You may be thinking to yourself, wouldn’t it be nice to brew my own beer? But then you quickly get hit by the reality that you have no time! So then you do a quick google search on how long it takes to brew 5 gallons of beer and now here you are.
Brew day length depends on what method of brewing you choose:
- Extract brewing takes much less time and only takes 2-3 hours.
- All-grain brewing will take a few more hours on top of extract brewing.
Typically, the entire all-grain brewing process could last around 6 hours depending on how efficient your setup is, fermentation can take up to a month, but is typically 2 weeks, with 2 more weeks if you bottle condition.
Realistically the actual time commitment of brewing beer is negligible to the amount of time it takes to ferment. So if you were worried it would take months of your own time feel at ease.
Take a look at the tips below to help speed up your brew day and better understand the brewing time sinks.
Brewing Times Vary According to Method
Let’s be honest the very first time you brew your own beer will probably take longer than the any of the other times. You’re learning the ropes and setting up your station.
Its best to learn the process and setup the station ahead of time so that the actual hands on brewing time is shorter, and can better fit around your busy schedule.
Now having said that, there are a few methods of brewing you can choose to do each has their own challenges.
- Extract brewing.
- All-grain brewing.
All-grain brewing can be further split into two methods.
- Brew in a bag.
- Mash tun and sparge.
Extract Brewing the Smallest Time Sink
Lets start with the obvious choice for beginners and time stressed people alike, extract brewing.
Estimated Time: 2-3 Hours
Extract brewing takes much less time that other methods since all you have to do is add the extract dunk some specialty grains and heat up the resulting wort to a boil.
It really is quick and easy and really only depends on how long it takes you to boil the wort and once boiling is a quick and painless 2 hours or so. Cumulatively it should only take you about three hours.
If you are thinking, sure I have time for that well then check out these various kits and decide whether or not you want to brew 5 gallons or 1 gallon.
One Gallon Beer Brewing is Slightly Faster
If you decide you absolutely need to cut down on the amount of time that you need to brew beer than I would suggest going with one gallon. The reason for this is two fold.
- The supplies are smaller and easier to work with, hence quicker.
- The time it takes to heat 1 gallon of wort is far less than the time it takes to heat 5 gallons.
Not having to summon your strength to lift larger objects is very convenient, and if you are working with a small stove top or even an electric one, it could take you an epic century to brew 5 gallons.
All-Grain Brewing Better Quality and More Time
Now I’m going to preface this first with, I know and have brewed a ton of VERY delicious beers using extract, but there is something to be said about going all grain.
And one of them is the time sink!
Estimated time: 6 hours.
If you decide you want to brew all-grain then you will need to set aside some extra time for cleaning, setting up and… waiting.
The waiting part has to do with the mash. Essentially you need to wait nearly an hour to let the hot water turn the grain into sugar water or wort.
This can be further complicated by step mashing, which is a change in temperature during the mash but lets keep it simple here, but hey if you want to know the exact process I use then follow along in this very handy article about brewing all-grain.
The above article I linked to follows along with our very fun sparging process, but there is another. (Insert favorite movie quote here).
The one I’m referring to is brew in a bag, shortened to BIAB.
Brew in a Bag vs Sparging
Brew in a bag is arguably a faster way to brew than sparging. The reason being there is less equipment since you are boiling in the same vessel that you are mashing in.
This saves precious minutes and makes for a quicker process. The trade-off is you might get less efficiency. Another way of saying less sugar and therefore less alcohol. But if you are looking for time savings I would go with Brew in a bag.
You can find one of these brew bags cheap on Amazon. Be aware that the pot does not come with it so you might want to pick a kettle up separately.
Brew in a Bag Electric Systems
There are multiple brew in a bag systems on the market that can make your brew day a bit more simple and relaxed. Most of them are electric, which could save you money in the long run depending on your energy rates.
Once such system that is pretty popular is the Brewers Edge Mash and Boil. What I like about this is you can set it and forget it while you drink some brew. You will still need to do some stuff, but temperature checking is made easy with the digital display.
Speed up Your Brew With a Turkey Fryer
Estimated time for 5 gallons to boil: 30 minutes to an hour.
So waiting for 5 gallons of wort to boil can take a while especially if you are not using proper equipment.
While there are some methods to speed up your brew on a stove, such as split mashing, which is heating up half of your mash water and then pouring in the rest at a later time, the best way is probably to get some more force.
For this I might suggest, a turkey fryer!
The turkey fryer might not work for folks with small apartments, for those you would be better off with an electric brew in a bag system but for those who have outdoor space, this is bar none the fastest way to a boil.
Cooling Your Wort
Estimated time to cool 5 gallons: 30-45 minutes.
Cooling the wort is rough. It can take a bit depending again on how large your batch size is. You will save a considerable amount of time cooling down one gallon as opposed to 5 gallons.
However when it comes to cooling your wort the best way to save time is to utilize the frugal homebrew patented double cooling system. What I mean to say is, an ice bath along with a wort chiller.
We can get done with cooling the wort in about 20 minutes.
If you are just brewing 1 gallon an ice bath should do just fine.
Cleaning and Putting Away Equipment
Estimated time : 1-2 hours.
The time sink on this one seems like a lot. But if you break it down and clean while you are brewing you can reduce the overall amount of time it takes to brew. For example you can clean your equipment while your wort is boiling.
Its very important to keep your equipment cleaning and sanitized at all times. Not only after use but right before use.
You don’t want your equipment to become corroded or to contaminate your delicious future beverage so don’t skimp on this time.
The Final Time Sink
The final time sink is not so bad, you essentially pitch your yeast and wait. No, you don’t have to sit there and stare at it. You can even forget about it, but come back to it in a few weeks and get to bottling.
Oh, and just in case you don’t have the time to brew the beer right now, make sure you bookmark this page so you can get to it in the future. Like this weekend!