i want to set up a pipeline

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Djlunchbox

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i am so sick of waiting so long to get good flavor out of each batch. and i'd really like to try brewing different styles. i have a witbier kit standing by that i aim to brew on tuesday. i was advised not to use a secondary on this batch by my LHBS. (he acutally ground the grains for me, and pieced this kit together for me for what i wanted, good dude) so in theory, i should be ready to bottle this in what...2 to 3 weeks? ( i have no gravity numbers to follow on this one. )

so.... i'd like to try a lager, a barley wine, a porter, and maaaaayyybe a stout. maybe an ipa, i dunno. but i definately have a ton of bottles coming my way, and i want to get some use out of my 5 gallon kit before i get going on my keggle setup.

i have no idea which takes the longest to mature ( thinking the barley wine) or what order i should do things in, timeframes...etc. i'd prefer all extracts or partial mash's ( assuming that's the whole " steep to convert" step i did for this past witbier) for this years brews , so i can focus on learning more before i build a rig and go AG.

can anyone point me in the right direction here? :mug:
 
Is this a question, or a statement? lower OG is usually a quicker turnaround, so start small.
 
Barly wine will probably take the longest and lagering takes a bit, plus temp control for them. After that the rest depend on OG, the higher the OG the longer to age theoretically. If you want a pipe line just brew often and before you know it you will have more beer than you expected. Also having beer that doesnt require long aging makes aging a beer such as a barlywine much easier.
 
The more malts, higher alcohol and darker a brew is the longer it will take to mature, However, that does not mean it will taste bad young. Many stouts can age a year and taste GREAt after a week.

It's all about balance and how well it's made. Of course lagers will take longer because it needs to stay in a carboy for months and you need so much more equipment and space.

Pipeline? Just brew a lot, when I first started I was brewing 3 out of 4 weeks with a 213 series. 2 weeks in a primary, 1 week in a secondary and 3 weeks carbing in a bottle.
 
lagering....i need a fridge, right? i have a spare in the basement all ready to go ( i still have more to learn about lagers) . and if i want barley wine, that will take.... i'm guessing almost a year? ( again, more to read up on) . i guess i will start tomorrow on the witbier recipie that i have ready to go, and i will persue a barly wine soon thereafter once i acquire a carboy. that will take the longest time to mature and i can move on to other recipies. :)
 
I would not do a lager right away. They are a lot more complex than ales. At least from what I have heard. I have also heard that a little mistake will show up more prominent in a lager than an ale (not sure if that is true or not). You will need someway to keep the fermentor at a lower temp too.

I would stick with the ales until you get good and start really enjoying your beer. lagers also take longer so that would not help out you pipeline.

Dark beers do not always take longer. Go by the gravity. The higher the OG the longer it will take. A barleywine takes the longest. But most of those other styles, you can bottle after 4-6 weeks and then drink 3 weeks after that.
 
Barley wine? Have you tasted one before? The two I've tasted were not my favorite. There are many styles I'll brew before I try one of those.
 
yeah, i had one the other night and i loved it. can;t for the life of me remember what it was tho.
 
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