How long is your brew day?

[Truman42]

Ive worked out my average brew day is around 5 hours long broken down into the following.

1. Heat strike water 30 mins
2. Transfer strike water and dough in. 10 mins
3. Step mash 80 mins
4. Transfer 1st runnings to kettle, transfer sparge water from HLT and 10 min batch sparge, transfer sparge to kettle 20 mins
5. Bring wort to boil and 90 min boil 115 mins
6. Stand at flame out 10 mins
7. whirlpool 10 mins
8. Transfer to kettle via chiller 10 mins
9. Oxygenate wort and pitch yeast, setup in fermenting fridge with stc1000. 10 mins.

Total brew day approx 5 hours. Ive shortened this as much as possible without sacrificing quality eg (Prefer a step mash and a 90 min boil for most of my brews.) By adding a second elment to my HLT I cut out 30 mins. I tried fly sparging but took longer so went back to batch sparge, plus Im now single level again so would need 2 pumps to fly sparge. i still got 88% mash efficiency with a batch sparge and 75% brewhouse so happy with that.

So those of you who do a step mash, 90 min boil, and single batch sparge how long is your brew day?

 

[wbosher]

I BIAB and mine is about the same.

1. Heat strike water 20 - 30 mins
2. Dough in. 10 mins
3. Mash 90 mins
4 Mashout and lift bag 20
5. Bring wort to boil and 60 min boil 70 mins
6. Chill 15 mins
7. whirlpool 20 mins
8. Transfer to fermenter 10 mins
9. Oxygenate wort and pitch yeast, setup in fermenting fridge with stc1000. 10 mins.

Misc - set up, clean up etc...about 30 mins

 

[spryzie]

Put water on heat. Mill grain. 30 minutes.

Begin mash at 55c, stir for 5 mins, ramp to sach rest for 10m mins stirring constantly.

Watch Doctor Who for 25 mins.

Ramp while stirring to next rest for 10 mins.

Watch the last half of Doctor Who for 25 mins.

Ramp while stirring to mash out for 10 mins.

Pull bag, "sparge". 15 minutes.

Bring to boil. 25 minutes.

Boil. 60 minutes.

Fill cube. 5 minutes.

Clean up.

Think to myself, bugger it, I'll bottle next week and pitch the cube then.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

24 hours, same as my non brew days.

 

[Phillo]

Yesterday went for about 5 hours. Unsure of how long all the different stages take me, but I'll pay more attention next time.

 

[wbosher]

Yesterday went for about 5 hours. Unsure of how long all the different stages take me, but I'll pay more attention next time.

I just guessed mine...but seems pretty close. Never really thought how long each step took before this.

 

[pist]

Just done my first one last weekend (BIAB).

Started at 5AM, finished up around 2pm (including clean up).
It was a fairly inefficient day time wise, as I was just winging it pretty much and was unorganised to a certain extent.
Ive got a bit more of an idea what I need to do now, so next one should be a bit quicker.

 

[wbosher]

Sound like my first one :lol: ...yeah, it will get quicker one you get the process sussed.

 

[Camo6]

5-6 hours minimum. But that usually includes last minute recipe formulation, weighing and milling grains, 90min mash and boil, immersion chilling and cleanup. Also if I start in the avo I'm usually half cut by the end and this probably adds another half hour or so of fluffing around.

 

[WarmBeer]

Shortest ever was 3.5 hours. Average is about 5 hours.

I tend to work my brew day/evening in amongst other activities. An hour mash/hour boil gives plenty of time to get the kids off to bed, or get some gardening done if brewing in the afternoon.

 

[Pickaxe]

5 hours here roughly too.

 

[JDW81]

Depends.

If it is a single infusion, batch sparge and 60 minute boil then I'm usually cleaned up and done in about 4 hours.

Last brew day, with a double decoction, was closer to 7 by the time all my stuff was scrubbed and put away.

 

[Rocker1986]

Usually takes about 5-6 hours for me. I do BIAB. I mill the grains while the water is heating up to strike temp. I haven't really bothered to time anything apart from the 90 min mash and usually 75-80 min boil. Things like how long it takes to heat up I don't really care about.. that's the time to either clean up stuff I don't need to use anymore on the day, or have a beer and relax. I guess I'm not that short on time when I do a brew day so I just tend to plod along at my own pace, can't rush a good thing.

 

[donburke]

for an 85 litre batch

1 hour night before to fill vessels with water, weigh salts and weigh and mill grains

4-5 hours on brew day if no chilling, depending on mash/boil length, includes clean up

6-7 hours on brew day if chilling, all pitched and cleaned up

i dont start drinking until everything is complete, cleaned and packed up, i enjoy it more then :chug:

 

[warra48]

If I weigh and mill the grains the day before, and fill the HLT ready to go, then about 5 hours to do a brew.

If I need to do all on the same day, it takes about 6 hours to do a brew.

Having said all that, Black Devil Dog is correct. Every day has 24 hours, no matter what you do to fill that day.

 

[JDW81]

i dont start drinking until everything is complete, cleaned and packed up, i enjoy it more then :chug:

I'm not quite that disciplined. My rule is no drinking before the boil starts.

 

[yum beer]

5-6 hours dependant on mash and boil schedules.
Generally first drink when the boil starts, if not going to work after.

 

[Truman42]

I'm not quite that disciplined. My rule is no drinking before the boil starts.

I crack my first after Ive filled my HLT. But must admit I drink fairly slowly as Im doing other things so might only drink 3 or 4 in a brew day. And nothing thats too strong.

 

[Camo6]

Me too. Only start after mash in and lucky if i have more than 4 or 5 jugs.

 

[wbosher]

First beer when I have doughed in (depending on the time, I don't drink before 10 am ). Although I take it pretty easy until I'm into the boil.