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Author Topic: How long is your brew day?  (Read 11896 times)

Offline Vaxfiend

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #60 on: October 10, 2016, 11:44:34 am »
I've only brewed a few 5 gallon batches, but like most in this thread about 5 hours. That's from the kitchen looking just like it did before I started setting things up. Glad to know I'm in the ballpark!

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #61 on: October 10, 2016, 11:55:26 am »
I've only brewed a few 5 gallon batches, but like most in this thread about 5 hours. That's from the kitchen looking just like it did before I started setting things up. Glad to know I'm in the ballpark!
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Offline charles1968

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #62 on: November 06, 2016, 04:07:10 am »
Just made an interesting discovery that makes my brew day a bit shorter. If you mash overnight with the full water volume, you can skip the vorlauf as well as the sparge. Just remember to open the tap on the mash tun slowly so as not to disturb the grain bed. The wort comes out crystal clear because the grain has had so long to settle during the night. After a pint or two comes out slowly, you can open all the way and it stays clear while draining at top rate.

This makes for a very short and leisurely brew day as you can start the boil about 45 minutes after waking up. All done by about 11 a.m.

Offline f.stepanski

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #63 on: November 06, 2016, 07:01:11 am »
Five to six hours.  (that does not include measuring hops, crushing grain, calibrating PH meter all which I do the night before)  Brew 5 gallon batches,  setup is stored in a walkout basement; I set equipment up in driveway for brewing.
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Offline bierview

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #64 on: November 06, 2016, 08:33:04 am »
Five gallon batches. Six hours including cleanup

Offline brewinhard

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #65 on: November 06, 2016, 10:45:47 am »
Just made an interesting discovery that makes my brew day a bit shorter. If you mash overnight with the full water volume, you can skip the vorlauf as well as the sparge. Just remember to open the tap on the mash tun slowly so as not to disturb the grain bed. The wort comes out crystal clear because the grain has had so long to settle during the night. After a pint or two comes out slowly, you can open all the way and it stays clear while draining at top rate.

This makes for a very short and leisurely brew day as you can start the boil about 45 minutes after waking up. All done by about 11 a.m.

What temp does that mash drop to by the morning?  Has got to be in the range for lacto to grow, wouldn't you think?  Have you noticed any issues with extra acid production or a sour tasting wort?

Offline charles1968

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #66 on: November 06, 2016, 11:34:27 am »
Just made an interesting discovery that makes my brew day a bit shorter. If you mash overnight with the full water volume, you can skip the vorlauf as well as the sparge. Just remember to open the tap on the mash tun slowly so as not to disturb the grain bed. The wort comes out crystal clear because the grain has had so long to settle during the night. After a pint or two comes out slowly, you can open all the way and it stays clear while draining at top rate.

This makes for a very short and leisurely brew day as you can start the boil about 45 minutes after waking up. All done by about 11 a.m.

What temp does that mash drop to by the morning?  Has got to be in the range for lacto to grow, wouldn't you think?  Have you noticed any issues with extra acid production or a sour tasting wort?

It drops to about 135-140 Fahrenheit using a cooler box mash tun with extra insulation (coat + sleeping bag). One of the benefits of mashing in the full liquor volume is higher thermal mass and more stable temp. I haven't had any sourness.

Bear in mind mash temp is close to standard pasteurisation temperatures. Viable bacteria numbers will be low unless the stands stands for a fair amount of time under 120F.
« Last Edit: November 06, 2016, 11:37:32 am by charles1968 »

Offline corkybstewart

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #67 on: January 11, 2017, 05:13:11 pm »
In the old days with one burner and 2 pots it took up to 8 hours for a 5 gallon batch.  Now with my 3-tiered system I do 10 gallon batches in 5-6 hours.  But I really don't pay much attention to the time, brewing is fun and relaxing, it's my quiet time alone in the garage so I'm usually not in a hurry.  But it also depends on what I'm brewing.  Sparging a beer with a very high percentage of oats, rye or wheat takes longer, even with rice hulls.  Sparging a 10 gallon batch of Imperial stout or Belgian quad with 35+ pounds of grain in the mash tun takes a while, you just can't get in a hurry.
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Offline Phil_M

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #68 on: January 12, 2017, 05:27:26 am »
If I do everything in one day, 6-8 hours, depending on mash/boil length. That includes water prep, weighing everything out, milling, setting all my equipment up, cleaning, etc. A significant reason for the length is running all over the condo gathering and setting up all my gear...I envy those with a dedicated space.

I brew 5 or 10 gallons batches.
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Offline 802Chris

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #69 on: January 12, 2017, 06:58:08 am »
Just made an interesting discovery that makes my brew day a bit shorter. If you mash overnight with the full water volume, you can skip the vorlauf as well as the sparge. Just remember to open the tap on the mash tun slowly so as not to disturb the grain bed. The wort comes out crystal clear because the grain has had so long to settle during the night. After a pint or two comes out slowly, you can open all the way and it stays clear while draining at top rate.

This makes for a very short and leisurely brew day as you can start the boil about 45 minutes after waking up. All done by about 11 a.m.


I have been doing this for quite a while myself. About a year with roughly 18-20 batches so far. I have noticed no real negative side affects, except for some ridiculously high efficiency which I am actually working to LOWER, in order to retain some more body in beers that require some more mouthfeel. (The wort produced is VERY clear and VERY fermentable.

I typically mash in @ 155ish. With an overnight in the cooler and an early morning brew day, I usually find my wort at 145-148 in the morning. If I go flame on at 0730 I am DONE completely by 10am with a single sparge. I am trying no sparge this weekend using a brewbag cooler bag to attack some time and possibly lower efficiency. I plan on cutting that down by half an hour minimum.

Offline brick pig

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #70 on: January 12, 2017, 07:17:38 am »
I do extract brewing. If I really stick to business I can get it done in 3 hours, from hauling the equipment up from the basement to hauling it all back down there afterwards. But I try not to brew under-the-gun like that. A nice, relaxed brew day with maybe a friend or two dropping by to sip and assist usually takes me more like 3 1/2 or 4 hours.
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Offline Peculiar Thomas

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Re: How long is your brew day?
« Reply #71 on: January 12, 2017, 10:00:17 am »
I am an all grain brewer. At present, my ideal brew day is about 4 to 5 hours. This excludes preparing a starter which a do several days before and milling my grains which I do the night before. It includes bringing all my gear up. I am an electric brewer and use my kitchen. I have a 2250w element in my kettle but still use my stove top to heat my strike and sparge water. I try to clean as I go but usually still have 45 minutes or so of cleaning up at the end, that I count in my total.

I have started working on my lauter and sparge after seeing some discussions that treating that step roughly equally in time to mash and boil rather than rushing through can help efficiency. Right now, that plus length of boil probably have the most effect on the duration of my brew day.

At some point in the near future I want to get my cellar into shape so that I can upgrade to a RIMS for mashing and to install a utility sink, filtration, ventilation and a sculpture so I can streamline set up and tear down.