What is your cutoff time of day to start brewing?

[Deadalus]

I've never been an early riser...but the earlier I can get the show on the road the better. Some times I have a couple of other issues pop up on brewday and don't get started until the late afternoon, even as late as 5:00. Of course then supper interrupts but I don't like to be cleaning up past 9:30 p.m. as I brew in my driveway and I don't like to clang around past then and disturb the neighbors. Once I get my hood finished I'll be brewing inside, so it won't matter.

 

[day_trippr]

As long as I can definitely, without a doubt, be done in time to hear The Spousal Unit call for dinner, I'm good to go.
Practically speaking, as long as the rig is fired up by 10 it works out...

Cheers! (One doesn't stay married for 46 years by rocking the boat )

 

[JAReeves]

As long as I can definitely, without a doubt, be done in time to hear The Spousal Unit call for dinner, I'm good to go.
Practically speaking, as long as the rig is fired up by 10 it works out...

Cheers! (One doesn't stay married for 46 years by rocking the boat )

Congrats!

 

[grampamark]

I’m mostly retired, my kids are 41 and 46, and 2 of my 4 grandkids are 18 and 22. The younger ones are 3 and 6 but I don’t plan to brew if they’re going to be at the house on a particular day. For the most part, I pretty much brew whenever the spirit moves me. I usually brew in the afternoon. If I start by 12-1 PM I’ll be done by supper time. That seems to be working, so far.

 

[Knightshade]

If I'm planning correctly, (which I obviously haven't these last two sessions) I'll start the yeast starter during the week, then prep the water, salts, mill the grain the night before, set the timer on the Anvil to be at temp around 0500. That leaves me plenty of time left in the day to do other stuff. I've got a 22 y/o boy (or do I need to call him a man now? thats weird..) who isn't in the house anymore and 16 y/o twins (also boy/girl @Sammy86) who would probably sleep their weekends away if we didn't keep them so busy.

Getting that late start, I'll usually have transferred to fermenter by 3'ish, but...I just seem to hit a wall after that. Everything in the cleaning just takes...foooooorrrreeeeevvvvveeeerrrrr

 

[DBhomebrew]

set the timer on the Anvil to be at temp around 0500

This. This right here is what's going to get me to take the plunge one day. Nothing else about electric AIOs tempt in the least. But to wake up to strike water at strike temp? Ooo....

 

[MaxStout]

I'm semi-retired, self-employed part-time WFH and I can pick the hours I work. I work my calendar around brew day, so no client calls then.

My brewing routine: Put all the gear on the counter the night before. Get up the next day, have a cup of coffee, maybe two. Eat some breakfast, read the news. Have another cup of coffee. Shiat, shower and shave, put on some grungy clothes. Have another cup of coffee.

If I start brewing by 9 or 10, I'm good. I can have the brew in the fermenter just after lunchtime, then clean and put away gear and still have a couple hours left of the afternoon for a beer or two.

 

[bracconiere]

i try and start before at least 10am...if start at 11am, i'll be cleaning the mash tun day after....(honestly i had a couple great brew days that i got up at 3am, listened to the radio till the crack of dawn, and started cracking the grain! early bird catches the 'wert'!

 

[madscientist451]

I get home from work about 530, so If I'm brewing I start right away. I usually get the grain sorted out and crushed the day before.

 

[bracconiere]

I get home from work about 530, so If I'm brewing I start right away. I usually get the grain sorted out and crushed the day before.

damn, am or pm? that's one hell of a late brew day! and is that extract or all grain?

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Man...seems like some long brew days listed here!

When brewing a 5-gallon batch, I try to get my brew day going around 9:00 AM, sometimes I might get out of bed at 8:00. I usually have my breakfast during the mash, and usually plan to have lunch after I am done. Propane Burner + BIAB and I can usually be done in 4 to 4.5 hours (with a 60 min mash, 60 min boil, no whirlpool). I used to meet up with a group at 3:00 PM on most Saturdays (pre-covid era), and I planed for time to clean up and head out to that event.

One of the things that I love about 2.5 gallon stovetop BIAB is that I can fit in a brew day just about any day of the week. Since I am working from home, I can get started at 5:00 PM. Even if I don't get started by 6:00 PM, I am still done is about 3.5 hours. I usually fix dinner during the mash.

 

[bracconiere]

Man...seems like some long brew days listed here!

i have easy days too! for example i took a break and dumped 10 gallons of apple juice in the fermenter today! think i started at ~12pm, got done around 12:15 or so...(they only had 64oz jugs at the store, lol)

 

[JimRausch]

Me, I usually get up at around 4:30-5am, put on the coffee and start the strike water heating. Generally all finished, including cleanup by 10 am and ready for breakfast.
I do set everything up the night before.

 

[madscientist451]

PM
Get the brew done, set the kettle outside to overnight chill and dump in the carboy before heading out to work the next day

 

[bracconiere]

PM
Get the brew done, set the kettle outside to overnight chill and dump in the carboy before heading out to work the next day

sounds rough, but if it keeps the shackles off it's worth it!

 

[madscientist451]

Meh...I'm thankful to have even a small amount of time for brewing and the time to drink it!

 

[bracconiere]

Meh...I'm thankful to have even a small amount of time for brewing and the time to drink it!

my sympathy is with you...

 

[Big_D]

I’m a newb.. didn’t realize there was supposed to be a cutoff time for brew day! By complete mishap, or what I consider a blessing from the Brew Gods.. I actually started a brew day New Years Eve and ended it in the New Year ‘22!

I work crazy hours at work, so what’s considered “normal hours“ for most folks aren‘t always in line with my schedule. Given that, I highly doubt I’ll ever start a brew day early enough in the morning that I can’t enjoy a cold one while brewing!

 

[seatazzz]

I'm an early bird; during the week I'm up by 4:30am and out the door for work at 5:20 or thereabouts. I usually brew on Saturdays, and even 5 years in I get super excited for a brewday, so I'm usually up and mashed in by 5:30am, and all done including cleaning by about 9:30. Now that it's winter I can start later if I want to, so if I hadn't planned to brew on a particular Saturday and I suddenly decide to, it's not a problem. In summer/fall I try to get going by 4am so the water is still cool enough to chill.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

No cut off time for us, but a normal brew day starts at 0600 to 0900. We like to get things all wrapped up in time for Happy Hour.

 

[Cameronl]

I get home from work about 530, so If I'm brewing I start right away. I usually get the grain sorted out and crushed the day before.

I completed a brewing science certificate program (Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT. Go Pioneers!). We brewed after work at the local brewery. Brewing class was scheduled 5:30-10:30 pm, but we usually didn't get out until close to midnight. On a weeknight...

 

[jdauria]

My kids are grown, so no set schedule, but I try to start no later than 9AM and usually done by 2, so that still have rest of day to do something. Having the Anvil Foundry helps since I can fill it up the night before and set the delayed timer and then wake the next morning to mash in temps. Cleaning as you go really helps speed up the day also.

 

[BrewMan13]

No kids here, so can brew more or less when I want. I also plan my brew schedule WAY in advance, but my prep/brewday stuff is along the lines of: yeast starter a day or 2 before; measure out the salts, crush the grains, and calibrate the pH meter the day before; brewday usually starts ~10am on (every other) Sunday; and lasts ~4 hours.
Did have a brewday in which I had to go somewhere after mashing in, then didn't finish everything until about 9pm. Doing that stuff so late is not my thing.

 

[superiorsat]

That is a lot of beer. You nap during your boil?

Not on purpose. It gets late and after a day brewing with some beers the occasional dose off happens. The timers set up for additions usually wake a guy up if you dose off. But I've had a few occasions where I've had to add water back to compensate for too long a boil. It jacks up the IBU calculations and adds a mallard effect to the wort which basically changes the beer you were planning on making into something different.

 

[davidabcd]

"Very dedicated" is all I thought of while reading the above posts.
Perfect time for me to start is around 9am.

 

[DeanRIowa]

My wife was out of town and my last brew day was 7:30 am to 11:00 pm with a 2 hour break, which included 2 beers, Märzen(Austrian) and Czech Pilsner. Also, it was my first use of my new Digimash system.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Brew day shouldn't be a race to get done but there is a lot of outside forces that could make it that way. I'm lucky as I see lots of folks are with not a lot of family obligations. Even the family folks carve out times that work. I plan ahead and leave some bumper time in the day for those not so smooth times. You need to try to make brew day fun or else it seems like a job. After reading all of the posts it seems we are having fun and brewing great beers to enjoy -fruits of our labor!

 

[DeanRIowa]

Brew day shouldn't be a race to get done but there is a lot of outside forces that could make it that way. I'm lucky as I see lots of folks are with not a lot of family obligations. Even the family folks carve out times that work. I plan ahead and leave some bumper time in the day for those not so smooth times. You need to try to make brew day fun or else it seems like a job. After reading all of the posts it seems we are having fun and brewing great beers to enjoy -fruits of our labor!

Agreed, I always make it a multi-purpose day by watching of sport's games, mowing yard, BBQing, and/or cleaning the house, never seems like a chore. I look forward to my brew time and the feeling of accomplishment.

Dean

 

[Pablo 54]

Goal is to start by 7AM. I get the yeast starter (if needed), brew equipment, and water additions taken care of prior to brew day.
Condition and mill grains at 7AM.
Light a cigar at 8AM.
Usually done and cleaned up having a victory beer around 1PM.

I started brewing in '99 when my kids were 7 and 6 but stopped in '02 since life happened. Picked it up again in '14 after when both kids were solidly out of the house and were not coming back to live under my roof.

It was fun brewing when the kids were little because they were excited to help but there is only so much time in the day.

 

[bracconiere]

"Very dedicated" is all I thought of while reading the above posts.
Perfect time for me to start is around 9am.

it's a labor of love....