Start to finish--how long is your typical brew day?

[jaycount]

My most recent extract brew day was 3.5-4 hours. I could cut that time down alot if I had a wort chiller and a better burning setup.

 

[-TH-]

I'm down to 4 hours. I do the no-mash-out-single-batch-sparge method. Two burners on my rig so I can start heating wort as its going into brew kettle. I'm usually starting the boil at the 2-hour mark. I do 75 min boils. Now I have a CFC chiller which reduced my cooling time since my IC was under-sized. I clean up as much as possible along the way.

 

[chemnitz]

Extract: 3.5 hours
All-grain: 5 hours
AG with double decoction: 9 hours (oy vey!)

 

[norsk]

How long is my average brew day?

About twice as long as I always plan for.

 

[Moose777]

Great thread.
My AG brew day is 4 to 4.5 hours.

That's not counting full set up n clean up. My set up includes collecting RO water and my clean up is usually abbreviated to just soak it overnight n finish up the next day or the following.

The 4 hours does include back flushing the heat exchanger though. If I'm honest and include all the set up and clean up after-wards I'm closer to 5 hours.

The Dudadiesel 30 plate chiller has me excited to brew again..blows the Shirron away...literally from boiling to fermenter in 10 minutes...love it.

 

[trigger]

I just did 11 gal of brown ale in 4.5 hours, including crushing the grain and cleanup, but I multitask. Figure 15 min to hit strike temp, 1 hr mash, 1 hr sparge, 1 hr boil, 30 min total cooling, and 15 mins to clean the kettle and put it away. Not really sure where that other 30 mins goes, probably time warping...

 

[Tall_Yotie]

Updating for my previous post, now that I have a propane burner.

Extract with steep takes 2 1/2 hours, from setup to cleanup.

All grain depends on mash time, usually 4 1/2 hours.

I have really streamlined the process, as I do a lot of prep work while the water is heating, making sure my batch sparge water is ready when the mash is done, and cleaning up as I go. I don't rush, but I like it to not take terribly long.

 

[SpottedDogBrewing]

All-grain: 5 or 10 gallon batch 5-6 hours includes cleanup and everything put back to normal

 

[petey_c]

Yesterday, extract with steep about the same as Tall Yotie about 2.5 - 3 hours, start-up to clean-up.

 

[statseeker]

I can do an all grain brew in 5 hours if I have it uninterrupted which is rare. A lot of times I'm cooking dinner or something while I'm mashing or the wife needs something done and it cant wait (can it ever?). I had to cook dinner during the making of my IPA last week, it's hard to schedule BBQ chicken in while you're mashing and trying to get things perfect while heating your sparge water and cleaning and sanitizing your carboys and cooking veggies on the side grill burner. Took me about 6.5 hours last week. Pity I dont have any hair to pull out or I would have.

 

[dstar26t]

I don't know how you all get finished so fast.

Not including yeast starter prep a few days prior or the time it takes to weigh/condition/mill the grain the night before, it takes me 9 hours for 12 gallons of a standard Pale Ale. This is from the time I set-up the HLT to the time the last hose is cleaned and the yeast has been pitched. Yesterday was 6:30am to 4pm (30 additional minutes for a hop steep after boil).

I assemble the MLT and Boil Kettle while the HLT is heating up, measure kettle additions during the mash, clean the grant and MLT during the boil, recirc oxiclean through the chiller during post-chilling activities, etc.
I'd love cut it down to 6 hours.

 

[motobrewer]

somehow i walked away with a 3.5 hour all-grain brew from dough-in to cleanup last weekend.

usually its closer to 5.