Boil to Beverage in 3 Weeks?

[icedub]

Hi All,

My second batch ever has been in primary for just over a week- a slightly modified Whitey's Gone Fishin' Pale Ale, from Joy of Home Brewing. In Papazian's recipe, he says "Ferment and bottle or keg. You should be fishing and enjoying this pale ale in 3 weeks.."

Three weeks? Really? Reading the sticky bottling advice thread, it seems that the general consensus is that the beer should be in the bottle at least 3 weeks before drinking, not to mention time in the primary.

My OG was 1.055, and a hydro reading this morning (9 days after pitching) was 1.014. Following Papazian's advice, I plan to take readings for the next two days and proceed with bottling if they match. However, I'm scratching my head because it seems like everywhere else I read suggests that this whole process takes a bit longer. I have been really careful about sanitizing, but I'm also little wary about opening up the primary three days in a row to grab a reading. What would you do?

 

[Priemus]

Often I get no activity after a week or so, but even if I didnt get any gravity change i'd still leave it in the primary for 3 weeks so it clears up. The difference is quite noticeable between 1 week fermenting and 3.

Bottles 3 weeks at 70 degrees as a general rule, but smaller bottels, higher temps, it could be a week, big bottles big beers, could be a few months.

but, 3 weeks primary, 3 weeks bottles will be good 90% of the time.

 

[jspence1]

Hey sometimes you need beer fast. I brewed a batch on the 10th put it in the fridge to crash cool on the 15th I kegged it today and will be drinking on saturday. It turned out fantastic based on the sample I had today.

More time is generally better but you can get them ready fast.

John

 

[Priemus]

Hey sometimes you need beer fast. I brewed a batch on the 10th put it in the fridge to crash cool on the 15th I kegged it today and will be drinking on saturday. It turned out fantastic based on the sample I had today.

More time is generally better but you can get them ready fast.

John

The luxary of being able to keg and force carb

 

[SumnerH]

As I mentioned in another thread, according to Brew Like a Month Rochefort 10 spends 7 days in primary (68-73F), 3 days in a cold secondary (48F), 10 days in bottles at 73F, and it's sent out the door.

That's 20 days until it's on trucks headed for stores. I'm not sure specifically, but I'd guess that keys are:

1. Careful temperature control at each step;
2. Precise pitching rates for the yeast
3. Cold clearing (those 3 days in secondary).
4. Mechanical clearing: I think they centrifuge it to clear before bottling, then add back a carefully controlled amount of bottling yeast. Don't quote me on that, though, I could be remembering what was said about one of the other Trappist breweries.
5. Repetition, repetition, repetition--they brew just 3 or so different beers, each one dozens of times a year. So they've got plenty of trial-and-error time to really dial things in for their specific setup.

They may also be relying on there being another week or so between when the trucks go out to wholesalers, things are stocked, sold to retail, trucked over there, shelved, sold, taken home, and consumed. But even then, that's only a month for a bottle-conditioned 11.2% ABV Belgian quad.

 

[tamoore]

I keg, but all of my beers down to 1.070 are 3 weeks from brew day to keg max. Some are 12 days (no dry hop), and still taste amazing. It can be done.

 

[v2comp]

yeah, I brewed an american wheat beer on the 6th for my wifes 25th class reunion, transferred to secondary and crash cooled 2 days ago, kegged this morning, sitting with carb cap and stone at 32F and 20 psi. should reach equilibrium by 10 in the morning. ready to go for saturday afternoon..........

 

[beersydoesit]

This months BYO has an "Tips from the pros" article in which someone claims 3 or even two weeks from brew to tap is the norm at brew pubs.

 

[v2comp]

theres one near me that was doing a stout in less than 10 days, and they have been doing it for years!

 

[beowulf]

The last 2 IPAs I brewed were ready to drink in 3 weeks time. These were OG ~1.069. I'm impatient, so I usually try one at a week, and if it's obviously not ready, I'll wait a few more. These 2 IPAs were incredible at 1 week in the bottle @70F.

 

[icedub]

Okay, so the general concensus is that it can be done fast, but may be better to wait. I just bottled my first batch (an IPA) on Sunday, so I'm in no rush to bottle this one. I'm going to rack it to the recently freed up glass carboy for secondary and let it hang there for 2 weeks. I'll brew a new batch next weekend which will put another 5 gallons in the pipeline

I can see how this can quickly become an addictive hobby. I have a beer almost every day when I get home from work. What greater satisfaction then having a beer that I MADE?

 

[KCBrewer]

I drink mostly cream ale & wheats/hefe's (~1.040 brews) and I've been drinking them after 2 weeks primary, and 4-7 days in the keg. That's with the set and forget carbing method. If I upped it to 30psi for a couple days I'd be drinking it even sooner. I've been drinking a cream ale since about the 15th that I brewed on 6/28.

I drink stouts & brown ales quite a bit too, but those I give more time to condition. For something ready to drink quick, wheats/cream ales are where it's at.

I can see how this can quickly become an addictive hobby. I have a beer almost every day when I get home from work. What greater satisfaction then having a beer that I MADE?

Yes, it's very addicting, but also very satisfying. I've had a lot of different hobbies/interests in my life (I'm always doing something new) but this one is my favorite. I've only been brewing brewing since Late January of this year, and already have a 6 brew pipeline.

 

[Malticulous]

This Cream ale is 16 days from brew day and out of a bottle.

Clear and effervescent. It's finished with conditioning. The tricks are in the fermentation schedule and techniques.

 

[Homercidal]

3 weeks is certainly doable for a pale ale, or any lighter beer. Good pitch rate and ferm temps and primary for a week or so, then cold crash and bottle (or keg). It just depends on how fast the fermentation takes and the exact recipe. But yeah, for light styles you can get away with drinking in 3-4 weeks. I prefer to drink after a couple of more weeks myself.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Do a search on Bonneville Flats Bitter Speed Brew.

 

[aboule13]

i'm about to say F-it and drop my beer from primary into a keg right now... brewed it 2 weeks + 5 days ago... i have friends coming on friday and last time he came down i had nothing. now ive got a keg that i can lift with my pinky finger (i'm going to save that) and this wheat/rye beer thats pretty light. id like to show him a couple of different brews of mine so i'm going to keg hop the young one it and put it under 30PSI on wednesday. that will be 3 weeks on the day. i'm sure it will be fine.

 

[ekranzusch]

Kegging + force carbing vs bottling can really speed things up on brews that don't really need the extra conditioning time. One of my favorites is an IPA which I pitch a big starter of WLP001, I found it only needs 2 weeks in primary to clean up etc, 5 days of dry hopping and kablammo! there ya have it.

 

[aboule13]

not sure how the abbreviated keg hop is going to work out for me... im actually thinking of sacking the hops and just leaving them in the keg.... a friend of mine has also simply dumped a bunch of hops straight into the keg and left them there.... said it poured slow but the beer was terrific

 

[aboule13]

-note

i wouldnt recommend that if the beer is going to be on tap for more than 2 weeks... the hops will probably fall to the bottom and cause infinite dip tube issues

 

[KCBrewer]

+1 on the above. It's just not a good idea to try "new" things if you are dependent on this brew being ready.

I'd go ahead and keg it now. It's been nearly 3 weeks, and you're going to serve it Friday regardless, right? So if you keg it now you'll have a day or two before to sample and work out any kinks, ensure good carb levels, etc. Plus an extra couple days of cold conditioning will help get yeast and trub stirred up during racking to settle, which you can pour off before company comes.