If you are pressed for time, why do you homebrew?

[Crucial-BBQ]

Many home brewers claim to "still" do extract because they do not have the time for all-grain. Many all-grain brewers who do not do step mashing, in particular decoction, cite not wanting to add another 1-3 hours to their brew day. And then there are the numerous posts on HBT and other forums that go something like "I heard that you get full conversion within a half hour. Is this true? Man, I'd love to shave 20 minutes off from my brew day."

I know everyone has other things going on in their lives, so do I; but if you cannot dedicate the time necessary then why don't you save it for a day that you can?

And if you are that interested in saving yourself a mere 20 minutes then why even bother?

I am not here to ruffle any feathers, I am asking out of curiosity.

 

[day_trippr]

I like home brew.

"Check, please"

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Because for some of us it is no longer about the art, edification, or theraputic aspects of brewing. For many of us we have our systems nailed, and just have need to produce in order to keep ourselves in "our" beer.

 

[Banjorium]

I have yet to go back to extract even though I know I'd be able to brew on work days easier. I've been brewing AG for about a year now. My reasoning for not doing decoctions on brew day are basically what you stated, I don't want to run an extra hour or two over. Mainly this is because I have to brew twice on brew day to keep the 4 tap pipeline moving. When I get a 10 gallons setup going, I'll be more than happy to experiment with extra steps. I brew because I enjoy it, it's become part of who I am, and I love the art of creating something new I can serve to my friends.

 

[seckert]

I like beer, but do not want to pay store prices for something i can make better myself. Of course if i dont have time to brew then i typically dont, thats the joy of having a 6 keg keezer. it makes it easier to not run dry!

 

[Braufessor]

I know everyone has other things going on in their lives, so do I; but if you cannot dedicate the time necessary then why don't you save it for a day that you can?
.

Well.... for one thing, you are assuming that "decoction" and "all grain" are "necessary" to make good/great homebrew.

I spend a ridiculous amount of time brewing..... so time is irrelevant to me. I brew a lot of lagers. they are among my best, and most consistent beers. I don't do decoction mashes . . .ever (anymore). It is not to save time - it is because I have yet to find a shred of convincing evidence that they actually do anything that can consistently be shown worthwhile in blind sampling. MANY of the most well-respected homebrewers consistenly state there is no need for decoction. That is why I don't do it.Likewise, you can brew some great beers with extract..... all grain is not "necessary" to do it "right."

That said - I had a few years in my life where things got really busy for me, and my brewing suffered, turned out bad beer.... and I stopped and just put microbrews on tap in my basement until I had the time. So, I do agree with you that sometimes you see people complaining about ......well, sort of..... that brewing is more of a chore - then, I think .....why are you doing it? It is a hobby. I just disagree with some of your examples.

 

[Yooper]

I know everyone has other things going on in their lives, so do I; but if you cannot dedicate the time necessary then why don't you save it for a day that you can?

And if you are that interested in saving yourself a mere 20 minutes then why even bother?

I think most of us are very busy.

20 minutes here, 20 minutes there, it all adds up.

I won't eat packaged food, even though it might save me 20 minutes. I think good food takes as long as it takes, but I won't simmer something for an hour if 15 minutes will do.

The same is true of brewing. I want great beer, but if I can do it in four hours instead of 6, then I"ll do that.

 

[Crucial-BBQ]

Well.... for one thing, you are assuming that "decoction" and "all grain" are "necessary" to make good/great homebrew.

I have had great successes with decoctions and have done some decoctions that did not seem to be worth the effort.

I am not stating that decoction is necessary for great beer but instead that many home brewers avoid decoction because of time (and yes, many home brewers avoid decoctions for other reasons also).

I can see where I made that assumption in my OP, but it was not the intention.

 

[broadbill]

Its part effort vs. reward (basically what Braufessor alluded to with decoctions) is also a # of hours thing.

I like homebrewing, I like drinking homebrewed beer, but I got better things to be doing that sitting in my garage all day stroking my refractometer and watching wort boil. Frankly, I'm about sick of the process after 5 hours of hustling around shlepping water, cleaning pots, and dragging stuff out/putting stuff away.

 

[beersk]

I think it's a fair question, OP. I'm not busy, not nearly as some people claim to be. It's all about priorities. No one is busy 100% of their day, they just don't prioritize certain things as high. I know people say they're too busy to read or whatever...yeah, they just don't prioritize reading. You can fit anything in your schedule if it's important enough to you.

Brewing isn't the number 1 hobby of a lot of people, they do it because it's fun, but not their only passion. For me, it's kind of my number 1 hobby, or has become that over the years, so I spend a lot of time doing it. I don't mind bottling, even though I have a kegging setup. It's more time spent with my beer and that's okay with me. Plus, it helps me appreciate my beer more.

It's all about priorities...

 

[seefish]

And if you are that interested in saving yourself a mere 20 minutes then why even bother?

Because there is a big difference in spending time to do something right and wasting time, but where that line is drawn is also different for each brewer.

IMO though a lot of homebrewers could benefit by going back to extract and focusing on fermentation and sanitation. Those are far more important than going AG.

 

[ktblunden]

Because there is a big difference in spending time to do something right and wasting time, but where that line is drawn is also different for each brewer.

IMO though a lot of homebrewers could benefit by going back to extract and focusing on fermentation and sanitation. Those are far more important than going AG.

Everything here is spot on. Spending more time for the sake of spending more time is highly inefficient.

 

[beersk]

Everything here is spot on. Spending more time for the sake of spending more time is highly inefficient.

So, I'm wasting time by bottling my beer instead of kegging? I have the ability to do both, I just like having beer in bottles and not having the ability to pull half pint after half pint until I've had too much. It's priorities, like I said...
Besides, I can't keep my hands off my beer long enough when I keg. I end up drinking it too young and before it's carbonated, effectively wasting a lot of beer before it's hit its prime.
If one prioritizes doing a decoction or a tripe decoction over a single infusion, that's their prerogative and opinion as to whether it's inefficient or not.

Sorry, I don't mean to sound defensive. Everyone's different I guess. I always balk at the fact that people fly sparge 5 gallon batches and it takes them an hour or more to sparge. That's just crazy to me. But that's how they like to do it, so why should I criticize...

 

[Paradigm]

I find this post to be highly pretentious. It doesn't matter why they want to shave time off, it's their brew day. Maybe they have kids but still love the hobby. There are endless reasons why someone would want to shave time off. I generally spend all day brewing and relaxing, but sometimes faster is needed.

I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers, but trying to force others to another's ideals (implict or directly) is literally the source of all strife on earth.

 

[Yooper]

So, I'm wasting time by bottling my beer instead of kegging? ..

No, and no one said you were. No need to get all defensive, when no one criticized your method.



I make soap, because it's better than store bought. I make and grow my own food, again because it's better than store bought. I can buy beer, but I like having my own. It all takes time, but it's about priorities. I find that brewing is more of a necessity than a fun hobby most of the time, and sometimes just a household chore. I can drag it out over 6-8 hours, or I can do a 10 gallon batch in 4. I usually go with the 4. It's not good or bad- it just is. Occasionally, I'll do a decoction or a cereal mash, and that lengthens my brewdays so I"ll plan ahead for that. If I brewed only once a month or less, it would probably be more 'fun' and less of just another thing to do in a busy week.

 

[Braufessor]

I think there are two real good points.....

#1 - Brewing is not everybody's #1 hobby. For instance - I hunt. I don't go to the range, I don't reload my own ammo, I don't go scouting.....etc.... "Why bother going hunting if you are not going to take the time to do it in the most effective way possible?" Well.....because I like it. But not as much as I like spending my time brewing.

#2 - There is a difference between time investment that will make a big difference in your beer, and time investment that won't. I don't think 2-3 hours of decoction mashing makes a difference. Not in the beer I have brewed personally. Not in what I have read. Not in what I have heard other very good homebrewers speak about. And, not based on some examples of head to head, blind comparisons of decoction mashed beers with infusion mashed beers. To me - this is an example of time use with no particular benefit.
On the other hand, I see some people talk about mashing in one night and then sparging and boiling the next night to "save time." Well, that is a problem because they are basically conducting a sour mash that will effect the beer. To me, that is a bad idea. Or, people who don't pay attention to details like sanitizing well...... that is a problem that will result in bad/mediocre beer. Not taking the time to learn about the impact of water/minerals/mash pH..... that has an impact on the outcome of what you are doing. In those instances, I do agree that with a little investment in time, the return is worth it. By "saving time" in not doing those things, the potential downside is potentially high.

Bottling...... I keg, and I bottle sometimes. I also have a counter pressure filler that I love. But, it is a PITA. It takes a lot of time to get things ready and properly fill bottles with it. It is no time saver over bottling to use it - that is for sure. Bottling/Kegging (to me) is really not an example in this discussion...... both are effective. Both have ups and downs. A big component of it is simply cost.

 

[beersk]

I didn't mean to sound defensive, Yooper. I had made an amendment to my post. I just read that a lot of people think bottling is a waste of time and just all around inferior. It was just an example.

Plenty of people do things "inefficiently" by some people's standards. It's just how people prefer to do it. That's why this hobby is so great, you can do it however you choose. If you can only make time to brew once a month or whatever, that's up to you and no one else. I'd brew every weekend if I had the space and fermenters and kegs and bottles...but I don't, so I don't. And I couldn't drink that much anyway.

 

[Jupapabear]

Wife, kido, business to run 6-7 days a week full time on site, upkeep on the house, and large family who wants to spend time together constantly are all reasons why I try to shave time. I dedicate time for brewing but as it is I have little time to work with. But I love the hobby so I brew. Its actually that simple.

 

[TopherM]

Plus, who says that it takes six hours to brew a beer properly? The tone of the original question seems to suppose that a shortcut always comes at the expense of quality, but that is a false assumption. I'd say most are looking for efficiency WITHOUT sacrificing quality.

For example, I went to a group brew day just yesterday with seven other brewers. I am the president of our club, so I spent a good bit of my time making sure everyone else had what they needed to get started before I started myself. As such, I was the next to last brewer to get started (one guy showed up about an hour late).

HOWEVER! I was the 2nd brewer finished. Why? Brew in a Bag. The guy who invented BIAB wanted to realize EFFICIENCY in brewing without sacrificing quality. Without a sparge step, my brewday is about an hour less than traditional three vessel brewing. If that guy didn't ask "how can I brew faster and easier, but still make great beer" we would never have BIAB.

Thirty years from now, there will probably be methods that are even more efficient that accomplish the same end goal.....that is if it is OK with you for brewers to keep seeking, testing, and maximizing efficiencies

 

[JimEb]

Seems the actual brewing/bottling part is the chore. The hobby is planning recipes, deciding what to brew next, waiting for the beer to ferment/condition/age, and of course drinking it.

My brewing days start about 4-5am on a weekend. Goal being to get my brewing done and kitchen all squared away before the family wakes up. That's why efficiency and time saving is valuable.

 

[bernardsmith]

Many home brewers claim to "still" do extract because they do not have the time for all-grain. Many all-grain brewers who do not do step mashing, in particular decoction, cite not wanting to add another 1-3 hours to their brew day. And then there are the numerous posts on HBT and other forums that go something like "I heard that you get full conversion within a half hour. Is this true? Man, I'd love to shave 20 minutes off from my brew day."

I know everyone has other things going on in their lives, so do I; but if you cannot dedicate the time necessary then why don't you save it for a day that you can?

And if you are that interested in saving yourself a mere 20 minutes then why even bother?

I am not here to ruffle any feathers, I am asking out of curiosity.

Time may not be the only significant reason not to do full grain. The amount of space and access to adequate sources of energy for boiling 6 gallons of water is not something that every urban dweller possesses. I make meads and ciders and wines and can do these easily in my home. Making beer seems more like an industrial process rather than something designed to be done effectively in an apartment or with an electric or gas cooker. Doesn't mean that I won't use full grain but if I do I make only a gallon or two and not enough to supply my local bar or pub.

 

[iBrewR]

Thirty years from now, there will probably be methods that are even more efficient that accomplish the same end goal.....

It's called a liquor store.

Seems the actual brewing/bottling part is the chore. The hobby is planning recipes, deciding what to brew next, waiting for the beer to ferment/condition/age, and of course drinking it.

You have a different hobby than I do. :cross:

 

[Braufessor]

You have a different hobby than I do. :cross:

I think that is the thing that amazes me the most about the hobby..... it attracts so many different people, for so many different reasons. My favorite part is the actual brew day.....well, and the "quality control" of course. I don't mind cleaning up and setting up before or after and just love the process overall.

I HATE the idea of "building stuff".....and others just love that. I swear sometimes that I think some people only brew so they can make things, weld things, wire things, etc. But, hey - that is something they love doing. There are tech guru's and chemistry buffs. There are partiers and scientists. There are chefs and artists....... Something for everyone.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

For me, I brew all-grain despite not "having time" for a few reasons:

1) I like control over my recipe/process and don't believe extract gives me the control I want.
2) Money. I do 10-gallon batches and extract is expensive compared to base grain bought by the sack.

That said, I have three kids ages 7, 5, and 2. I *don't* have a lot of free time. I brew on workday evenings because I know that if I start at 6:30 or 7, I only miss about an hour or two of their day because they go to sleep early. With a 4 1/2 to 5 hour brew day, that means that I get done and cleaned up sometime between 11 and midnight. Why don't I even attempt decoction? Because I don't want to be up brewing until 2-3 AM.

I think it's a fair question, OP. I'm not busy, not nearly as some people claim to be. It's all about priorities. No one is busy 100% of their day, they just don't prioritize certain things as high. I know people say they're too busy to read or whatever...yeah, they just don't prioritize reading. You can fit anything in your schedule if it's important enough to you.

I agree to a point, but at the same time I can't read at home. The kids are a constant distraction so I can't read while they're awake, and by the time they fall asleep my brain is so fried from work and childcare that I can't focus on reading.

I do love reading. In fact, one of my favorite things about business trips is that I can sit on a plane, undisturbed, for hours and plow through book after book on my Kindle. And luckily I get enough business trips to get a decent amount of reading in.

But while I'm home? Forget about it.

 

[2drunk2]

I also run races on the weekend. I'm trying to set a record for brewing 5 gallons of beer in the least amount of time.

Seriously, you can enjoy a hobby and still want to shave time. Why don't you start a fire with two sticks to boil your wort? Don't you enjoy the process?

Chisel a giant mill stone for grinding grain, and buy some horses.

Till your yard under, and grow barley and hops.

Too much? Then, why bother?

 

[smccarter]

Self edit... re-read my post and it sounded a bit harsh.

We brew because it's fun. Nothing more.

 

[grathan]

If you shave off 20 minutes that wasn't needed, then that is huge. Even if you are enjoying every minute of it.

Perhaps in retirement I would take the long road each time, but somehow I doubt it. Rat race life will probably be too entrenched by then.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

It depends a bit on why you brew. I enjoy the brewing process. I find brewing relaxing and enjoyable. I like brewing new styles and modifying recipes I like - I've never brewed the same brew twice! Now a mate, who started brewing at the same time, is more interested in having a good quality house brew that is always on tap when he has visitors. He is looking to shave time off his brew time because having good quality, cheap beer is his motivation (I can see him moving back to extract brewing). Mine is the process. I do some decoctions because I enjoy it. Dunno if the beer's any better, but I like the process. I also find that I spend more time with my kids on brew days than most other days - they help with the brewing (my son nearly always grinds my grain) and we play board games while I brew. If I thought brewing was a 'chore', I'd just buy beer - that's the most efficient way!

 

[hillclimber]

Simple ...the beer is better tasting than the watered down stuff they sell in stores that they call "beer"

 

[geoffey]

To be honest I find this a rather silly question. "Why bother?" Really? Well since you seem to be genuinely asking I'll pipe up and give my answer since I think I belong to the group of brewers you're referring to.

I absolutely LOVE brewing. It's almost an obsession for me, not just a hobby. But with a wife in full time grad school and two young kids I just don't have a lot of extra time. When I first got into all grain I was frustrated with the time it took because with a 2 year old running around and a very small kitchen to deal with I couldn't start brewing until after bedtime. Then I'd be awake until 1-2am and useless the next day. I built an electric HERMS system a couple years back (when the family was out of town for 6 weeks) with the idea being to brew in the basement away from the kids and be able to get started with brewing earlier in the evening. But even then I found with continuous sparging adding and hour to my brew day I wasn't saving enough time.

So I've since changed to a no-sparge system similar to Blichmanns new Brew Easy system. If I "no chill" I can be done in 4 hours or so. Why do I bother? Because I freaking love it and am obsessed. And i enjoy this hobby/obsession more when i actually get some sleep at the end of the day. I probably don't make beer any better than what I can get from local minneapolis craft breweries. But sometimes I do. And regardless, I enjoy my beer more than most craft brews because they are mine. I also don't have as many sour/Brett options locally and I love that I can do that on my own regardless of what local breweries are doing.




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[brrman]

I seriously have no free time. I end up having to set aside an entire day a month in advance and brew 30 gallons (three 10g batches) in a single day. That keeps the pipeline full for another 2 months. This is the only way I can do it. Brewing more than that is a fantasy for me, even with the electric HERMS I have.

 

[henchman24]

Personally, I have yet to see a difference between decoction and my single infusion (with mash out) or 2 step infusion mash. I have tried the same recipes and the difference just really isn't there. I get slightly better efficiency, but at the expense of my time. The malts used in homebrewing are so good that I'm not sure that much of a difference can be found. Granted, I make very few German style of beers or pilsners, so there is a good chance that I am missing the benefit because I am not brewing the right type of beer/using the right types of grains.

That said I also still make the occasional extract brew. This comes from a mistake I made last year. I had been all grain brewing for about 4 months at that point and was starting to branch out and experiment more. I came up with a recipe that was a bit off the wall and I wasn't sure it was going to work. I went through a decoction mash (as it was theoretically better), and made a 5 gallon batch.... only to learn that I was slightly allergic to a spice in the beer and I honestly didn't think it was very good to begin with. Since then, if I am trying something a bit weird, I will make a smaller extract batch so I have a clue on whether the idea will work or not. If it will, I will then go through the effort to go all-grain. While doing this I have made some excellent small extract batches that are very comparable to their all-grain counterparts (most people that drink it can't tell a difference). So I can understand why people who don't want to go further down the rabbit hole will stick with extract. You can still make great beer with it, and not dedicate so much time and resources to the hobby.

 

[rekoob]

I am in the boat that loves to brew, I love the DIY side, the process, the end product, all of it. I spent years and years only doing extract cuz that's what I could do and during that time I started getting an item here and there, added a fermentation chamber, keezer, and when I got to the point that I had everything I needed for a 10 gal brewing stand I saved up some extra scratch to weld up a stand and over a summer I built a system that I wanted and the one I spent years thinking through.
I enjoy using my system and still "tinker" with it even if I'm not brewing, which isn't near as much as I would like and that might be due to lack of time or money or ambition.
Bottom line is I don't shave the time because I don't want to do it, I shave the time cuz life is always adding to the things I need to get to... or is that wife?
lol... always things to do and never enough time to do them. spend your "free" time the way you want, take a whole day to brew 5 gallons or take 4 hours to brew 10 gallons... whatever makes you happy. No different with anyone else I know that do other hobbies.

 

[CBelli]

I think that there seems to be some sort of pressure within the hobby on extract brewers to switch to all grain, because "That's What the Big Boys Do!"

Personally I think whatever method of brewing a person does is entirely their own decision. As far as the idea that AG gives better quality beer I would say that there is a lot more that can go wrong with AG. I have had many extract beers that were wonderful.

That said, I brew all grain, mostly because I love the process...

Speaking to the "Time" needed. Extract is certainly a faster process, but I have my single infusion AG process down to 4 hours from measuring grain to pitching yeast. 4¾ if I whirlpool.....

I think that if you get your process down pat, and have everything you need to brew at arms length, you can save tons of time on brew day.

That's my 2¢

 

[Homercidal]

I could save time by brewing with extract. But, I don't want to pay extra for the convenience. I also like the flexibility that AG gives.

But, as far as time goes, I would rather spend less time brewing if it meant as good as or better beer. If I loved brewing so much that I just wanted to WASTE time brewing, I'd just brew another batch!

 

[grathan]

I seriously have no free time. I end up having to set aside an entire day a month in advance and brew 30 gallons (three 10g batches) in a single day. That keeps the pipeline full for another 2 months. This is the only way I can do it. Brewing more than that is a fantasy for me, even with the electric HERMS I have.

Wow, I have time to brew, but I wouldn't have time to drink 15 gallons a month.

 

[Talgrath]

Many home brewers claim to "still" do extract because they do not have the time for all-grain. Many all-grain brewers who do not do step mashing, in particular decoction, cite not wanting to add another 1-3 hours to their brew day. And then there are the numerous posts on HBT and other forums that go something like "I heard that you get full conversion within a half hour. Is this true? Man, I'd love to shave 20 minutes off from my brew day."

I know everyone has other things going on in their lives, so do I; but if you cannot dedicate the time necessary then why don't you save it for a day that you can?

And if you are that interested in saving yourself a mere 20 minutes then why even bother?

I am not here to ruffle any feathers, I am asking out of curiosity.

First, on decoction, prove that it makes a better beer and I'm there, I haven't seen any evidence of that. Beyond that, any time I can save on my brew process is time I can put towards other things in my life and in brewing. At this point, my brew process takes about 5-6 hours of a day when I do it, if I can shave an hour off of that without sacrificing flavor, efficiency or anything else about the beer, I will because that's more time I can put towards other activities.

 

[seckert]

Wow, I have time to brew, but I wouldn't have time to drink 15 gallons a month.

I was thinking the same thing! Plus the fact that with the amount of calories in most of my hb i would be WAY overweight if i drank that much!

 

[cheezydemon3]

I had to brew after the kids went to bed.

Pre-boiling hops with dme while grains were mashed, boiling it all together for another 30 minutes, add DME, chill and top up by dumping on ice.

I was in and out in in 2 hours and making great beer. In bed by midnight.

If I was to do AG, I would go to bed at 3 or 4am.

 

[geoffey]

I was thinking the same thing! Plus the fact that with the amount of calories in most of my hb i would be WAY overweight if i drank that much!

Don't think he meant that he brews 15 gal/month. I think he was saying he has to plan a month in advance. Perhaps he brews 4 times a year but always brews 15 gallons per brew day?


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