Lag time

[Shambolic]

What are the shortest lag times people have achieved?

Mine used to be over a day (just sprinkling dry yeast on top of the wort in the fermenter), but last time, with a starter prepared the day before and good aeration, it was only seven hours. I was happy with that.

 

[Tony]

My record so far was 4 hours. Large starter that took off very fast. I'll never do another batch without one.

 

[david_42]

30 minutes. Moved a Mild into the secondary and poured an IPA onto the cake.

Non-cake, about 4 hours. Big starter on Poor Richard's Ale.

 

[drengel]

a few hours with a large starter...my shortest ferment has been a day that i just got with my porter.

 

[woodstone]

WOW! I typically brew on Sundays watching football and after drinking all day typically find a good ferment on Monday morning (with a headache and itch for something cold with alcohol). I've not timed "take-off" but with these posts, I'll have to start paying attention. On a serious note, I don't take the time to do a "starter" and with "whack packs" I've had a good rolling fermentation before I've gotten up on Monday morn (pitch at 4PM Sunday or so). Funny, I've done a couple of cheap "boil and dumps" lately to fill my kegs and (eeeeeek!) used the dry yeast and had better response! Based on these posts, however, I think I'm going to start saving yeast from my primaries and once again start making up some starters!

 

[Lounge Lizard]

With my first batch, a can of Coopers Lager extract and a kilo of corn sugar (I know, yuck), it was bubbling after three hours. Sprinkled Coopers dry yeast on the top and it went to work.

Actually for a former Bud drinker, it isn't really too bad for a first batch. Been in the bottles almost two weeks.

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

the wee heavy i brewed saturday started after 30 minutes (fastest start ever). made a 1300 ml starter w/ 1.5 cups dme. aerated for 2.5 minutesprior to pitching. normal for me is about 3-4 hours of lag time.

 

[Brewsmith]

My barleywine was pitched on the cake from a previous batch. Less than an hour.

 

[Orfy]

My extracts took around a day but this AG was away somewhere between 4 and 3 hours. (I was upstairs drinking HB when it came to life)

 

[Shambolic]

Well, I've bested myself. My Imperial Stout (currently in fermenter) had a lag time of less than five hours. Sweet!

(BTW, OG = 1.111; this is by far the highest gravity beer I've ever made )

 

[smorris]

Fastest was about 4 hours when I made a large starter. Typical is about 8 hours before the airlock is banging away. Had one hangfire for 36 hours once then it just exploded to life.

 

[Passload]

I have only brewed one beer so far and it took off after about 6 hours.