It is hard to pin down when my "brewing" actually begins. I think about brewing a couple times a week, but obviously don't brew that often.
I run water through my RO filter the night before. Though part of the brewing process I don't consider that the start of "brewing" because it is at least 12 hours before anything else in the process.
It can't be at the purchase of materials, because I buy in bulk. I have some ingredients that have been here for 6 months or longer.
It can't be when I get a starter going because I do that 2 or 3 days before brew day.
Milling my grain is often done done the day before. If I do it the same day it is after I fire up my HLT.
I guess, in general, my "brewing" starts when I start heating water in my HLT. However, I use an electric heat stick in my HLT and sometimes put it on an appliance timer to start heating the water before I even wake up in the morning. Does time spent still asleep count as "brewing"? Did it start the night before when I set it up on the timer?
By some of the choices offered in the poll, the length of my brew day ranges from 4 hours to 3 days or longer. When I bother to time the length of my brew day, I usually measure it from the time I fire up the HLT (or mash in if I did it with a timer) until I finish cleaning up after putting the wort in the fermenter. For a typical 5 gallon all grain batch it averages 4.5-5 hours. I can do it in 4 hours, but then it becomes a chore. If it takes much longer than 5 hours, it means I have been drinking a bunch of beer and I tend to make mistakes.
Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company
