Brew days are getting few and far between for me, despite having got my "day" down to less than 5 hours for a two corny batch I still struggle to find the odd spare five hours. So I need to change the way I brew, and make it an evening activity.
I started last night, but getting home at 7:30 it was still after 1am that 9 gallons of Wherryman's finally hit the fermenter. The slowest sparge I have ever suffered didn't help.
Are there any likely issues with mashing one evening, collecting the wort, then boiling the next evening? This would make a logical break and enable me to brew more frequently.
Can you delay the boil?
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booldawg
Re: Can you delay the boil?
Same here. I often find it difficult to get a full brew day to fit in with real life!
On my last brew I did the mash the night before and boiled the next. All you need to do is to hold the collected wort above 80C for more than 15 minutes. This will destroy any enzymic activity and ensure no more conversion takes place after the run-off from the mash tun.
The only downside is having to boil the wort from a fairly cool temperature the next day, bit of a waste of electricity but will give you a quick brew day.
On my last brew I did the mash the night before and boiled the next. All you need to do is to hold the collected wort above 80C for more than 15 minutes. This will destroy any enzymic activity and ensure no more conversion takes place after the run-off from the mash tun.
The only downside is having to boil the wort from a fairly cool temperature the next day, bit of a waste of electricity but will give you a quick brew day.
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confused
Re: Can you delay the boil?
it's good to know the option is there.
I am looking at other ways of getting the brew time down. Another 3000 horsepower will be added to the boiler tonight, that should by my estimations save about 15 mins getting to the boil. I've also been a stickler for a 90 minute mash in the past but may well reduce that to 75. That would be half an hour saved.
I already use a timer to have the HLT at temperature so I'm ready to dough in straight away.
I am looking at other ways of getting the brew time down. Another 3000 horsepower will be added to the boiler tonight, that should by my estimations save about 15 mins getting to the boil. I've also been a stickler for a 90 minute mash in the past but may well reduce that to 75. That would be half an hour saved.
I already use a timer to have the HLT at temperature so I'm ready to dough in straight away.
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booldawg
Re: Can you delay the boil?
Maybe go for a 75 minute boil as well? Just means using more hops as you lose a certain amount of utilisation.
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Andy
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Re: Can you delay the boil?
Last few brews I've done have been 60 min boils with no haze probs in the finished beer so worth considering that also.
Dan!
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delboy
Re: Can you delay the boil?
60 min mash and 60 min boil.
A 60 min mash might sound a bit short but by the time you've got it running clear and sparged its closer to 90 mins anyway i find.
A 60 min mash might sound a bit short but by the time you've got it running clear and sparged its closer to 90 mins anyway i find.
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confused
Re: Can you delay the boil?
some good points. I did think about the mash time, especially as I mash at the higher end of the temp scale. I was well chuffed with the mash and sparge last night, although the sparge seemed to take an age. One of the reasons for that is that I'm doughing in quite thick to get a 10kg grain bill in my 32l mash tun, so about 2.2l / Kg in the end. At that the tun was full - to the brim, having been carefully shimmed with bits of wood and beer mat to be perfectly level! This leaves the best part of 40 litres to be sparged.
The temperature at the start of mash was bang on 67, ended at 65, I did for about the first time hit my target for volume just as the gravity hit 1.000 (which temperature adjusts to 1.008) and hit my target wort gravity at 1.046 pre boil and bang on 1.060 post boil. Perfick!
A larger mash tun is next on the shopping list, but what is the limit for doughing in. Can you mash at 3.5l / KG for example (I usually aim for 2.5/kg), which could leave only 20 or so litres to sparge and reduce sparge time by a half.
Could you take it to the extreme and mash to the capacity of the tun, with just a small sparge? if so how would that impact on efficiency? The next mash tun is likely to be a 60l coleman coolbox so in theory would get close to handling a 50 litre batch and 10k grain bill in one go.
Re hop utilisation, when I wrote my own recipe software the utilisation tables suggest very little is drawn from the hops after 75 mins, but most commentators suggest that this period of boil after the utilisation is complete helps with the volatiles or whatever, and improves flavour.
Another brew night tonight so some of the adaptations may be implemented. hopefully I'll hit the sack a little earlier than the 2am this morning!
The temperature at the start of mash was bang on 67, ended at 65, I did for about the first time hit my target for volume just as the gravity hit 1.000 (which temperature adjusts to 1.008) and hit my target wort gravity at 1.046 pre boil and bang on 1.060 post boil. Perfick!
A larger mash tun is next on the shopping list, but what is the limit for doughing in. Can you mash at 3.5l / KG for example (I usually aim for 2.5/kg), which could leave only 20 or so litres to sparge and reduce sparge time by a half.
Could you take it to the extreme and mash to the capacity of the tun, with just a small sparge? if so how would that impact on efficiency? The next mash tun is likely to be a 60l coleman coolbox so in theory would get close to handling a 50 litre batch and 10k grain bill in one go.
Re hop utilisation, when I wrote my own recipe software the utilisation tables suggest very little is drawn from the hops after 75 mins, but most commentators suggest that this period of boil after the utilisation is complete helps with the volatiles or whatever, and improves flavour.
Another brew night tonight so some of the adaptations may be implemented. hopefully I'll hit the sack a little earlier than the 2am this morning!
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Ranting Lad
Re: Can you delay the boil?
I've done a few brews where I have done the mash and sparge in the evening then the following morning done the boil. I wrap a load of coats around the boiler to hold as much heat in as possible before I go to bed. Its a much more relaxed way to brew.
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the red devil
Re: Can you delay the boil?
Me too 
I found that leaving the sparged wort overnight allows it to settle so i can transfer it to the boiler (very cearfully) leaving any small amouts of 'floor' from the sparge behind.
Before sparging i do add 2lts of 85°C water to the mash to quickly bring up the temp. Then fly sparge, trying to keep the grain temp above 75°C.
It's seem to work
I found that leaving the sparged wort overnight allows it to settle so i can transfer it to the boiler (very cearfully) leaving any small amouts of 'floor' from the sparge behind. Before sparging i do add 2lts of 85°C water to the mash to quickly bring up the temp. Then fly sparge, trying to keep the grain temp above 75°C.
It's seem to work