Cutting Brew Time

[Maltmaniac]

Well one of the biggest time savers I found was that with a combi boiler in my house, which is a sealed supply, I can get a head start by using the hot water from the tap which is then heated to mash temp, I brew outside and this shaves at least half an hour off. I have not noticed any difference in the final product and will continue this method until I do.

That said I never really worry as the day is normally used up pretty much no matter what you try, especially if your using a warm hop steep after the boil. Helps if SWMBO has different days off so she isn't there trying to get other things done so the time is your own. Then break out the beer and relax and admire the full fermenter.

One of these days I'll even find time to take some decent pictures and post.

[Wezzel]

I weigh out the grains, set all the equipment up, pour some boiling water into the mash tun, fill the boiler and test/treat the water the previous evening. I then plug the boiler into a timer, set the alarm and go to bed.

In the morning at about 7am when the alarm goes off the strike water is already up to temp. I mash in, make a cuppa and go back to bed to read the paper!

Mash is done by soon after 9am. While I am sparging, the boiler is already fired up so the boil gets going quickly. All in all I am usually done and cleaned up soon after midday!

Simples!

[TC2642]

If you want to shorten the brewday you can start heating the copper as soon as you start collecting wort from sparge/filtration. I managed to save ~30 mins using this trick. 60 mins mash should be enough with modern malts and with good pH control, but I'd not shorten boil time below 70 mins, 60 mins is really a minimum to get proper hot break. The longer wort is boiling, the more proteins is denaturated.

Seconded here, pour my first runnings in when I'm halfway through the first batch sparge and then add in 5ltr increments.

I usually do 60/60 or 60/90 depending on how much I estimate I will be left with after the boil.

[boingy]

Encouraged by my previous split brew day, tomorrow morning I will get up somewhere between 5.30am and 6.00am, blindly stumble to the garage (hopefully having remembered to put a few clothes on), open the tap on my HLT that will have started heating at 2am, add 24 litres of 79C water to the mash tun, tip in the already-weighed grains, give it a stir, stick the lid on and return to the house for a coffee, a sh***, a shave and a shower then about an hour later I will batch sparge into the boiler, chuck in the hops (sorta first wort hopping), stick the lid on and (hopefully) make it to work on time.

It's a short day Friday so the gas will get lit at about 3pm and I should be sorted by about 5pm, yeast pitched, kit washed and stashed. That's the plan anyway. Oh, and during the boil I need to clean and fill two cornies with the porter that is currently occupying the FV. I just don't have any spare weekend days at the moment....

I'm attempting a dark lager. Not my usual kind of thing. What's the worst that can happen?

[dedken]

Considering that most conversion takes place in the first 10 minutes of the mash, you could gain some time here. I've done 40min mashes before without issue. It might be an issue if you want a full bodied beer though.

Don't cut boil time to less than 60min or you might not achieve hot break.

[Rookie]

I switched to 45/45 several years ago and there was no drop in quality. Last year I served my house beer at a home brew fest and it was voted best beer of group B (brewers with over three years experience).

[Rick_UK]

If you have a combi boiler, turn it up to full and fill yr hlt from the hot tap. This will reduce your mash and sparge water heating time by 75%ish.


Rick

[floydmeddler]

I do a 70 min mash and the boil varies depending on how much is in my boiler in order for me to hit my target O.G.