Quick beers

What would be some of the faster styles, from brewday to drinking? I need to get a couple of batches ready, or mostly ready by memorial day.

you are going to have to go with Ales for sure. Lagers would take too long.

For quick turn-around, keep things lower in alcohol so that the fermentation can finish faster. Right around the 4.5% range is probably good.

The more complex the recipe (ie; the more flavors in it) the longer it will take to mellow out and "gel", so keep things simple.

If I was held at gunpoint and asked what types of beers I could produce and have ready to drink in a short amount of time, I would say

Engligh Brown/Mild Ale
Pale Ale
Light-weight Porter

Just stay away from HEAVY beers (stouts, IPAs, Imperial Whatevers, Heavy Scottish Ales, etc).

My $0.02

-walker

What Walker said--I would think a mild, brown or porter w/ low to moderate hop flavor will be where you'll get your best fast results. People say that browns are very quick to ferment and mature--I'm not quite sure why that one style has that reputation (as compared to other lower gravity, lower hoppiness styles), though.

English Brown or Mild is probably the best way to go.

if you're rushing, you probably don't have time to make a starter, so double or triple up on yeast

a kegging system will help because you can force carbonate.

hunteraw said:

kegging system will help because you can force carbonate.

Click to expand...

It surely does, but I was able to get a bottled Pale Ale ready to drink after just 1 week in the bottles, even after the beer spent 2 weeks in a secondary at 50F and was very clear at racking time. The key was priming with Kraeusen (a predetermined amount of a large actively fermenting starter). Six days later it was fully carbonated and there is not to much yeast in the bottles either. More than usually I have to admit though. But it stays in the bottle very well when I pour the beer in a glass.

Hefe Weizens are another "fast" style.

Kai

There is an article in this months BYO about that. From boil to drinking in 1 week. I think its an APA, goes into primary for 6 days, then into a keg and crammed with CO2 for 24 hrs, then drink. You can go to the website and read the article i think.

Sorry, there are 2 recipes....1 is a mild ale, and the other is a Bonneville Flats Bitter. I will post the recipe if you want either one.

I'll second the milds and bitters. I brewed some milds back to back just for that purpose. They were in the 1.036-1.038 gravity range with .5oz hops for flavor and .5oz for aroma. One week in primary then straight to bottles for one week. I used WL British ale yeast that cleared in that time but did not pack all that well and was easily stirred back up when pouring.

whatever you make, if you make a nice BIG starter and pitch it into a well aerated wort you will decrease your lag time from 12-36 hours down to 0-5 hours which will give you a head start...

Thanks everyone. Probably going to go with a pale and a brown.

I forgot to mention one of the best things about low gravity brews. After years of brewing I never really brewed any until recenlty and was blown away by the flavor and aroma. I was just amazed how the hops and maltiness are perceived at lower levels. Flavors that are otherwise masked at higher concentrations are opened up and easily enjoyed without killing the liver.

PT Ray said:

Flavors that are otherwise masked at higher concentrations are opened up and easily enjoyed without killing the liver.

Click to expand...

What is a "liver"?

-walker

Opposite of the "dier"

6 days from kettle to mug at 6.7% ABV.
Here's the thread.

Good luck,
Wild

I'm preparing to do a Hefe Weizen as my first AG, I gather that's a fast style because it spends less time in the secondary.

Brew to drink in one week, at 85 dgrees.

I don't know from liver or dier, but I do know what a 'morner' is.










It's a lot like a 'nooner', but earlier in the day!

what is a good commercial example of a mild brown or bitter

NEPABREWER said:

what is a good commercial example of a mild brown or bitter

Click to expand...

From the BJCP style guidelines: Mild
http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category11.html#style11A
Moorhouse Black Cat, Highgate Mild, Brain's Dark, Banks's Mild, Coach House Gunpowder Strong Mild, Gale's Festival Mild, Woodforde's Norfolk Nog, Goose Island PMD Mild

Bitter:
http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category8.html#style8A
Boddington's Pub Draught, Fuller's Chiswick Bitter, Oakham Jeffrey Hudson Bitter (JHB), Young's Bitter, Brakspear Bitter, Adnams Bitter

Hope that helps,

mikey
(Remember, the BJCP is your friend!!!)

casebrew said:

...I do know what a 'morner' is...It's a lot like a 'nooner', but earlier in the day!

Click to expand...

No, no, no! You have it all wrong!

A "morner" is with your wife and a "nooner" is with your girlfriend!

Certainly stay away from complex sugars... honey, molasis... also use primming sugar as the primmer and not DME.

I have not seen Wheat mentioned. I would certainly put it in the more quick beers to make.