Based on two experiments done by brulosophy.com, I decided to mash and boil for 30 minutes each (instead of the standard 60). On top of that, I tried my new One Pot Brewing system for the first time. Total time from start to finish: 1:47! Compare this to traditional all-grain systems, which can range from 5 to 8 hours. When I looked at my stop watch, I couldn’t believe it. This, by the way, is total time–getting my brewing equipment out, filling my pot with mash water, cleaning (the little cleaning I have to do) – everything.

Here’s a video of the process (ignore the part that says 60 minute mash and 60 minute boil…that’s a lie for instructional purposes):

How I saved time

1. Start the brewday by adding hot water from your tap into the mash tun. Takes less time to bring to 155F.
2. 30 minute mash
3. Brew in a Bag. That means I don’t transfer to another vessel after the mash, which saves a lot of time. When I’m done soaking the grains, I crank the heat and take the bag out (rinsing the grains is optional, but that wouldn’t take any extra time either in my system, although it does in a traditional all-grain system – for example an igloo cooler sparge takes extra time).
4. When bringing it to a boil, put the top on your pot and keep checking, just like you were making spaghetti. It will get to a boil faster. This is my first time trying it.
5. 30 minute boil
6. chill in bath to 100 (not 70), then add half gallon or so of cold water to make 5 gallons (that’s called a “concentrated wort”…I believe Charlie P talks about this in his famous book). I basically end up with about 4.8 gallons of wort after the boil (roughly…I don’t care too much about it). So this works for me.
7. zero sanitizing: I mash, boil, and ferment in the same pot…therefore, I don’t sanitize anything.
8. little cleaning. The very little I have to clean (bag, strainer, spoon…wow, is that really it?), I can easily clean while I’m waiting for the boil. That means no clean-up afterwords. Previously, I would have to clean the brew kettle. No more.

Okay, but the beer tastes like shit, right?
I will report back in about a week or so. Tasting it yesterday from the fermenter, it tastes exactly as expected (it’s a very simple recipe highlighting some Victory malt). I will cold crash today, add gelatin tomorrow, bottle in a few days. If I turns out, you bet your ass I’m trying this out again on a Double IPA.