[gmac]

I've got everything together for my first all grain batch.  Gonna do a batch sparge on a 5 gal batch.  Just wondering how much time this takes or should take.  I expect to be 50% longer since it's my first attempt but I'm a bit nervous about getting started.

Also, I remember reading somewhere that you shouldn't grind grain where you brew.  Is this true?  I can't see how it would matter because we try so hard to keep bacteria etc out of the carboy anyway.  I don't have a lot of extra room.

I'll take some pictures as I go if you're interested.
Wish me luck.
Graham

[gordonstrong]

Probably 5 or 6 hours, depending on how fast you can bring things to a boil.

Clean and sanitize your carboy and cover it with foil, plastic wrap, or a stopper.   Doesn't matter where you crush your grain.  Whatever is easiest for your overall process. You have to move it around.

[saintpierre]

Correct me if I am wrong but, I have heard not to crush grain where you ferment.  However, I don't see it as a issue if you sanitize your carboy and cover as Gordon says. I wouldn't crush grain near an open fermenter thought...

[hopfenundmalz]

The concern is due to the lactobacillus that are on the grain husk.  Dust from the grinding operation can cause problems in production breweries.  Lots of dust (well, in some), many batches of beer in various states of fermentation in the brewhouse.  

I grind the grain in the garage, and I brew in the garage.  Most of the dust comes from the dough in at the mash tun.  The dust has settled by the end of the boil, it seems.   No problems.  I am with Gordon on this, nothing to get excited about on the homebrewing level.

Edit - as far as time goes, yesterday's 10 gallon batch was 5 hours, 10 min.   1.044 Best Bitter that was batch sparged, one hour boil.   Could have done a coiuple of things faster, though.

One the other end was the Bo-Pils that had a doiuble decoction and 2 hour+ boil, and was cooled down to 40F to pitch.  That was a 10.5 hour day.  I will do that again if the beer turns out good.

[Slowbrew]

If I'm brewing just one beer it takes between 4.5 and 6 hours.  If I'm doing 2 in one session it will take a bit over 7 hours.  Setup and cleaning up are about the same.

+1 on the comments about where to grind the grain.

Paul

[denny]

For me, a normal single infusion brew takes 4.5-5 hours from running the mash water til finishing the cleanup.

[gmac]

Thanks everyone.  Grain is ground and is mashing right now.  Probably screwed it up already.  I have two thermometers.  One is very slow to come to temperature but I think it's the more accurate of the two.  I heated my water and added it but I think it was too hot.  Probably close to 180 when I added it.  I had to add 6 cups of cold water to bring it down closer to the 154 temp I was shooting for.  What are the ramifications of having it too hot for a few minutes?  Would I have killed all my enzymes in that short a time?  It was probably about 170 before I added the water.

[euge]

Hmmm. I want to say "maybe" and "depends". You'll know after primary fermentation...

I grind my grain in the garage where my main brewery is. The flour dust has settled long before it's a potential problem. That being said I don't let grain get near my fermenters.

Doing 12 gallon batches without any prep at all takes anywhere from 7 to 12 hours depending on my mood, what I'm brewing and how much I might drink during the session. Usually I won't touch a drop until the wort is in the BK.

My last 2.5 gallon AG test batch took about 3 hours. I mashed longer than one hour, but cut my boil to 45 minutes after the break, when I added my bittering charge.

And back to the grinding grain. I'm beginning to have a beef with my Barley Crusher. It took me longer to crush 4# of 2-row by hand than to do 20# with a drill. But that's another thread...

[bluesman]

My brew day averages between 6-8 hours from start to finish including prep time and cleanup. I take my time (safety first) and I'm fairly organized so it's pretty methodical for me. There are gaps of time between mashing and boiling that can be used for various other tasks or just relaxing.

I grind and brew together in my garage and don't see it as a concern. Just be wary of any potential contamination issues and you'll be fine.

[gmac]

Thanks.  Any comments on my temperature issue?  That's a new thing to be worried about.  And I checked the mash pH.  Something else to be worried about.  Who came up with that "Relax, don't worry....." phrase?  I'm having trouble following that advice.

[akr71]

Thanks.  Any comments on my temperature issue?  That's a new thing to be worried about.  And I checked the mash pH.  Something else to be worried about.  Who came up with that "Relax, don't worry....." phrase?  I'm having trouble following that advice.

That's Charlie Papazian - its great advice, it just takes a few batches to loosen up a little.  As far as your temps go - if you got the cold water in there quickly, you should be ok.  Maybe let the mash sit a while longer if you are really concerned.  I doubt you would have denatured all the enzymes that quickly.  Time will tell though...

[tschmidlin]

Don't grind a lot of grain in an enclosed space near an open flame.

Re: your temp, it's not ideal but it should be fine.

[Slowbrew]

Thanks.  Any comments on my temperature issue?  That's a new thing to be worried about.  And I checked the mash pH.  Something else to be worried about.  Who came up with that "Relax, don't worry....." phrase?  I'm having trouble following that advice.

If it was only for a few minutes then I'm assuming your going to do fine.  

Denaturing enzymes is not an instantaneous event.  It occurs over time and during that time you were cooling it down.  Next time you'll know to shave a few (3 or 4) degrees off your mash in water temp.  As Mrs. Ford in Third grade used to say "mistakes are how we learn" just before the eraser caught you in the back of the head.  

Paul

[denny]

What are the ramifications of having it too hot for a few minutes?  Would I have killed all my enzymes in that short a time?  It was probably about 170 before I added the water.

If it was just a few minutes, I'd say little damage was done.

[gmac]

Whew...Thanks everyone.  Especially Euge for talking me off the ledge 

It is sparging right now.  I'll have to post a shot of the fitting that my friend made me (basically he machined a fitting that fits a tap on the outside of the coleman extreme and adapts to fit the hose on the inside.  All one piece bronze with a built in o-ring to ensure no leaks).  It's working amazingly well.  Very quick and easy and thanks to Denny too for all the advice.

Tastes sweet so that's something I guess.  Now just have to boil for an hour.  Wonder what I can screw up during that stage?