I need a fast turnaround summertime beer...

Something that is no longer "green" after about 4 weeks. Whatever it is i'd like to leave in primary for two weeks, then keg and "set & forget" for two weeks. It seems like all the beers i've made to date have had off flavors until about the 6 week mark.

What kind of recipe is good for this? A bavarian Hefe maybe?

I would go with a wheat beer personally.

I just did BM's Centennial Blonde and it tastes pretty good to me after 3 weeks (2 weeks in primary, 1 week in keg). I tweaked it a little by using all centennial hops and WLP007, but I don't think that made any difference in how quick it turns around.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/centennial-blonde-simple-4-all-grain-5-10-gall-42841/

dfc said:

I would go with a wheat beer personally.

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I see in your signature that you've got a blueberry wheat conditioning? How is that turning out? Could that be a quick one? Did you use real blueberries?

It's only been 1 week in bottles, so I haven't tried it yet. It spent two weeks in primary and then was racked onto 3 lbs. of blueberries and about .5 gals of water that I pasteurized the blueberries in. After one week in secondary I bottled.

I'll probably be trying one this weekend which will be 5 weeks from boiling to tasting. If I remember this thread I'll chime in.

The thing I love most about the beer so far (since I haven't tasted it yet) is the fact that it's purple. :rockin:

If you want something quick, try Orfy's Mild. If you push it, it can be ready in as little as two weeks. It was for me. It gets better if you give it another week, but in a pinch it is a fast brew.

Pitch enough active yeast and anything hoppy should be good to go in 3-4 weeks. I regularly start drinking American ambers in two weeks.11-12 days in fermenter and a couple days on high psi (30) co2.

A wheat is the way to go. The recipe below is a keeper. Low esters from the yeast let the hops shine.

American style Hefe

Type: All Grain
Date: 4/1/2011
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer:
Boil Size: 5.72 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
Efficiency: 70.0%

Ingredients

5.25 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 51.2 %
4.25 lb Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 41.5 %
0.50 lb Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 4.9 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 2.4 %
0.50 oz Tettnang [4.50%] (60 min) Hops 8.0 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50%] (45 min) Hops 9.0 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50%] (30 min) Hops 7.5 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50%] (10 min) Hops 3.5 IBU
Yeast: White Labs #WLP320 1L starter

Est Original Gravity: 1.053 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.048 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.1 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.9 %
Bitterness: 28.0 IBU Calories: 211 cal/pint
Est Color: 5.0 SRM

rasherb said:

Pitch enough active yeast and anything hoppy should be good to go in 3-4 weeks. I regularly start drinking American ambers in two weeks.11-12 days in fermenter and a couple days on high psi (30) co2.

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I agree with this. I drink almost off of my beers at the 3-week mark (I keg). If you need a long time for conditioning a regular strength ale, I would look at fermentation temperatures and yeast pitching rates. Just about any beer under 1.055 or so should be ready in 4 weeks, unless there is something complex in the flavor. My oatmeal stout needs 5-6 weeks for the flavors to meld perfectly, although it's drinkable sooner.

Pitch enough yeast, control fermentation temperatures, and keg at two weeks. You can do just about any ale style with that procedure, of an OG under 1.060.

Agree with bavarian heffe. Warm fermentation gets more yummy esters. Primary only, then force father that keg!

English Milds, Hefeweizens, Wheat Beers, Pale Ales...Beers that are relatively low in alcohol content that you make a decent starter for can be good to drink in as little as 3 weeks.