1st AG Brew - so sloooooow!

[Lurch]

More or less just finished my first AG brew. Started at around 2pm.
My god what a slow affair, this cannot possibly be worth the bother.
I think quite a lot of the trouble lies with my boiler which is the enameled one like Brupaks sell but with a different brand. It takes an eternity to boil and that bloomin' tap has an unbelievably slow flow rate.
Also I got a huge amount of loss in the boil, around 9 litres.

 

[Wez]

A long brewday can be a bit of a grind, but.....when you drink it you may think it was all worth it :

 

[llannige]

Don't be disheartened,it will defo be worth it.Now you've got that one out the way it gets easier every time.

Wait till you try that 1st pint.You will soon be back for more. :thumb:

 

[fivetide]

I'm sure my first AG took just as long and had a number of sticky moments, but had me grinning from ear-to-ear! And in a month or so you can get merry on something you conjured up from a bag of dry grain! How cool is that?

 

[prolix]

7 hours is not bad, hope you didn't watch the kettle, there is a reason for that addage .

I usually take 7 to 7 1/2 hours a brew thats why I upped it to 10 gallons. but with two 90 min breaks in the middle it is not that bad. Can do it in 5 hours but why rush?

I also find brewing a TC to drink whilst brewing helps pass the time

 

[corby_brewer]

My first AG seemed to take for ever, but once youve got a couple under your belt the time just seems to fly by. The hardest part for me was waiting for the boiler to reach boiling temp. But since ive changed from the electrum to the burco it doesn’t take that long.

 

[Lurch]

Gonna replace the stupid slow tap with a ball valve jobby tomorrow and I'm thinking about bunging another element on the boiler too. Should speed things up a little.
Biggest single problem is it's very rare I'm at home for that length of time contiguously. I certainly couldn't fit that lot into an evening and of a weekend I'm out doing stuff.
That said I'm gonna have a go at a Bluebird clone tomorrow....
:

 

[Wez]

Have a good brew with the Bluebird :thumb:

 

[Vossy1]

Also I got a huge amount of loss in the boil, around 9 litres

That is a big loss. Was it a massively hopped brew and what batch size was it ?

My god what a slow affair, this cannot possibly be worth the bother.

That depends if you're looking to save money or enjoy the hobby. You can do both but For me that meant making bigger batches. Another option is to split your brew day, mashing one day and boiling the next, quite a few folk on here do that

I think quite a lot of the trouble lies with my boiler which is the enameled one like Brupaks sell but with a different brand. It takes an eternity to boil and that bloomin' tap has an unbelievably slow flow rate.

Those are the first 2 things I'd look at getting sorted :thumb:

Another good idea is to go round to a fellow brewers for a brew day to see what's what.
I'll offer but I think you're too far away :cry:
You've got a good set of brewers in your neck of the woods, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find someone local :thumb:

 

[Lurch]

Batch was 5 gallons, but I've only got 20l in the fv now. The recipe was Old Yella as per http://www.barleybottom.com/homebrew_recipes/

I've swapped the tap for a ball valve job now, much better.
I've also got an element from a kettle which I've yet to decide how to make the hole for.....
I think a split mash and boil looks the way to go though for the time being.

 

[Vossy1]

I've also got an element from a kettle which I've yet to decide how to make the hole for.....

38 - 40mm Q-Max punches are the best option, failing that a hole saw :thumb:
Measure size of element fitting before buying.

 

[Lurch]

Ace, I've used similar on plastic before - didn't realise you could get 'em for metal.

 

[Lurch]

Just into my first pint of this brew.
A little early but hey!
Wow. What a difference twixt the kits and the all grain, this is a great pint.
It's true, once you go to the dark side you can never go back!
:

 

[llannige]

Nice one L,you better start planning you're next brew. :thumb:

 

[Lurch]

I've a Bluebird clone in a corny and another Old Yella in an FV already.
Next up is a Jennings Cocker Hoop clone.

 

[Vossy1]

Just into my first pint of this brew.
A little early but hey!
Wow. What a difference twixt the kits and the all grain, this is a great pint.
It's true, once you go to the dark side you can never go back!

:party: : :drink: :drunk:
Nice one L
Once you're in a position to make a larger volume from the same time frame you'll never look back :)

 

[Varnish]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhnPaiSFVSE

 

[evanvine]

Lurch
It does take about 7 hours, but this includes setting up and dismantling/cleaning time.
I understand the demands on your time, but it’s worth setting some aside for!
I set up my mashing equipment the evening before and put the HLT on a time switch (it has a thermostat) so that it’s up to strike temp the next morning.
After “doughing in” and setting up the mash I am assembling the sparge/boiling kit.
Once in the boiler I have about 2 hrs which I use to disassemble and clean my mash/sparge equipment and to set up my CFC/FV + have a pint or two etc.
Once in the FV all I have to do is clean the boiler/cfc and generally tidy up.
Never a dull moment!

 

[Lurch]

Thinking about doubling the brew length actually :hmm:
My mash tun should be big enough but I need a bigger boiler.