Suggest a better first brew based on time?

I was going to make a Hefeweisen for my first brew but the store messed up and JUST sent my temp controller for my chest freezer so it won't be here until Thursday probably. I go out of town the 19th-28th so now I'm not sure what to do since a good 10-14 days in the primary means it will be done when I go out of town. I was really hoping to be drinking my first brew New Years eve. Here are the options the way I see them:

leave it in the primary for 3 weeks or so

wait to put it in the primary until the 16th or so and it will be done when I get back maybe

overpitch and get it to finish primary in 7days or less then keg it or rack to secondary

start it tonight and use ice in a cooler to keep it cool? Maybe? (i'm in Florida and it will be 80+ outside and 75 in the apt but I don't want too much banana)

pick a brew that primaries faster

Any suggestions?

There's nothing wrong with leaving it in the primary that long. And since you're kegging, I would go ahead and brew it, keep in an ice bath to keep the temps down, until the controller gets in, and then put it in the chamber. Force carb when you return.

Leaving it on the yeast for an extra 2 weeks won't hurt a thing.

Wrathbone said:

Leaving it on the yeast for an extra 2 weeks won't hurt a thing.

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It probably would make it better!

for a hefeweizen especially, give it 3 weeks in primary, carefully rack to the keg, carb, and drink.

Thanks guys! Everything I read was people discussing how early you can get it into a bottle so I assumed there was a rush with the hefe for some reason (keeping yeast suspended or something). Maybe they are just impatient!

I just got back from Hearts and I am somewhat dis-heart-end (get it?). The guy wasn't rude but the first thing I mentioned was this would be my first brew and I wanted to do a hefe. Instead of a response I got a blank stare. So I asked him for the supplies (6.6lbs Bavarian wheat LME, 1oz tettenger hop pellets, and an activator pack of wyeast 3068). He quickly got it and rung me up. He did give me a card for the local brewers club and went right back to his computer (maybe he is MT and the raid was starting?). Either way it was ok at best.

Now that I'm home (I went earlier, over an hour before close) I see the hop pellets are actually about 70% pulverized. There are some pellets in there but most of it is like corrnflower. I did get a hop sock but most of the powdered hops are going to go right through. Is this how they are supposed to come? Should I put them in a coffee filter when I boil them or just drink until I don't care like the book says?

Thanks again guys.

Don't worry about the consistency of the hop pellets. They go through enough stress to even get them in that form, so they'll be fine. The pellets dissipate anyways.

I personally don't even filter them, they settle out in the primary and that's that. Some people are more concerned with that, but I wouldn't be.