4 weeks to brew and bottle - help!

coolal22 · 10-17-2011, 12:29 AM

Hi gang,

I've got a party coming up in 1 month. I want to showcase some of my homebrew skills with a special beer for the event, but I'm getting a little bit down to the wire in terms of my time. I want to know what is the BEST beer I can brew, bottle and have ready in 4 weeks.

I am an extract/partial grain brewer in NYC and I don't have access to kegging equipment so bottle conditioning is a must.

Any thoughts??

hercher · 10-17-2011, 12:36 AM

Serve flat beer?

I'd suggest something lower in alcohol, and pitch a lot of yeast to minimize any lag time. Then hopefully you'll be down to your target gravity in enough time to bottle condition your beer.

**Native302** · 10-17-2011, 12:40 AM

I'd say a pale ale and use san diego super yeast with a 2 liter healthy starter. I used the yeast in a IIPA, pliny clone, and the fermentation was incredible! was down to FG in 3 days. Of course I left in primary for 7 days to clean up after itself. that would give you 3 weeks to bottle condition. Just my thoughts.....

annasdadhockey · 10-17-2011, 12:49 AM

Any chance you can keg it? That would give you a lot more options.

arkowa · 10-17-2011, 12:50 AM

I will suggest a simple english bitter if your friends are not beer snobs. I like the pale ale suggestion but sometimes something easy drinking and less hoppy goes over with the masses well. "dude, this tastes just like boston lager". "Oh, yeah, thanks"
*rolls eyes* I've given up sometimes on trying to fix people.

Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 2 7.7 %
6 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 92.3 %
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 3 10.7 IBUs
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 5 11.7 IBUs
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 4 8.2 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) [23.66 ml] Yeast 6 -

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.035 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.040 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.007 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.7 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 3.9 %
Bitterness: 30.6 IBUs Calories: 131.4 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 6.8 SRM

Calder · 10-17-2011, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolal22

I've got a party coming up in 1 month. I want to showcase some of my homebrew skills with a special beer for the event. I want to know what is the BEST beer I can brew, bottle and have ready in 4 weeks.

Any thoughts??

Me thinks your skills are not as good as you think they are, otherwise you would not have asked the question. Why don't you have any beer in the pipeline?

Low gravity (about 1.040), decent starter or 2 packs of yeast, very basic recipe (base malt or light extract + a little crystal) and no dry hop.

If I had to do something like this, it would be an SNPA clone:

Gravity 1.056
Yeast S-05, or 1056

Pale malt (or extract)
1 lb Crystal 60
Cascade hops to get 35 IBUs
1 ozs Cascade at 10
2 ozs Cascade at flame out

Ferment mid 60s (no higher than 70)

Bottle after 2 weeks, and store bottles above 70 F.

WolvinMaine · 10-17-2011, 01:47 AM

I second the English Bitter. 4 weeks is plenty of time to have it brewed and carbed. I have also found that English bitters tend to be enjoyed by a very wide range of beer drinkers. Good Luck!

CoalCreekBeer · 10-17-2011, 02:34 PM

All the AHS Session beers go quickly, we tried the American Brown, and sure enough it was incredibly fast, and great tasting.
Here is the link to Austin Homebrew and their session beers.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php?cPath=178_452_627

badhabit · 10-17-2011, 03:46 PM

Brewing and bottle conditioning ins month....I am afraid the best you would show are the "skills" you dont have. Wait until you have the time to do it right.

flyfisherwes · 10-17-2011, 03:52 PM

Brew 10 days ago. :-P