Hefe or dry stout?

[azazel1024]

I am trying to figure out what the heck to brew next weekend. I'll be back a day early from my in-laws, so I can brew Sunday night. Since I CAN brew, I will brew.

I don't happen to have a hefe or dry english stout ready to drink...and I have an urge for both.

So, thoughts? Brew the hefe now and the stout in a few weeks? Other way around? I need a couple more summer beers. I haven't decided on final recipes yet, but I was looking at maybe a 4.8-5.2% Hefe, light, maybe 70% wheat the rest 2-row with just a hint (HINT!) of victory in it for a little color and a hint of dry biscuitiness and ferment for cloves (WLP380 Hefe yeast). Halertau hops. IBUs in the mid teens.

Stout pretty much just 2-row and roasted barley. I might do a little bit of coffee malt and a tiny bit of chocolate malt for some complexity in there. Debating a tiny bit of C40, but I am leaning towards no. Mash really low and using WLP005 English ale yeast. Probably about 4.5% ABV. Target hops. IBUs around 20.

 

[atom]

brew the one you want to drink first?

 

[azazel1024]

That is my problem, I don't know which one I want to brew first. Some days it is a light dry stout, others a hefe.

Sadly I won't have the time that day to do back to back brews :-/

 

[TheSmithsEra]

Lol I am in a similar boat here. I haven't brewed a stout in a while and that is usually what I like to drink. So much so that that is the reason why I havenn't brewed one.

I am ready to have more stout in the pipeline, but my vote would go to a hefe!

 

[BrewSavage]

Brew the hefe first as it will be drinkable relatively quickly.

Then with your hefe in your hand you will have something to drink while brewing your stout.

 

[MikeSkril]

Hurry up and brew both!

 

[solbes]

Hefe. Light stout sounds like a spring or fall drink to me. As others said, you will get the hefe on tap quicker, allowing you to brew light stout later.

 

[azazel1024]

Damnit all. Now I am thinking maybe I should try to brew both at once. They are only going to be 3 gallon recipes. I could do one on my propane burner and one on my stove and run them close to tandom. Maybe just delayed 15 minutes or so.

Or, brew back to back since the smaller volume will get done a lot faster.

Now I am going to have to wait and see when I think I'll be home that Sunday.

I really would love both to be ready by the end of June since I also have at least 1-2 fruit wheats I want to do this summer and a Saison. Plus I need to brew an American Light Lager (not an adjunct) for a work thing. Enough to ply something like 10-20 coworkers + possible spouses with booze. So I need to step up my game. About to finish off my Raisin nut brown ale, my Steambeer and my Rye APA.

Only leaves English Mild, RIS (which is green as hell. Incredibly great, but it still needs 4-8 months more aging to really hit it's stride so I am resisting drinking it), a little German Pilsner, English Pale Lager, Schwarzbier, a shed load of Belgian Blonde Ale, and a rapidly decreasing amount of Berliner Wiesse.

I mean, jeez, I just was complaining about having TOO much beer in the bottle and that I wouldn't be able to brew for ages. Then my wife decided she would start drinking beer again and we've been playing match maker with our next door neighbor and one of our friends (been going great), and they've been over for probably 2-3 cook outs and a bunch of "drop-ins" the last few weeks. I think in the last 5 weeks I've gone through probably 60 beers, which is a bit more than double my usual rate.

Which is yay, but I can see the end in sight for what I have in the bottle (even if it would take me 2-3 more months to actually drink my cellar dry).

I do have a Pumpkin beer waiting to finish up to bottle (4 gallons, for my wife and the other friend we are playing match maker with).