How long does a typical all-grain brew day take?

A standard all-grain brew day with a 60-minute mash, 60-minute boil and immersion chiller typically takes 5 to 6 hours from setting up to pitching yeast. Adding clean-up brings the total to 6 to 7 hours. Fly sparging and ice bath cooling add the most time.

Which sparge method is fastest?

No-sparge brewing is the quickest, adding only 5 minutes, as you simply add all the mash water upfront and lauter without rinsing. Batch sparging takes around 20 minutes and is the most popular balance of speed and efficiency. Fly sparging takes 35 or more minutes but can improve efficiency by 5 to 10 percentage points.

How long does it take to chill wort?

An immersion chiller typically cools 19 to 23 litres from 100°C to pitching temperature in 20 to 30 minutes depending on your groundwater temperature. A counterflow or plate chiller can chill the same volume in 10 to 15 minutes while transferring. An ice bath in a sink takes 40 to 60 minutes.

Does the number of hop additions affect brew time?

Each hop addition adds a small amount of time for weighing, adding to the boil and noting the time. The calculator adds approximately 2 minutes per addition. More importantly, whirlpool or dry hop additions done at flame-out add time to your post-boil process.

How do I plan what time to start brewing?

Work backwards from when you want to finish. If you want to be done by 5pm and your brew day is estimated at 6 hours, start at 11am. The calculator provides a suggested start time to finish by 5pm as a reference point you can adjust.

BrewCalcs

Brew Day Timer Calculator — Full Brew Day Timeline

Calculate your total brew day duration and plan a step-by-step timeline from grain to fermenter.

Mash Time

Length of mash rest (typically 60 min for single infusion)

Boil Time

Length of boil (60 min standard, 90 min for Pilsner malts)

Hop Additions

Number of timed hop additions during the boil

Sparge MethodBatch is fastest and most common for homebrewers

Cooling MethodHow you will chill the wort after the boil

How We Calculate This

Timeline Calculation

The calculator sums fixed and variable time estimates for each step in the brew day. Steps include grain milling, equipment setup, strike water heating, mash rest, vorlauf, sparging, boil ramp, boiling, hop additions, chilling, transfer and clean-up.

Variable Steps

Mash time and boil time are entered directly. Sparge method determines sparge duration: no-sparge (5 min), batch sparge (20 min) or fly sparge (35 min). Cooling method determines chill time: counterflow (15 min), immersion (25 min) or ice bath (45 min).

Start Time Calculation

The calculator subtracts the total brew day duration from 17:00 to give a suggested start time if you want to be done by 5pm. Adjust based on your schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: March 2026

All calculations are estimates. Always verify values and adjust based on your equipment and ingredients.