I totally get the time consumption thing. That’s why I generally brew two (usually different) 5-gallon batches at once. It does require further investment in a 20-gallon hot liquor tank and a second mash tun, burner, kettle, and fermenter but I have found it to be very worthwhile. Keeping all the plates spinning at the same time, so to speak, also prevents me from sitting too much and drinking too much while I brew. I expect to spend 6 to 7 hours brewing and end up with 10 gallons of beer.
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All of the replies so far are pretty good suggestions. I use a glass carboy and have only broke 1 in 20 years of brewing and that happen because I hit one with another one when putting into my fermentation chamber. I clean up after my brew day really good and don’t use soap. I rinse the day of brewing and sanitize with Star San. PMW or a home made version with Oxiclean and Red Devil TSP/90 works awesome for cleaning any organics. It cleans coffee stains from my stainless coffee mug like a champ. 3 lbs of Oxiclean to 1 lb TSP. Store the TSP in an air tight container because it will absorb moisture and turn into a rock. I plan on a 6 hour brew day: setup, brew and clean up. I still use a 10 gallon cooler for a mash tun and large stainless kettle for boiling. No pumps and a copper coil wort chiller. Don’t wait to clean especially a fermenter. Keep brewing.
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Concur with this statement. Clean after brewing on brew day really good and rinse and sanitize on the next brew day.
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I concur with cleaning as quickly as possible. I use time during the brew to clean up as I go, such as rinsing out the malt pipe of my all-in-one after the mash and putting away additions and unused hops. My recirculating chiller has taken time off my brew day not only by chilling faster than my old method of putting the kettle into a larger kettle filled with ice water and whirlpooling with a large whisk, but also by being largely hands-off, freeing my hands for cleaning tasks. Also, brewing smaller batches (all mine are in the 2 - 3 gallon range) makes the brew day easier and I think shorter.
I have never used glass carboys and don’t plan to. You might want to read this story of a carboy mishap. I use high-quality food-grade plastic buckets for fermenters, drilled for airlocks and spigots. I wash them with scentless oxygen cleaner, using sponges or an old washcloth. If/when I feel the need to replace them, I may get a Speidel plastic fermenter or a used corny keg… or I may just buy more buckets.
In terms of impact on your family, you might consider what time you start your brew day. Mine typically begins ca. 6 am, when I make a cup of coffee and begin heating the strike water, measured out the previous day. That’s also when I measure out hops and other additions and put them in containers labeled with their contents and the times they go in, and sanitize my (previously cleaned) fermenter and other gear. Even without rushing the process, and sometimes with 90-minute boils, I am done by 1 pm at the latest.
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First off, sanitizing of your hot side equipment is not really necessary, as the boil process will take care of the germs and other contamination. I do aggressively clean as you do immediately after brewing, and do sanitize my chiller as it is the interface between hot and cold. But I do not go any further on my hot side gear (I do however sanitize my fermenters as you stated…)
As to the timing on brew day, there are things you really can’t avoid…60 minutes for the mash is a minimum, and 60 minutes for the boil as well. With your 3.5 hour request this leaves you just 1.5 hours to heat your water to mash temp, do your sparge, heat the wort in the Boil Kettle to boiling, do your whirlpool and settling of the wort after boiling, transfer to fermenter and clean.
I have a three vessel 20 gallon system from Spike, and I can get it done in about 6.5 to 7.0 hours from power on to finish of cleaning.
Times certainly vary depending on power to the system (110 vs 220 V) the size of the system, and water temp at start of boil. But getting it done in 3.5 hours would almost certainly necessitate skipping or shortening some of the steps.
Brew On!!!
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Mash and boil times are not set in stone. Although 60 for both is traditional, I’ve done 20/20 with good results.
Clean as you go. This is the way.
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+1. I do the same. While the boil is going i clean my mash tun and RIMS recirculation equipment with caustic at 150 degrees. I also use the RIMS heater to keep the cleaning solution hot and transfer it to the kettle after chilling the wort to clean it and the chiller.
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Thanks to everyone who posted! I’ve gleaned helpful tips from a bunch of these contributions! I’m going to start earlier in the morning too in order to free up time.
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I like to get started no later than 9 AM so I’m done by 12-1 PM. Setting up the day before facilitates the early start.
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