Do you really follow suggested brewing times?

It's been a while since I posted, but life has been happening and happening hard. Most recently, an 18 hour round trip to WI for the SWMBO's friend's wedding. The highlight of that trip was going to the Central Waters brewpub in Marshfield for a bourbon aged Scotch wee heavy. Mmmm...

Anyway, I notice a lot of folks are brewing saisons these days, or are planning them soon enough. I brewed mine back in April and it's not done aging yet, but that's beside the point. All of this saison talk has gotten me curious on a couple things. First, is the style making a big come back (I think so, personally)? Second, the purpose of this thread, do you folks brew a style whenever you want without any regard as to when it'll be ready? Personally, I brew what I want when I want and don't follow those calendars that recommend brewing a style at one point in the year so it's ready for another.

Not sure about the saison as I don't much care for the style. I'm with you on the latter point however, I brew what I want when I want to.

I am tending to follow the traditional seasons because they make sense. However, I'm not above throwing caution to the wind. I have two competing concerns.

First, I want my hefeweizens when it's hot and yucky outside, not in the cold of winter. So guess when I brew them?

On the other hand, sometimes you want to brew when you want to brew, so you make do with whatever you've got...

Saisons? Last year it was Belgian anything.

I tend to brew lagers in the winter just because of the temperatures. Mostly, I brew when I run out of something.

I brew what sounds good. I think about the beers I am tasting and get a general idea or have some sort of beerpiphany and plan around that. One of my next beers will be a big savage porter (which will be ready to drink after summer, but that is really more coincidence than anything.)

Saisons - I had my first one in April and enjoyed it. Had another and enjoyed it. It was right after I started to really enjoy a weisse bier.

But, when it comes right down to it - favorite styles to brew and drink are English ales and their American counterparts.

It took awhile, but it took a Saison to convince my wife that she likes beer. Therefore, it has a special place in my heart. I plan on brewing one soon as well. She also drinks wit beers. In fact, when we go out to eat she'll usually order a Saison (if they have it) or a Wit before a mixed drink. One more convert to the, it is not that you don't like beer, you don't like BMC.

As for what I brew when, I don't follow a calendar, but I definitely wanted my wit to be done for the summer. And I brewed a holiday beer last year for the winter, but other than that it is just what I want. I'll certainly enjoy an English ale any time of year.

No calender, brew when I want.

Mostly I brew what I want when I want, but I do enjoy brewing seasonal beers. This year is the first year I've been able to do so, but I brewed a Winter Warmer for drinking around Christmas/New Years, I brewed an American Wheat for summer (and I'll brew another next), and I'm planning an Octoberfest for fall.

For the most part I brew what I wat when I want to. I do tend to save my stouts for late fall/winter and my hefe's and blondes for summer though.

I wasn't even aware of such a calendar, so i guess I fall into the 'when I want' category, though I am a bit of a seasonal drinker, in that I tend to brew more dark beers heading into fall and lighter beers heading into spring.

We brewed our first saison last month. Was that the "right" time to brew that style? Probably not b/c I wish I was drinking it now.

I brew lagers in the winter, O'fests in March and Weizens and other ales all year round.