Expert: Matt Dick - 3/10/2011

Question
how can we decrease the brewing time?

Answer
I'd like a few more specifics about what stage of the brewing/fermenting you'd like to decrease.  I'd also like to know the amount of beer you are brewing.  

I will assume you are brewing an average amount for homebrew... between 5 and 6 gallons (about 19-20 liters).

In that case, the longest stretches of time would be in boiling the water for the wort, and cooling the wort after you've brewed.

Boiling so much water can take a long time on a kitchen stove.  To shorten that time I bought a turkey fryer and use propane.  Only use propane outdoors, since it is a gas that is heavier than air and will fill up a house!  This can shorten the brewing time significantly.

You can also brew a smaller amount of wort that is greatly concentrated, and then add water after the boil.  Make sure your water is very clean and pure when you add it, since it won't have the sanitizing benefits of a boil.  This will shorten your boiling time *and* your cooling time, so it can be of great benefit.,  If you choose this method, you will need to alter the ratio of hops and malt, so increase the hops when you brew a concentrate.

If this doesn't help, give me more specifics as to your current setup and we'll discuss further.

Cheers!