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SOP — Brew Day Planning & Scheduling

FUERST WIACEK Version 1.3 | Brewhouse — planning and preparation | Frequency: per brew

Purpose

This SOP covers the weekly brew schedule, pre-requisites for brewing, the two mash-in time windows, what must be prepared before each window, and how to program the Botec recipe. Brew day execution — tasks, alarms, and logging during the brew itself — is covered in the Brew Day Execution SOP.

Weekly Brew Rhythm

Day Brews
Tuesday 1 brew
Wednesday 2 brews
Thursday 2 brews
Friday 1 brew

This is a typical week. The schedule can shift depending on staff, tank availability, and production needs.

Pre-Requisites

Before scheduling a brew, confirm all of the following:

  • Free fermentation tank — the tank must be CIPed and ready before knockout. Either it is already clean, or there is enough time during the brew to complete the tank CIP before knockout.
  • Recipe — recipe ID is available on the brew sheet or in the production spreadsheet (Brewing tab).
  • Time — a full brew takes 6–7 hours. Plan mash-in time accordingly.
  • Wortway CIP — must be complete before wortway sanitisation can run. For a night brew, this must be done the evening before. For a day brew, it must be done before boil start, latest. Refer to Wortway CIP & Sanitisation SOP.
  • CIP Tank 1 up-concentration — must be complete on the same day as the wortway CIP (not sanitisation). Can be done in the morning. Refer to CIP Up-Concentration SOP.
  • Yeast — brink must be ready, or there must be enough time to complete yeast harvest before knockout.

Mash-In Windows

There are two standard mash-in windows. Times can vary slightly depending on recipe length, staff schedule, and tank readiness.

Window 1 — Night Brew (~4:00 AM mash-in)

The recipe is programmed the evening before and mashes in automatically at ~4:00 AM. The brewer arrives at 7:00 AM, at which point the brew should be approaching the boil (plan mash-in time so the boil starts around 7:30–8:00 AM).

The evening before, the following must be ready:

The next morning (brewer arrives 7:00 AM):

  • Wortway sanitisation launched at boil start
  • Fermentation recipe started in Botec
  • All remaining brew day tasks — see Brew Day Execution SOP

Window 2 — Day Brew (~10:00 AM mash-in)

The recipe is programmed in the morning. Milling starts approximately 1 hour before mash-in (e.g. 9:00 AM for a 10:00 AM mash-in). For smaller beers with lighter grain bills, milling may be shorter — adjust accordingly. A 600 kg grain bill requires approximately 1 hour of milling.

Preparation timing:

Time Task
~8:00 AM Prepare and load malt into grist case
After malt loading Program Botec recipe if not done
After malt loading Load mash salts into dosing device
~9:00 AM Milling starts automatically
~10:00 AM Mash-in

Kettle additions should be prepared before or during mashing and stored in the fridge if prepared early.

Warning

Do not run up-concentration or any CIP while mashing in or while about to mash in. Both require hot water and can reduce flow rate below the volume needed for mash-in. This causes temperature fluctuations during mashing or can trigger an error and stop the brew entirely.

Botec Recipe Programming

Finding the Recipe

The recipe ID is listed on the brew sheet or in the production spreadsheet under the Brewing tab (column: Botec Brew).

First Brew vs No First Brew Selection

  • First Brew — select this for the first brew of the day. The recipe includes a hot water rinse of the mash tun and lauter tun before use, which brings them up to temperature.
  • No selection (default) — if you do not select First Brew, Botec skips the pre-rinse step. Use this for the second brew of the day — the mash tun and lauter tun are already warm from the first brew.

Setting Mash-In Time

Set the mash-in time so the brew follows the planned window:

  • Night brew: target mash-in ~4:00 AM, so the boil begins around 7:30–8:00 AM when the brewer arrives.
  • Day brew: target mash-in ~10:00 AM (or as planned), working backwards from the milling start time.

Warning

For a night brew, everything must be physically ready before leaving — malt, mash salts, kettle additions, wortway CIP complete. Botec will start the brew automatically. If anything is not ready, the brew will run without it.

CIP Timing Guide

Task When to run
CIP Tank 1 up-concentration Night brew: during knockout of night brew (CIP unit free, brewer arrives at 7:00 AM). Day-only brew: ends ≥ 30 minutes before mash-in (early morning), or runs during mashing — never during mash-in itself.
Wortway CIP Night brew: evening before. Day brew: during mashing or at start of lautering — must finish by boil start (sanitisation launches at boil start).
Wortway sanitisation At boil start. Must complete before knockout.

Checklist — Evening Before (Night Brew)

  • [ ] Free tank confirmed — CIPed and ready, or time budgeted to CIP before knockout
  • [ ] Recipe ID confirmed from brew sheet or production spreadsheet
  • [ ] CIP Tank 1 up-concentration complete
  • [ ] Wortway CIP complete
  • [ ] Malt loaded into grist case
  • [ ] Mash salts loaded into dosing device
  • [ ] Kettle additions prepared, labelled, and stored in fridge
  • [ ] Botec recipe programmed — correct recipe ID, First Brew selected, mash-in time set

Checklist — Morning Prep (Day Brew)

  • [ ] Free tank confirmed — CIPed and ready, or time budgeted to CIP before knockout
  • [ ] Recipe ID confirmed from brew sheet or production spreadsheet
  • [ ] CIP Tank 1 up-concentration complete (before milling starts)
  • [ ] Malt loaded into grist case by ~8:00 AM
  • [ ] Botec recipe programmed — correct recipe ID, First or Second Brew selected
  • [ ] Mash salts loaded into dosing device
  • [ ] Kettle additions prepared, labelled, stored in fridge
  • [ ] Milling starts ~1 hour before mash-in