What do you do while your beer is brewing?

[Danek]

Am I the only person who doesn't drink when brewing? I love the idea of sampling the last beer while making the next one, but if I've had a few whilst brewing, the chances that I'll screw something up on my new batch kind of puts me off. Also, I tend to brew first thing in the morning, and I hate the feeling of a hangover kicking in in mid-afternoon. Anyone else feel the same?

Anyone?

No?

Oh.

OK.

 

[budbo]

I like to clean up along the way though--nothing like discovering 5 days later that the mashtun wasn't emptied (yeah, alcohol was invoilved in that debacle).

Ouch! Worst I had was drinking (The HBT 060606) heavily while mashing, falling asleep during the boil and waking up to find the 7.5 gallons I started with was boiled down to 2.5 gallons (good thing the wife came home and turned off the burner) That actually turned out to be one of my most popular beers.

 

[wild]

I sanitize and prepare everything during the steep/mash. When the boil begins then I get to crack a beer and fire up a cigar while listening to great tunes.:rockin:

 

[colinwollmann]

Exactly my answer, to a tee.

same for me

 

[PseudoChef]

Am I the only person who doesn't drink when brewing? I love the idea of sampling the last beer while making the next one, but if I've had a few whilst brewing, the chances that I'll screw something up on my new batch kind of puts me off. Also, I tend to brew first thing in the morning, and I hate the feeling of a hangover kicking in in mid-afternoon. Anyone else feel the same?

Anyone?

No?

Oh.

OK.

I've stopped drinking while brewing. Last two brew days went so incredibly smooth I don't think I will unless a group brew day comes up sometime soon.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I've stopped drinking while brewing. Last two brew days went so incredibly smooth I don't think I will unless a group brew day comes up sometime soon.

I usually wait until the boil is on and going. After bittering hops are added. Then I'll have a few. I usually don't over do it. I'm pretty much nursing them until the yeast is pitched.



Sometimes I want to pitch the yeast at 5 minutes into the boil!!!!!

 

[maltMonkey]

Am I the only person who doesn't drink when brewing? I love the idea of sampling the last beer while making the next one, but if I've had a few whilst brewing, the chances that I'll screw something up on my new batch kind of puts me off. Also, I tend to brew first thing in the morning, and I hate the feeling of a hangover kicking in in mid-afternoon. Anyone else feel the same?

Anyone?

No?

Oh.

OK.

You're brewing at the wrong time of day! I usually brew starting early Saturday afternoons and I've been known to put away more than a couple....It definitely makes the session more "interesting" and I haven't screwed anything up too bad yet....

 

[DeathBrewer]

i drink my light brews while i'm brewing. i don't really have time to do anything else anymore. i'm constantly cleaning, preparing, racking other beers, preparing my worksheet, etc. once i start brewing, it's a 4-8 hour process and rarely do i have time to read a book or watch a movie while there is so much to do.

 

[skeeordye11]

I usually throw in a movie or put on some music. I have been moving my laptop out into the kitchen and scouring HBT while enjoying a beer or two. I usually do most of my sanitizing while the wort is chilling in the sink. (still got the small scale setup) I need a house!!!

 

[Ta0]

Clean mash tun, and sanitize fermenter with a brew always buy my side and maybe Futurama/southpark/startrek/x-files in the backround. Love brew days!

 

[kevinb]

Am I the only person who doesn't drink when brewing? I love the idea of sampling the last beer while making the next one, but if I've had a few whilst brewing, the chances that I'll screw something up on my new batch kind of puts me off. Also, I tend to brew first thing in the morning, and I hate the feeling of a hangover kicking in in mid-afternoon. Anyone else feel the same?

Anyone?

No?

Oh.

OK.

I'm with you. No drinking during brewing.

 

[Danbreeze]

I have a tiny radio I keep tuned into classic rock and try to clean while I brew.

I drink during brew sessions in cold weather, but I could not imagine drinking while brewing in the summer-I was pounding water last Saturday!

 

[jeffjm]

My own rule is no drinking until after the last hop addition. That's turned out to be a good compromise mostly, but makes for a long wait if I'm doing an IPA. On the other hand, cleanup is more enjoyable.

 

[smccarter]

During the boil I clean and sanitize the fermenter, immersion chiller, and any other miscellaneous things I need for chilling and pitching. I also dump and clean the MLT.

I try to clean up as much as possible as I go along, so that I don't have to do it all at the end.

Ditto.... There's always something to do in the brewhouse (kitchen).

 

[Nelrock]

I'm drinking a beer! Best hobby ever. Drink beer while doing it...and...have new beer when you're done!

 

[aiptasia]

I don't drink until the beer is in the fermenter. Amateur move getting drunk while brewing.

Before brewing, i'm weighing out ingredients, organizing them, cleaning and sanitizing, and getting all my Mis En Place ducks in a row. During brewing, i'm pretty intense, hovering around making sure everything is going ok. Music is about all I can absorb during the mash because I do BIAB, and i'm paranoid about mashing in my boil kettle. I'm forever monitoring the temperature to make sure it's exactly where I need it at all times.

I'm a little more relaxed during the boil. I'll surf the web and generally clock watch for my hops and adjunct additions. I also tend to take a lot of notes, scribbling down anything of interest (hot break times, hop addition times, OG readings, etc.).

 

[CadillacAndy]

My process and system are pretty much dialed in so for normal beers I have no problem knocking back a couple beers. For new recipes, new process or a beer for competition, I'll usually not drink beer until I start to chill.

I also usually listen to podcasts from the Brewing Network.

 

[xjmox14x]

I'll have a beer or two while brewing. I'm terrible with prepping the day before, so I'm usually running around getting things cleaned/sanitized while the boil is going on.

That, and usually playing with my dog in the yard. She hates being inside, so it's a good time to toss some balls around.

 

[Genuine]

I like to start my brew day early in the morning so I'm done early afternoon. Once 10:30-11am hit, it's time for a beer, or few. In between steps I am trying to get as many things done/set up/ sanitized, etc as possible, as to not use up a lot of time. During the boil, after the first hop addition I start to get things cleaned up and put away for next time.

 

[Hello]

I've only done one batch thus far and I didn't drink until it was in the fermenter. I was starving and started my brew at 6 pm thinking I'd be done before 8 pm. I had plans to go out and eat with a friend but had to cancel when I learned a couple of things the books never tell you. First, an electric glass top stove will not boil 2.5 gallons of water in under 40 minutes. Getting back to a boil after adding extract is not impossible but will also take much longer than you could ever expect, and with the constant sanitizing and cleanup, that time adds up. So I drank after when I made dinner at 9:30 pm.

I assume I won't drink much if at all during the next brew either. I am new for one and two, I just tend to drink a lot of water when I'm doing something that requires my attention. Plus next time I plan to use a turkey fryer burner; that will add another element of not blowing my backyard up.

 

[jeffjm]

Plus next time I plan to use a turkey fryer burner; that will add another element of not blowing my backyard up.

Blowing up the back yard provides you with a sense of adventure while entertaining the neighbors...where exactly is the problem?

But then, I'm the person who once had jets of flame shooting across the yard from a gas grill...don't ask.

 

[geckholm]

I've stopped drinking while brewing. Last two brew days went so incredibly smooth I don't think I will unless a group brew day comes up sometime soon.

Things go much smoother if I don't drink.

I usually drink on a Friday night and start brewing at 7:00am on a Saturday.

I don't drink when I brew.

Although, brewing and watching the Bears game on a Sunday may change that this fall.....

 

[Kolsch_Meister]

I'm brewing now... Drinking coffee and catching up on the forums...

 

[Hello]

Blowing up the back yard provides you with a sense of adventure while entertaining the neighbors...where exactly is the problem?

But then, I'm the person who once had jets of flame shooting across the yard from a gas grill...don't ask.

Good point. I do like to entertain.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

I pass the time making fun of Hipsters swailing away at Pabst or Old Milwaukee..

 

[BierMuncher]

I pass the time making fun of Hipsters swailing away at Pabst or Old Milwaukee..

Hey, Hey, HEY !!!

 

[pumpkinman2012]

Originally Posted by Beerthoven
During the boil I clean and sanitize the fermenter, immersion chiller, and any other miscellaneous things I need for chilling and pitching. I also dump and clean the MLT.

I try to clean up as much as possible as I go along, so that I don't have to do it all at the end.

Same Here.

 

[45thparallelhopper]

Usually talk about beer, check out my buddies hop plants, talk about expanding our brew area, and drink beer of course

 

[fuzzy2133]

The first 30-60 when the grains are steeping/mashing I gather and measure out ingredients for the boil. During the boil I get the last of the gear together and sanitize it all. When I do drink and brew, I stay away from the higher ABV beers.

 

[djt17]

Everything is prepped, checklist out, then it's 2 beers during the mash & 2 during the boil. Very relaxing; as long as the checklist is followed, no problems.

 

[bobdozer]

I usually bottle a batch. Rack to bottling bucket towards the end of mashing and bottle during the boil. Two tasks and only one cleanup. Plus I can't stand to see buckets just sitting there empty.

 

[porterguy]

Cleaning up, etc. Besides, if I sit down SWMBO will appear out of nowhere with a request that I do...something other than relax.

 

[watersr]

Clean my mash tun, get chiller and pre chiller set up, depending on time of day I might be working on dinner and no matter what else enjoying a home brew.

 

[C-Rider]

Hey,

Finished brewing my Blonde Ale last night and during the boil, I was sitting around thinking what ppl do for the 60 or so minutes that they have to wait. I was just staring at my brewpot the entire time being prepared for any boil overs. Ended up cracking open a beer and reading John Palmer's book.

So, what do you do while you wait?

Eat lunch, clean the mash tun, dump the used grains, measure the hops, sanitize the fermenter. What else is there to do???? Sit and watch the wort boiling? It ain't gonna boil over once it settles after the first hops are added. Oh yea, set the timer for the next hop addition.

 

[moshmont]

My Brew day is Fridays (when I'm off of work). My wife loves it 'cause I'll do laundry at the same time! Everything times out perfectly!

 

[kevinb]

This

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

I stare at the keggle with the spray nozzle set to stun, er, "mist", till the protein break cause if I do anything else it boils over. Haha

 

[unionrdr]

While the mash is going,I sit here & talk with y'all. Everything needed at that point or for th boil is sanitized & ready to go. This includes weighing out the hops into bathroom size plastic cups. Then sealing up the leftover hops to re-freeze for dry hopping later. I then get through the hot break & add the bittering hops. Then on here again till it's time to start flavor additions. While the boil is going,I sanitize the cleaned fermenter.

 

[JohnSand]

I dance naked, and sing rock-n-roll backwards. It's the only way to ensure quality.

 

[rorypayne]

Drink a home brew and smoke a cigar.


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