What time do you most often start your all-grain brew day? Why?
I start heating the strike water @ 5AM because I like to be finished brewing by 10AM and at the latest noon.
Though every now and then I’ll do an afternoon or evening brew.
If i am brewing with my club, we start around 11 AM. If i am brewing solo, i generally start around 8 AM.
Probably around 8 or 9 AM usually. Whenever I wake up usually. Not waking up to an alarm to brew.
I usually prefer to gather all my equipment and supplies the night before. Then when I get up early, I can start while the wife and kids are still sleeping. I brew in the house on the stove so I try and be quiet.
Same here. I don’t set an alarm. I have two canine alarms that wake me up by 8am anyway to let them out. I have everything laid out, hops and salts weighed the night before.
I generally sit around, drink some coffee, watch the news, eat something, get things in order on the iPad/computer for my recipe and then start around 9-10am. It helps that I have an indoor brew room, so there is really not any “set up” required. Just walk down stairs and start brewing.
About the same here get starter and water with additions laid out the night before. Always up early (5am) this time of year will go fish for a couple hours come home get some grub check emails and news,get the water going and make some Beer! Shoot some arrows and perhaps go fishing again before dusk.
Starting after noon-time is pushing it. Unless it’s a quickie extract batch.
+1 to being prepared. Grain milled, water and other ingredients gathered, equipment at hand and functional before brewday.
I take a half day every three weeks on Fridays to brew. To difficult to brew on the weekends with the family around.
I drop my son off at school at 8:42, so the strike water gets turned on around 9AM. Depending on whether there are extended whirlpools or not, I’m usually done by the time I leave to pick him up.
I used to set up the night before, but the less the wife sees of my brew gear in the kitchen, the happier everyone is 
Now I have it down so I weigh and mill my grain while I heat the strike water, weigh my hops during the mash, clean up the mash tun/drill/mill/hops/etc during the boil and sanitize my fermenter while chilling. Brew day is busier, but there is less bleedover into family time that way.
I start about 7:30 to help ensure I’m done around lunch maybe even a late lunch. I try to have as much done the day before to help ensure this.
Always Brew on a Sunday for no reason. It just seems like a good day.
Varies with many contributing factors.
I only brew on Friday or Saturday nights, and I start at 7 which is when the baby goes to bed (at least she did until a couple of weeks ago). That way my wife doesn’t have to be the sole caregiver for the 6 hours it takes me to get a batch done.
It’s a little rough, because it means I don’t get to bed until around 1 in the morning, and I usually get up around 6:30.
Before we had a baby, I would start around 10 or 11 in the morning.
I’m actually brewing right now. It’s a little after 10 p.m. here, and I’ve got an hour left to go on the boil.
You all are a bunch of crazy mad fools. Apparently I’m the lone dude who starts between 2:00 and 4:00pm. I prefer my brewing after coffee …and lunch it would appear.
I like to start at soon as possible. Sometimes 6 or 7 AM. That way I drink coffee when I brew. If I start in the afternoon I tend to want to drink my homebrew. I prefer not to drink and brew.
I brew every other Sunday morning. I start around 7:00am an usually finish cleanup around 12:30-1:00.
I’m all over the map. I often try to brew on weeknights because my weekends are rather full… I can get home around 5:15 (7 minute commute) and be have a 2.5 gallon biab batch in the fermenter and be cleaned up by 9:00. Yeast gets pitched in the morning. When I have the time on the weekend my preference is to have my grain milled and strike water in the kettle the night before for a full size batch sparge. Usually I’m up around 7:30 and I turn on the strike water and pour some coffee, brew, then time for lunch and the next thing. I’ll also occasionally brew Saturday afternoon after doing a project in the morning. Now and then I take off work early Friday and brew into the evening. Once the wort is boiling I get on the outside of a beer or three.
I prep the grain and water the night before and try to setup my brewing area. Then I roll-out around 5AM the next morning, grab a cup of coffee and start heating water.
I brew two all grain batches each time I brew and starting early gets me done around 1:00.
I used to take my kids to school and had to time things around the drive. 5AM worked to the 1st batch cooling while the second is still in the mash. The kids are driving themselves (or in college) now but I still brew on the same schedule. Old dogs, new tricks and the like. ;D
Paul
This, but not as often (I wish more though).
I do the same. Also, I couldn’t agree with you more about not drinking and brewing. I think it is wise since you’re dealing with hot wort and propane which produces CO.