around 11pm and I have a garage to work in so noise isn't a problem.

 

[mmonacel]

Excellent - thanks. I hadn't considered noise. Is there any part of this that would be really noisy?

 

[tonkota]

A lot of stuff can be done at the same time, like sanitizing while you wait for the water to heat up. 3 or 4 hours I'd say. Have a good time!! And before you know it, your kids can help and learn a little about science and application vs theory.

Whatcha brewin? You can't withhold that.

Take some pictures too, just to share.

 

[gunner65]

Excellent - thanks. I hadn't considered noise. Is there any part of this that would be really noisy?

Well there are always potentials to wake up the wee ones. Clinging around the pans and such I am sure that as a new parent you know the noise levels that can wake em up. Cleaning up in the kitchen I got a little noisy but all was well.

 

[DirtyPolock]

My first brew day took 4 hours and that was mostly because I was using a stove top to boil which took a bit longer than a burner. The amount of time that it takes to reach your steeping and boling temp is what takes the most time. My last brew a week ago took 3 hours from start to finish, and this was my third batch.

Agree that you should be able to do a few things at once, but with this being your first brew I recommend to keep an extra eye out to prevent a boil over since you aren't used to your setup yet. Once your boil is steady then you should be able to work on sanitizing everything.

Enjoy your brew day and welcome to the club.

 

[mmonacel]

Whatcha brewin? You can't withhold that.

DFH 60-minute clone I found which I believe is Yooper's recipe. Can't wait!

 

[slowbie]

If you want to save a little time you could start steeping your grains as soon as you start to heat up your water and take them out when your water hits 165 degrees. I've never done it myself, but I've heard of people doing it with good results.

 

[DirtyPolock]

If you want to save a little time you could start steeping your grains as soon as you start to heat up your water and take them out when your water hits 165 degrees. I've never done it myself, but I've heard of people doing it with good results.

I did something similar on my first batch, becasue it was what the kit told me to do except it told me to go until just before boiling. Luckily it didn't cause any off flavors. After doing my reasearch I learned that this is a bad idea. I haven't tried my second batch because it is still bottle conditioning, but I wouldn't recommend to steep it until just before the boil. Going with slowbie's recommendation of steeping until 165 degrees should be fine.

 

[KevinW]

Three or four hours is a safe bet. I like to keep very detailed notes so I write everything down. One thing that may help is to plan your brew out on a sheet of paper!
Brewsmith has a handy "brewday worksheet" that I use all the time, of course I have Brewsmith software!

Write it all out in the order needed then just follow it like a recipe and all should be good! My two cents anyway!

Good luck and happy brewing! Let us know how it all worked out!