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Author Topic: How long is your brew day?  (Read 11894 times)

Offline piersonm

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How long is your brew day?
« on: September 26, 2016, 05:47:33 am »
When I first started all-grain brewing 4 years ago, I had to set aside 8 hours of my day.  Yesterday, with the help of my friend, we did a batch in just over 3.5 hours.  That included setup, actual brewing, and clean up.  Just curious on what other people do! Cheers
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Offline pete b

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2016, 06:07:13 am »
Batch sparge 5 gallon batch, not including recipe formulation and acquiring ingredients is about 5.5 hours. 2.5 gallon Biab in kitchen is 3 hours. I am hampered by not having a dedicated brewery. If I had a dedicated brewery I would brew way more often because right now brewing isn't as fun as it could be given that I have to spend a lot of time lugging things back and forth and clean up is not ideal.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2016, 10:55:22 am by pete b »
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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2016, 06:23:37 am »
I batch sparge - a 60 minute mash, 60 minute boil takes me ~ 4.5 hours including clean up (longer for longer mashes or boils obviously). I make use of all my down time time to clean up and store whatever possible during the process, to save time.
Jon H.

Offline dls5492

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2016, 06:52:25 am »
5 hours from start to end of clean up.
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Offline fmader

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2016, 07:07:18 am »
I do 11 gallon batches. Brew days range from 5 to 6 hours.... Depends on how long my whirlpool is  ;)
Frank

Offline skyler

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2016, 08:09:01 am »
So much depends on the groundwater temperature for me. I don't get hot water outside, just hose water, so I have to heat my strike water with my kettle. Usually I do this while I weigh and mill my grain and gather and prepare everything else. But sometimes it takes well over an hour (it takes a long time to get 40ยบ water up to ~170. So that starting point is 30-90 mins for everything up to mash-in, this is followed by 60 mins to mash, then I run off the first runnings into the kettle and start heating the first runnings while I batch sparge. From the end of mash till boiling usually takes 30 mins. I do 90-min boils about half the time now, and the rest of the time I do 60 min boils, so 60-90 mins for boil. If it's not a hoppy style, chilling wort takes 20-90 minutes, depending on the groundwater temperature. If it is a hoppy style, there will be 30-90 mins of hop standing, often in two stages (flame-out to ~180, then chilled down to >150 and another 30 minutes). Filling the fermenters and cleaning the kettle will be another 20-45 minutes.

So this can be an absolute minimum of 2 hours 40 minutes (very rare) to a max of 7 hours for that 96% pilsner malt session IPA in July.

Offline JJeffers09

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #6 on: September 26, 2016, 08:10:28 am »
Depends on my mash schedule... single infusion 8 gal batch sparge 70min boil in a SV setup and water profile adjustments ~5 hours with clean up

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Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2016, 08:22:23 am »
About 5 hours minimum, all grain 10 gallons, to 12+ hours for a triple decoction with a long boil (not doing that again).
Jeff Rankert
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Offline muzak

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #8 on: September 26, 2016, 08:23:58 am »
Usually about 4 hours start to finish.

I start heating the strike water while I bring everything out. Mill the grains. Mash in for 60 minutes and start heating sparge water during the mash. I then vorlauf and start filling the kettle, which is already on the burner. I then boil for 60 minutes. I immediately start cleaning and putting away equipment during the boil. Turn off flame, hook up Plate chiller and chill in one 5-10 min pass. Put carboy in the Fermentation chamber and clean the remaining equipment.

I've done it in 3 hours before, with a 30 min mash and 30 min boil.
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Offline deadpoetic0077

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #9 on: September 26, 2016, 08:29:53 am »
For me its usually around 4-5 hours. I do BIAB. I typically have all my ingredients ready the day before though. While everything is heating up I sanitize everything. while the wort is chilling I clean up cause I use the ice bath to chill it.

Online ynotbrusum

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #10 on: September 26, 2016, 08:35:31 am »
5 hours for 10 gallons - getting to a boil with 11.5 -12 gallons or so takes some propane energy and some time, even with a big burner; though I have done 2 ten gallon batches in 6.5 hours, by planning it out well.  I also pre-treat water the night before and heat strike water using a bucket heater stick on a timer, so I hit the ground running usually.  I don't rush anymore, but I have my system and process down fairly well.  if I get a visitor, it usually extends the time significantly, because I don't get all the simultaneous processes done.  I like to clean as I go, for sure, as noted by others...that was the real time savings.
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Offline kramerog

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #11 on: September 26, 2016, 09:00:19 am »
~7 hours for 10-11 gallons although I'm looking to knock off 30-45 minutes with my new mill replacing my Corona mill and maybe another 30-45 minutes by fine tuning the mash, sparge and heat to boil.

Offline Visor

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #12 on: September 26, 2016, 09:02:09 am »
About 6 to 8 hours, depending mostly on how bad my cranial rectalitus is that day. That's including clean up, grain is usually weighed and ground the day before. I brew upstairs and ferment and store everything downstairs cuz that's the most inconvenient set-up I could devise. With 60 plus gravity beers 6 1/2 gallons into the fermenter is about all my setup allows, and at my advanced age & level of decrepitude, I'm really not interested in trying to pack more than 6 or 7 gallons down the stairs by myself.
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Offline 69franx

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #13 on: September 26, 2016, 09:03:23 am »
My 5.5-6 gallon batches with batch sparge are usually 5-6 hours from flame on to cleaned up afterwards. I do measure out and portion grain, hops, and water treatment chemicals the night before. I usually mill while strike water is heating. I am not usually in a rush, so I am happy with my time frame
Frank L.
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Offline Stevie

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #14 on: September 26, 2016, 09:08:52 am »
5-6 hours is typical. Add time for longer or bigger boils and longer mash times