Beer in 2 weeks?

Ok, im new here and have been lurking somewhat. You all have been great with all the resources you have on this site.
Here is the question. ( and please bear with me as im a noob at this)
I brewed my first batch of beer at a local you brew place named "gallaghers where you brew". You go in and they help you with the recipe and you brew 13 gallons of beer. After its all brewed and in the fermentor they store and watch it. You then come back in 2 weeks, and bottle or keg it.
I have done 2 batches so far and love the product. How can it be drinkable and good like it is after only 2 weeks? Everything I see here on these forums tells me 3-4 weeks minimum.
The reason I ask, is I have taken the plunge and purchased a home brew setup form my local home brew store and want to do this at home now. I have even started to make a fermentation room in my wood shop, and will be making it climate controlled.

i think it depends on the style of beer ... i had a cream ale be killer at 2 weeks and an amber taste like crap until about 5 weeks ... rule of thumb for me has become .. if it taste pretty good and is clearly done fermenting .. I bottle, and start drinking it about a week later .. longer in the bottle is OK but all mine have been very drinkable after only a week in the bottle ...

Fermentation temperature control, proper oxygenation of the wort, pitching the correct amount of yeast, and brewing a lower OG recipe all leads towards faster boil to bottle times. Just keep in mind, that you can still benefit from longer time on the yeast, even if it's done fermenting and 'good' after just two weeks.

Being "drinkable and good" is ok for some. Personally, I want great home brew to enjoy. Until I get a fermentation chamber, that means giving the brews the amount of time they need to get there. Even once I have the fermentation chamber, I'll be more inclined to let them go as long as they need to taste great before bottling/kegging. I have an O2 injection/infusion system on it's way, which I'll use in the next batch once it arrives. It will be interesting to see how that helps out. I'm fermenting in a place that's about 66F year round, which works well for the yeast strains I use. At least for now.

BTW, the more you brew, especially at home, the more you'll refine your process and procedures until you can make something really great time and again.

Well, you're bottling in two weeks, right? Not drinking it then. By week 5 after brewing, the beer should be completely carbed up and taste great.

I bottle or keg in two to three weeks. Many of my beers are ready for packaging then, although some aren't quite ready to drink then!

As was mentioned, if you pitch enough yeast, have temperature control for fermentation, use quality ingredients, etc, you should have the ability to package the beer in two to three weeks every time. Sometimes the beers are slower to clear, and I don't like bottling a beer that isn't clear. It'll clear in the bottle, leaving more crud in the bottles. So I wait until the beer is clear before bottling, so that may be closer to three weeks.

I never heard of such a place, sounds pretty cool. how does it work? Is it a Club? Do you have to pay? Are you positive you are bottling the same beer that you cooked?

Redwiggler said:

I never heard of such a place, sounds pretty cool. how does it work? Is it a Club? Do you have to pay? Are you positive you are bottling the same beer that you cooked?

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I have seen a few macro breweries around here offer this "brewer for a day" or "brew your own beer" deal.you essentially get use their commercial set up to brew a batch.
I don't know how much it costs,I'm sure it's relatively expensive.

Yes it is the same beer i brewed, we label our batches and you can go in anytime to check the progress of the beer.
At the 2 week mark they force carb it and you bottle it, and drink it right then and there. I just bottled 3 gallons yesterday, kegged 10 gallons and have tapped it in my keezer. I had 3 or 4 glass's last night and it was great! I hear people mention green beer, as in not finished, but this tastes perfect not like it needs more time.
It is a bit expensive the Scottish ale I made cost me $180 for 13 gallons. That includes the caps ( you provide the bottles or they sell 12oz bottles for 45cents and 22oz for 80cents per bottle) but some recipes are less.
Here is their link its a pretty cool setup.
http://www.whereubrew.com/