Fast fermenters for the impatient brewer

I know I'm not the only one with this problem. I drink faster than I brew and I can't get a good pipeline going. As much as I like going to the store and trying new beer, I don't like being forced to because I have nothing on tap. I tend to veer towards brews that take a little longer to ferment and it would be nice to have a couple of quick ones ready to go while my others age. So I am looking for beers that I can be drinking within 3 or so weeks of brewing. I have a hefe fermenting right now and I am open to just about any style. I saw that AHS has "session" beers and if anyone has any experience with those, please share. Oh, and I am looking for AG but I am not fully opposed to Extract or partial. Thanks all.

Last year, some of us did a beer swap called "10der and mild". In month 10, (October) we brewed a mild and then had to get it into the mail within 10 days. So, that meant brewing, kegging, and bottling within 10 days. And, the beers were GREAT! So, I'd recommend a mild. I did Jamil's recipe.

Also, some non-roasty brown ales would be good. I think my Fat Squirrel clone was pretty good when it was young. Also, some American pale ales and ambers are good when they are fairly young.

To have something ready pretty fast, it's good to have a fairly low OG (1.045 or under), a simple grain bill, and a highly flocculant yeast. Anything with roasty notes, or complexitiy will take longer. A flocculant yeast that compacts tightly will also help- try nottingham or pacman yeast for that.

All I know is that the Safbrew S-33 ale yeast ferments like crazy. I pitched 2 packets, and the beer started bubbling an hour afterward! It finished up about a day later, for the most part.

It's not terribly flocculant though.

Good advice once more from Yooper!

To reinforce: The lower the OG, the more quickly the beer can be tastefully consumed. Mild, Bitter, low-gravity Brown Ales, etc. Hefeweizen is another good choice. Belgian-style Witbier is another; those should, IMO, be consumed as fresh as possible.

Have a look at the Mild recipe in my drop-down. It's pretty killer as soon as it's carbonated. Also consider Pride of Raubsville, a fairly Ordinary Bitter that, while eminently drinkable, still packs a lot of flavor.

Bob

I'll also add that the better you control fermentation (pitching rate and temperature) the sooner your beer will be drinkable. You'll have faster fermentations and fewer flaws that need to "age out".

remilard said:

I'll also add that the better you control fermentation (pitching rate and temperature) the sooner your beer will be drinkable. You'll have faster fermentations and fewer flaws that need to "age out".

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Pressurized fermentation will also help, if you want a cleaner beer since the pressure will suppress ester production and minimize the amount of byproducts. I have a spunding valve I bought from MoreBeer that attaches to the gas post of a corny keg, or you can use WortMonger's method he describes in this thread.

+1 to mild, ordinary bitter, or a low OG brown ale, also, a belgian single (patersbier) would be awesome too.

Milds, breakfast stouts, wheats...really, ANYTHING with a low gravity and a nice pitching rate will give you a quick beer.

The fastest would be mild beers. Hefeweizens need to fall out a little at least, but I've done a breakfast stout in 3 days, grain-to-glass, no problem.

Ive found that American wheat can go from grain to tap in about 3 weeks, without any negative effects! My ESB has been drunk after 3 weeks before as well.... but is better to wait!

DeathBrewer said:

Milds, breakfast stouts, wheats...really, ANYTHING with a low gravity and a nice pitching rate will give you a quick beer.

The fastest would be mild beers. Hefeweizens need to fall out a little at least, but I've done a breakfast stout in 3 days, grain-to-glass, no problem.

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3 DAYS? wow.....