Top three effort and time improvements to your Biab setup

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Bart Taylor

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Pueblo Co

I'm looking to reduce effort and time of my brewing process so I'm hoping to get input from folks on the top 3 items (more or less) that decreased effort and time in their brew process. I've reviewed lots of setups but I'd like to get perspective on the improvements/items you feel reduced your time or effort the most. And why these items improved your process.


So far my focus has been related to reducing effort. It has made for a very relaxing brew day.

My top 3 improvements are:

  • Set up a dedicated brew space. I used to brew in a garage I now brew in my basement in a converted bar. It used to be dozens of trips back and forth between the basement and the garage and the kitchen and and and…. Having one space and organizing it has dramatically reduced the effort associated with a brew day and a kegging day. Brew days are more pleasure than work now. Time savings and huge effort savings.
  • Moved to electric with a temp controller. 15 minutes to mash temp, 15 minutes to boil. No chasing propane bottles and hoses. No running out of propane. Simple setup and take down. Saves time and effort. Note, this facilitated being able to move to my basement.
  • Kettle setup. The kettle and all plumbing are next to and drain into the sink. The setup uses gravity and minimizes the amount of hose in contact with wort. These items minimize the cleanup effort.

My Runner up; dedicated cleaning station (ok a walk in shower with a hose added). On lazy brew days it lets me do a first rinse and walk away. Yes I finish cleaning the next day but it is really simple.




Please share! And thanks in advance.
 

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The first piece of equipment I installed was the sink with a sprayer ,and built the rest around it. I have 2 pumps, one moves brewing liquor and the other wort. The only time i lift a hot kettle is when cereal and decoction mashing. Induction heating is slower but predictable.
Sometimes when I want a very dry beer I'll overnite mash
Most recently I've been conditioning my malt and with a fluted mill the husks are mostly whole so i was able to tighten it to .025 and the bag is draining fast and can easily be squeezed. Only one brew that way so still working on the efficiency. It turned my IPA into a DIPA and boy was I happy I had 14 ozs in kettle hops.
 
The first piece of equipment I installed was the sink with a sprayer ,and built the rest around it. I have 2 pumps, one moves brewing liquor and the other wort. The only time i lift a hot kettle is when cereal and decoction mashing. Induction heating is slower but predictable.
Sometimes when I want a very dry beer I'll overnite mash
Most recently I've been conditioning my malt and with a fluted mill the husks are mostly whole so i was able to tighten it to .025 and the bag is draining fast and can easily be squeezed. Only one brew that way so still working on the efficiency. It turned my IPA into a DIPA and boy was I happy I had 14 ozs in kettle hops.
Do you recirc?
 
Maybe not pertaining directly to the brewing itself, but in the aftermath: I don't see a steam condenser and I'm filled with dreadful images of the streaks I got on every wall and window on my main floor when I brewed in winter without one.
 
Maybe not pertaining directly to the brewing itself, but in the aftermath: I don't see a steam condenser and I'm filled with dreadful images of the streaks I got on every wall and window on my main floor when I brewed in winter without one.
If you are talking about my setup it's on the back of the kettle.
 
If you are talking about my setup it's on the back of the kettle.
Nice!
As far as time goes, my greatest improvement was switching from an immersion chiller to a counterflow chiller that could drop from boiling to pitching temp in one pass to the fermenter.
:mug:
 
Nice!
As far as time goes, my greatest improvement was switching from an immersion chiller to a counterflow chiller that could drop from boiling to pitching temp in one pass to the fermenter.
:mug:
Me as well. I still need a good throttling valve to further reduce the effort
 
My whole schtick is about reducing effort... I've got spine/CNS/brain-damage and the worse thing I can do is be vertical or, especially while vertical; use my arms, shoulders or neck, so anything that involves my body is on my list to build the gear that can reduce those motions. If you're really looking for details, there's one on my radar but nowhere near even the planning stage: My CFC is supplied by the keggle-valve full-open and 58° water from a hose-adapter on my kitchen sink; the kitchen sink tap must be open approx 1/3 to acheive a wort output temp of approx 68°.... I've toyed with the idea of putting a temp probe on the CFC output rather than just the analog thermometer, and setting up a solonoid controlled coolant valve.
It's been about 40 years since I've worked with a solonoid controlled valve and back then it used a simple circuit based on an op-amp, a 555 and some rectifiers...to the best of my recollection, and I can't comprehend it anymore owing to ripped axons..these days, we can get off the shelf PID's to do the work, but rather than have to stand at the sink adjusting the tap, it would be nice to just switch on a controller to regulate output temp and sit while the fermenter fills at pitching temp.
 
Over-night mash, or all-day mash.

I set up the night before. Kettle, basket/bag and water.

Before I go to bed/work I will mash in and turn the electric heater element & controller on to 150 degrees.

When I wake up/return from work, the mash is complete and I go immediately to boil.

Instant 1-2 hour savings of my time.
 
Over-night mash, or all-day mash.

I set up the night before. Kettle, basket/bag and water.

Before I go to bed/work I will mash in and turn the electric heater element & controller on to 150 degrees.

When I wake up/return from work, the mash is complete and I go immediately to boil.

Instant 1-2 hour savings of my time.
Interesting. I'm not going to lie, I wouldn't be able to sleep while running my home made electric kettle all night but interesting none the less.
 
Can't disagree with any of the above. I'd also say it's the Anvil Foundry that made life so much easier.

1 hour prep total night before including filling with water, adding salts, grinding grain, getting stuff laid out and ready to go
Mash in after I wake up, then have coffee and get the kiddo to school while that goes
Start boiling after she's gone and stick around for that of course, but that's when the work feels like it actually starts since everything up to it was easy and relaxed

I never recirculated in my cooler mashtun, so adding that was nice. Ditto for setting a temp on a screen and letting the unit take care of that, vs. pre-heating a cooler and being concerned what temp I was at at any point in time afterwards.

I guess, in short, getting an electric all-in-one was, overall, a game changer. Made things a lot less work and made me enjoy brewing more than ever.
 
Interesting. I'm not going to lie, I wouldn't be able to sleep while running my home made electric kettle all night but interesting none the less.
I have a constant recirc going and once it reaches temperature, it uses almost nothing to keep it there. Not any different than your hot water heater holding temp.
 
Can't disagree with any of the above. I'd also say it's the Anvil Foundry that made life so much easier.

1 hour prep total night before including filling with water, adding salts, grinding grain, getting stuff laid out and ready to go
Mash in after I wake up, then have coffee and get the kiddo to school while that goes
Start boiling after she's gone and stick around for that of course, but that's when the work feels like it actually starts since everything up to it was easy and relaxed

I never recirculated in my cooler mashtun, so adding that was nice. Ditto for setting a temp on a screen and letting the unit take care of that, vs. pre-heating a cooler and being concerned what temp I was at at any point in time afterwards.

I guess, in short, getting an electric all-in-one was, overall, a game changer. Made things a lot less work and made me enjoy brewing more than ever.
What did you like about adding recirc to your mashtun?
 
I have a constant recirc going and once it reaches temperature, it uses almost nothing to keep it there. Not any different than your hot water heater holding temp.
Having a 20+ year career as an engineer that was, more than once, referred to as the "safety squirrel" my imagination can picture a limitless number of things that could go wrong with almost anything. The reality is that I should be careful letting those thoughts drive my decisions but they occasionally do..... It sounds like you have thought this through.

The reality for me is that I cover the mash and walk away. I loose about a degree over an hour. Being able to just walk away is an interesting thought. I honestly never considered how I could apply it.

Stupid question, is there any reason you couldn't just let the mash cool down after 60-90 minutes?
 
Stupid question, is there any reason you couldn't just let the mash cool down after 60-90 minutes?
well...

That defeats the entire purpose of doing a hands-off, overnight or at work mash. If I'm sleeping or at work, how will I turn the heater off?

When I get home, it's ready to go. Costs me a few extra pennies on my power bill. Not even a buck I imagine.

The kettle is insulated BTW.
 
What did you like about adding recirc to your mashtun?

I got much more consistent temperatures, and separately but related also got more consistent efficiencies. Adding my own grain mill around the same time didn't hurt either. At this point I can predict my numbers and hit them almost exactly. I suppose it was a small part of the overall picture but something I will definitely keep doing.

Engineer here as well. 20 years and going. I tell 2 jokes about myself 1) I can't tell if something is good, but I can tell if something is flawed, and if I can't find any flaws then I'm about as happy with it as I'll get (thankfully this doesn't apply to my human relationships i.e. wife or kid). 2) I work as hard as possible to avoid work - I could spend half a weekend on a brewing related project that'll probably actually save me 1 minute when I actually brew.
 
I got much more consistent temperatures, and separately but related also got more consistent efficiencies. Adding my own grain mill around the same time didn't hurt either. At this point I can predict my numbers and hit them almost exactly. I suppose it was a small part of the overall picture but something I will definitely keep doing.

Engineer here as well. 20 years and going. I tell 2 jokes about myself 1) I can't tell if something is good, but I can tell if something is flawed, and if I can't find any flaws then I'm about as happy with it as I'll get (thankfully this doesn't apply to my human relationships i.e. wife or kid). 2) I work as hard as possible to avoid work - I could spend half a weekend on a brewing related project that'll probably actually save me 1 minute when I actually brew.
1/2 the reason I brew is so I can spend a large portion of my life creating things that make my 5 hour brew session easier.......
 
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well...

That defeats the entire purpose of doing a hands-off, overnight or at work mash. If I'm sleeping or at work, how will I turn the heater off?

When I get home, it's ready to go. Costs me a few extra pennies on my power bill. Not even a buck I imagine.

The kettle is insulated BTW.
I should have been clearer. When my mash timer ends it's like a starting gun for me and now I don't know why. I could spend a bunch of time doing something else and come back for the boil when I'm ready. However that assumes that letting the mash cool some amount isn't an issue and I can't imagine it would be unless I was talking days....
 
I made life easier by:

Removed recirc and other hoses. Mash tun barely drops any degrees during the mash. Set and forget. I pour straight from kettle tap to fermenter without a hose. This also gets good aeration.

Use appropriate yeast for the temp I have. Can't be arsed with fermentation control.

Mostly brew my 4 house beers. Practice makes perfect and it's good for inventory rotation.
 
Mostly brew my 4 house beers. Practice makes perfect and it's good for inventory rotation.

Agreed to this. I suppose it's not on topic for effort and time improvement but wow what a difference in my beer. I chose about 8 styles, like 3 years ago, looked up some award winners for each and brewed them. Then have been tweaking the ingredients to my personal tastes and brewing them ever since. So much better than my old method of standing in the grain room at the LHBS and trying to put something together on the fly.

Trying to think of any other time savers but really it's just owning an electric brewer with a temp setting and timer, and my ability finally to trust it sitting there plugged in, to save a lot of time and stress of the babysitting job. I'm still around for the boil but the warm-up and mash I am no longer compelled to be around for.

I do also start cleaning some equipment during the boil, to lessen the job later on. Another incremental thing.
 
I made life easier by:

Removed recirc and other hoses. Mash tun barely drops any degrees during the mash. Set and forget. I pour straight from kettle tap to fermenter without a hose. This also gets good aeration.

Use appropriate yeast for the temp I have. Can't be arsed with fermentation control.

Mostly brew my 4 house beers. Practice makes perfect and it's good for inventory rotation.
How do you cool wort? And by "pour" do you tip your kettle?
 
How do you cool wort? And by "pour" do you tip your kettle?
I use an immersion chiller. Very low maintenance and doesn't take too much longer really.

By pour I open the tap/ball valve at the bottom of the kettle. I stuff something under the kettle to tilt it as I get towards the end. A bit of trüb gets through but not much.

Basically I get very close to the performance of a cool shiny setup but with half the effort. Don't get me wrong, cool and shiny and technical and tweaking brings much enjoyment to some. I would have it too if I had the space and time.
 
I use an immersion chiller. Very low maintenance and doesn't take too much longer really.

By pour I open the tap/ball valve at the bottom of the kettle. I stuff something under the kettle to tilt it as I get towards the end. A bit of trüb gets through but not much.

Basically I get very close to the performance of a cool shiny setup but with half the effort. Don't get me wrong, cool and shiny and technical and tweaking brings much enjoyment to some. I would have it too if I had the space and time.
I was going to use an immersion chiller but I had a free braze plate and the immersion chiller makes it tougher to split the batch. I can see that an immersion chiller would be lower effort. I may still pick one up (if one of my buddies gets rid of one cheap) for batches I don't split
 
I was going to use an immersion chiller but I had a free braze plate and the immersion chiller makes it tougher to split the batch. I can see that an immersion chiller would be lower effort. I may still pick one up (if one of my buddies gets rid of one cheap) for batches I don't split
If you're in the US a jaded chiller is a no brainer imo. Still cheaper than a CFC and just as fast.
 
I do that since it works for my schedule. I do wonder if I'm getting the wort "too" fermentable and thus, less body in my beer.

But it's been tasty so far.
Is the fermentability of the wort not locked in during the first 15 mins or so?
 
Is the fermentability of the wort not locked in during the first 15 mins or so?
No.

I do that since it works for my schedule. I do wonder if I'm getting the wort "too" fermentable and thus, less body in my beer.

But it's been tasty so far.
More relevant discussion on long mash effects in this thread.

Brew on :mug:
 
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