Next Level

[Fast_Eddy]

Very soon I'm moving to the next level, out of necessity - all grain 10 gallon batches.

Anybody here do all grain 10 gallons at a time? I want to know how you approached it - what equipment you're using, etc.

[BucksBrew]

I barely have time to do extract kits with a wife and 2 kids under 5 yrs. old!

It might be a few years before I go to all grain.

I'll do kits, maybe double it up since it won't add much more time anyhow.

Next is the freezer with temp control. Question is finding a spot to put a 12.8 cu. ft. freezer without the wife throwing a fit. I don't have a basement and I don't want to put it upstairs. Although I may have to at this point.

[bigmf]

Originally posted by BucksBrew
I barely have time to do extract kits with a wife and 2 kids under 5 yrs. old!

It might be a few years before I go to all grain.

I am in the exact same situation. Sometimes a full one hour boil is far too much time, and I have to go with a full wort brew from brewhouse. (just add 6 litres of water!)

M.

[BucksBrew]

Originally posted by bigmf
I am in the exact same situation. Sometimes a full one hour boil is far too much time, and I have to go with a full wort brew from brewhouse. (just add 6 litres of water!)

M.

I don't have an area to store, sanitize and cook. So I have to clean up the kitchen, set up the Turkey Fryer, drag everything into the garage and start. I'm at 3 hours start to finish. I'm working on fine tuning brewday to less time. Not that I don't like being alone drinking beer and making beer and smoking cigars!

Weekends are tough with the kids, the last two batches I've done during the week after work. 6-9PM!

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by BucksBrew
I barely have time to do extract kits with a wife and 2 kids under 5 yrs. old!

It might be a few years before I go to all grain.

I'll do kits, maybe double it up since it won't add much more time anyhow.

Next is the freezer with temp control. Question is finding a spot to put a 12.8 cu. ft. freezer without the wife throwing a fit. I don't have a basement and I don't want to put it upstairs. Although I may have to at this point.

All grain is not much more difficult or time consuming(I have my 5 gallon grain batches down to 4-4.5 hours flat start to finish) - I too have a wife and two kids(3 and 6 years old). You have an hour of wait time during the mash which you can be playing with kids or talking to the wife, etc.

[BucksBrew]

Originally posted by Fast_Eddy
All grain is not much more difficult or time consuming(I have my 5 gallon grain batches down to 4-4.5 hours flat start to finish) - I too have a wife and two kids(3 and 6 years old). You have an hour of wait time during the mash which you can be playing with kids or talking to the wife, etc.

That doesn't sound so bad. I thought it was a 6-8 hr. process.

I've seen some inexpensive All Grain starter kits out there.

Thanks for the info.

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by BucksBrew
That doesn't sound so bad. I thought it was a 6-8 hr. process.

I've seen some inexpensive All Grain starter kits out there.

Thanks for the info.

To hit the 4-4.5 hours you have to hustle. There's still plenty of time to drink beer - but you have to make sure everything is ready to go when it's time for it. And be willing to do some cleaning while things are mashing or boiling or cooling down. Here's how it breaks down for me:

-----------

20 minutes to bring strike water to mash temp - filling HLT and adjusting PH while it the mash water is heating up. Start sparge water heating.

10 minutes dough in

10 minute fiddling around time

60 minute mash

10 minute fiddling around time

40-50 minute lauter/sparge

60 minute boil

20-40 minute cool down

Pitch yeast

----

If you're doing a longer boil or mash, of course, it will take that much longer.

[Payson]

Fast_Eddy is on the money. It's quite doable in the time frame he has listed! More time to drink home-brews during the process is also a huge plus!

[Jughead]

I've got three kids, age 6, 4, 2 and I still find time to do the all grain thing.

I get the strike water heating right after supper, then help get the kids to bed while mashing.

It can make for a late night, but you can always sleep at work the next day.

Cheers

[suds]

Originally posted by Jughead
...It can make for a late night, but you can always sleep at work the next day.

Hee! hee! :D

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by Jughead
I've got three kids, age 6, 4, 2 and I still find time to do the all grain thing.

I get the strike water heating right after supper, then help get the kids to bed while mashing.

It can make for a late night, but you can always sleep at work the next day.

Cheers

Seems that none of us actually get any work done at work anyway - we're always on this board posting :eek:

[Tweek]

I do 10 gallon all grain batches. I find that for me brewing has a tendency to take over the majority of the day regardless of batch size. Which is fine I dont like to hustle. I really enjoy catching a buzz and hanging out by my brew pot!

my equipment goes like this,
8 gallon stainless brewpot for my liquor and sparge water. this is the original brew pot that I got when I started brewing extract batches.
Gott cooler for my mash tun- I forget the capacity on this, perhaps 10 gallons? I do my mashing do in a nd sparging in this container.
13 gallon stainless pot for my boil.
turkey fryer stove
wort chiller

both my pots have spigots on them and I have a phils sparge arm and also a regular piece of tubing thatI hook to the spigot and let gravity work. my gravity system is not the best and as soon as i figure out a free version of something better it will happen. What I currently do is I have a folding table, one of the sturdy kinds. I put a couple of large bricks on it(I happened to have these in my yard, but home depot and the like have them for like 95 cents each 4 works) and then I put my turkey fryer on top of that. My mash tun goes on top of a chair. This is all fine and dandy until it is time to get the boil pot on top of the turkey fryer. I have learned some tricks over the last few years but I am not a big man and hauling 11 or so gallons of hot wort up to about chest level is a real bitch. Other than that part I love my setup. I do howwever find that I make more big beers because 10 gallons is a lot of beer to go through so once I have a couple batches drinking I usually start making stuff that needs to be aged. In fact I am enjoying an imperial stout that I made about 8 months ago these days and it is superb!

Cheers!

[BucksBrew]

[i]In fact I am enjoying an imperial stout that I made about 8 months ago these days and it is superb!

Cheers! [/B]

I just ordered an Imperial Stout Extract kit. Does it have to age 8 months or can I drink it in 3-4 weeks?

I'll ferment 7-10 days then secondary 7-10 days and if I have other beer I can let it sit a week which puts it at a month old.

I'm getting a freezer and more carboys so I can start an Inventory and let some beer age. Right now I make and drink!

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by Tweek
I do 10 gallon all grain batches. I find that for me brewing has a tendency to take over the majority of the day regardless of batch size. Which is fine I dont like to hustle. I really enjoy catching a buzz and hanging out by my brew pot!

my equipment goes like this,
8 gallon stainless brewpot for my liquor and sparge water. this is the original brew pot that I got when I started brewing extract batches.
Gott cooler for my mash tun- I forget the capacity on this, perhaps 10 gallons? I do my mashing do in a nd sparging in this container.
13 gallon stainless pot for my boil.
turkey fryer stove
wort chiller

both my pots have spigots on them and I have a phils sparge arm and also a regular piece of tubing thatI hook to the spigot and let gravity work. my gravity system is not the best and as soon as i figure out a free version of something better it will happen. What I currently do is I have a folding table, one of the sturdy kinds. I put a couple of large bricks on it(I happened to have these in my yard, but home depot and the like have them for like 95 cents each 4 works) and then I put my turkey fryer on top of that. My mash tun goes on top of a chair. This is all fine and dandy until it is time to get the boil pot on top of the turkey fryer. I have learned some tricks over the last few years but I am not a big man and hauling 11 or so gallons of hot wort up to about chest level is a real bitch. Other than that part I love my setup. I do howwever find that I make more big beers because 10 gallons is a lot of beer to go through so once I have a couple batches drinking I usually start making stuff that needs to be aged. In fact I am enjoying an imperial stout that I made about 8 months ago these days and it is superb!

Cheers!

Thanks Tweek - you're set up is about what I'm intending to do. 10 gallon batches will prevent me from having to brew every other weekend. I'm getting tired of making something really good and then have it run out so fast.

I think I'm going to add a 13 gallon pot with spigot and also a pump for moving it all around and the vorlauf. I should be able to get by with that, me thinks.

[Tweek]

bucksbrew, in my opinion you can drink a beer at any point once it is done with alcohol fermentation. Certain beers will improve dramatically with age some wont. My imperial stout was very harsh when it was young. Huge bitterness and roast malt flavors were just not that enjoyable to me. I had a buddy who loved it that way and I had to keep him away from it or it never would have made it this long :). Now it is rich and smooth with coffee and caramel notes and a good hop balance!

[BucksBrew]

I think I'll age it and make another batch that I can drink right away.

Maybe I'll save it for Xmas which is 2 months away. And afterall it will be my Birthday on the 25th as well. A little gift to myself!

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by BucksBrew
I think I'll age it and make another batch that I can drink right away.

Maybe I'll save it for Xmas which is 2 months away. And afterall it will be my Birthday on the 25th as well. A little gift to myself!

Hey Bucks, your birthday is Dec 25th - you wouldn't happen to have the initials J.C. and be a carpenter would you? lol

[BucksBrew]

Originally posted by Fast_Eddy
Hey Bucks, your birthday is Dec 25th - you wouldn't happen to have the initials J.C. and be a carpenter would you? lol

Close to J.C., it's J.B! And yes I used to build houses! haha small world, or should I say Universe! haha