Minimalist Brewing Secrets

Can't seem to find a decent link to the article. What's the gist of it?

 

I think fermentation in the kettle is a great minimalist idea though I've never done that. Maybe I should try it sometime.
My #1 item that cuts down on stuff for brewing is BIAB. I streamline my process as much as I can but I still have more brewing gear than I probably need and can't seem to get a batch done in under 3 hours without doing less than a 60 minute boil.

 

My brewing set-up is probably as minimal as an all-grain set-up can be. Coolers as a mash tun and htl. Manual sparging. Turkey-fryers for kettles and burners. Sink for cooling. Glass carboys for fermenters. Plastic buckets for bottling.

Couldn't imaging doing it any other way.

 

The "2 Hours to 5 Gallons" article was a fun read -- gave me some ideas for more research and process tinkering. I already BIAB but the shorter mash/boil time, while I've read posts from others doing it, is not something I've ventured towards yet. Halving the amount of time I spend boiling hot water into my NYC apartment and turning it into a sauna would be great.

 

I thought I invented minimalism. Also frugality. It's been 18 years now and I still don't own a chiller, turkey fryer, aeration stone, kegging equipment, pump. I boil on my stove in my kitchen, never brewed outdoors. Been friggin BIAB and short mashing for only 40 minutes for more than 11 years. Sprinkle dry yeast on top, no aeration, no rehydration. Some say pragmatic, some say frugal. I prefer the terms "lazy" and "cheap" because it's friggin true.

Yes, I am an American homebrewer. I don't care about anyone's fancy setups and shiny stainless steel components. I make beer and I drink it. It sucks half the time, but the other half the time it's pretty dang great. (I'm also my own worst critic.)

 

I like that you drink your punishment beer, but if I brewed beer that sucked half the time, I might take pause to consider a few things.

 

I get into slumps every few years. I haven't brewed in several months now because I'm very slow in drinking all that punishment beer. But I'll recover soon enough. It's not contaminated. Currently I'm suffering from oxidation issues and it took some time to figure out why. I'm starting to think HSA is a real thing and I need to use fresher ingredients too. I'm such a friggin slacker, and proud of it most of the time, except when it bites me. Oh well. I'm always learning. 18 years of brewing and I'm still always learning.

 

I'd look into ingredients before HSA.

 

I'll bet you're right, but I'll experiment more with both to know for sure.

 

I am guessing that it is 'official' that Brew_Betty is no longer an active BA because he/she would most definitely have chimed into this discussion by now!

Cheers!