Brew for 4th of July

I was going to brew two beers for the 4th but I had some not so fun family stuff. Now it's the 17th and I'm stuck with no brew for our annual 4th of July BBQ.

Any ideas on what I can brew that would be tasty for the 4th and also be ready by then if I brew this weekend? The main problem is that I'm still bottling.

I was going to brew a pale ale, saison and IPA if time allowed but turned out to be nothing.

Hmmm. That gives you 17 days? To brew, bottle, and carb up? That's going to be tough.

You could try a hefeweizen or American wheat (both good young), a British mild (good young, plus sort of flat so it doesn't need to be well carbed) or even a cream ale if you plan a low OG.

The key will be to pitch enough yeast (consult mrmalty.com), keep the fermentation temperature strictly under control (no time for esters to fade or other flaws to mellow), and use a well flocculating yeast for a beer that should be clear- like S04 or nottingham. That will ferment quickly, and you can rack quickly. You should be able to ferment any of those in 5 days and get them bottled.

Go buy 3 or 4 cases of beer. Tell people you brewed it. When they ask you why its in X breweries bottles, just tell them you reuse their bottles and caps. Easier than the hassle youre in for. Or listen to Yoop

mikeysab said:

Go buy 3 or 4 cases of beer. Tell people you brewed it. When they ask you why its in X breweries bottles, just tell them you reuse their bottles and caps. Easier than the hassle youre in for. Or listen to Yoop

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Hahaha. Spoken like someone who has played this card before...

Brewers Best Summer Ale, 3 weeks and I'm drinkin out of the keg, yeah its premature, but tastes good and safe ale US-05 is da shout!

okay.

first do a lower proof beer, this will ferment faster. add yeast nutrient to make it ferment faster as well. ferment in a warm place, around 80 degrees F, this will also make the fermentation process faster. bottle early and use the sugars left in the beer to carbonate itself.

if you really want to brew, i would go with some type of hefe. i brewed one about 3 weeks ago(memorial day weekend), bottled it about a week ago, and it is fantastic, probably my best beer to date. most other styles take longer to bottle condition and carb up. plus they are such great summer beers.

you can do a hefe, let it ferment for a week, then bottle it. even young for a hefe, but the best you can do

lumpher said:

you can do a hefe, let it ferment for a week, then bottle it. even young for a hefe, but the best you can do

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definitely agree. however, even though it would still be young, it will probably still taste fantastic, especially with a hefe yeast like wlp300. but then again, i think hefe's are the best beers ever, so my opinion is slightly biased

BlueZooBrewing said:

Hahaha. Spoken like someone who has played this card before...

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Yep, tried it last christmas. Should have tried a wheat or a cream ale, but went with a big stout. Needless to say, its a good thing my dad had some other beer on hand.

I wasnt saying it cant be done, but with bottling its a little tougher.if you brew a nice session beer, you have a chance. Just dont go expecting to have a big burner ready in 3 weeks. Good luck with it

I started my July 4th brew beginning of June, 3 weeks to condition, 1 week to carb (in keg)

Thanks all. It seems like I'd be pushing it and I'm going to brew by buying some good stuff from the store this time.

It sounds like a hefeweizen was the way to go but I brewed 2 hefeweizens in my last 3 batches. They were all pretty good after a month but (3 week primary, 1 week bottle) but were low on the carbonation for another 2 weeks or so.

yooper's fizzy yellow beer is a good one thats ready relatively quick. I had my first taster after just one week in the bottles, and it was carbed up enough to be drinkable, plus if you're serving it ice ice cold, being a little flat is less noticeable.

dan0804smith said:

okay.

first do a lower proof beer, this will ferment faster. add yeast nutrient to make it ferment faster as well. ferment in a warm place, around 80 degrees F, this will also make the fermentation process faster. bottle early and use the sugars left in the beer to carbonate itself.

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That sounds good but, if you were to use the beers own sugar, wouldn't it be still fermenting? I would think rushing to drink it is 1 thing, but the fermenting process to completion is more important?