Quick Beers

[rodwha]

A thread some time back prompted me to work on several recipes that can be made quickly for those times when a get together next month are upon you. I figure the lighter, more simple beers are more likely to be done sooner, and so I figured I'd begin there.

I'm making a blonde today, and a honey wheat in a week or so. If/when these turn out well I figure I'll try a cream ale, a hoppy pale, an IPA, an amber, a brown, and then a porter/stout. I'm thinking a brown on up may require a little more time as I bottle.

I was given the advice to mash a little lower as it makes it easier on the yeast.

My plan is to ferment at 64* for 7 days, pull and finish it at room temp ~74* for another 7 days, bottle and condition for 14 days, and then chill for 3 days = 31 days.

My blonde recipe is:

2.5 gal mash

3.25 lbs 2-row
0.5 lb crystal 20
0.5 lb white wheat berries
0.25 lb carapils

0.3 oz Willamette (5.2%) @ 70/7 mins
0.4 oz Willamette @ 21 mins
1/4 Whirlflock @ 7 mins

US-05 (1/2 packet)

1.049/1.010
5.1% ABV
24 IBU's
4 SRM

My honey wheat looks like this:

2.5 gal mash

1.75 lbs 2-row
1.5 lbs white wheat berries
1 lb honey (FO)

0.2 oz Palisades (7.2%) @ 70 mins
0.4 oz Palisades @ 21/7 mins

US-05 (1/2)

1.049/1.010
5.1% ABV
28 IBU's
2 SRM

Any recommendations?

 

[rodwha]

My "mash tun" sucks as I lose 2-3* every 35 mins typically. I intend to start at ~155* figuring it will likely drop to about ~149* after my 77 min mash.

 

[RmikeVT]

I've turned around a dunkelweizen and hefeweizen in 16 days, kegging of course. 13 days in primary and another 2-3 days to get cold and carbonate and let big particles drop out. I have the dunkelweizen on tap now, tastes fantastic.

If you were bottling you could probably bottle at 10 days and carbonate for 2 weeks, chill and drink. You don't need those extra days to chill, because you want the yeast in suspension.

I like german wheats for fast turn around because you can still make a 1.050-1.055 beer with a modest ABV of 5.5%. I feel like that time frame is pushing it with other styles that are of that gravity.

I think anything below 1.045ish can be turned around rather quickly as long as its on the lower end of the bittering scale for the style and a flocculent yeast is used.

 

[rodwha]

You don't think I ned 3 days for carbonation? It's the general rule. I've even gone as far as giving my beers a full week to ensure it as I've had issues with carbonation and head retention (why I add wheat).

I've thought about cutting it to 10 days just to see if those few days made any difference.

 

[RmikeVT]

You don't think I ned 3 days for carbonation? It's the general rule. I've even gone as far as giving my beers a full week to ensure it as I've had issues with carbonation and head retention (why I add wheat).

I've thought about cutting it to 10 days just to see if those few days made any difference.

You might have a good point. I'm don't bottle often and when I do, I'm not as patient as I probably should be. I thought the extended chilling time was to get the yeast to drop to the bottom, I wasn't thinking it had to do with CO2 going into solution.

 

[rodwha]

As far as I understand it's merely for carbonation. But an extended time will help clarify.

I'm known for being very patient, but every now and then I cut a few corners in anticipation!

 

[Calder]

My "mash tun" sucks as I lose 2-3* every 35 mins typically. I intend to start at ~155* figuring it will likely drop to about ~149* after my 77 min mash.

Why 77 mins. It is a strange number, and it is long. Conversion is very quick with today's malts, you are probably still in the mid 150s when it is complete. I'm done after 20 minutes and start sparging. You might want to start the mash off at 150.

 

[rodwha]

After looking at the hop utilization chart and seeing how the peak aroma time is about 7 mins, and the peak flavor time is about 21 mins, and bittering slowly improves beyond 60 mins I've just run with the multiples of 7. Yea, silly I know.

So for my mash, after I've stirred and set a thermometer in the center and along the edge I set a timer for 7 mins so that I can check to ensure my temp is where I want it. Then I set the timer for 35 mins and check/stir again followed by another 35 mins to call it done.

If conversion is so quick why is 60 mins standard?

My strike water was ~165* but I had the lid to my "mash tun" off while I was getting prepared (my strike water wasn't quite high enough). After the 7 mins I noted that my temp was about 142-144*.

I spilled a little of my wort but I came in a little low. Instead of the 1.049 I expected I had 1.045. I added 1/4 lb of DME to bring it back up.

This one certainly won't be considered as my trial batch to see if it I can turn it around soon enough. I need to better nail down my boil off rate (it was about 45%!) as well as my mash temp situation.

 

[m00ps]

After looking at the hop utilization chart and seeing how the peak aroma time is about 7 mins, and the peak flavor time is about 21 mins, and bittering slowly improves beyond 60 mins I've just run with the multiples of 7. Yea, silly I know.

So for my mash, after I've stirred and set a thermometer in the center and along the edge I set a timer for 7 mins so that I can check to ensure my temp is where I want it. Then I set the timer for 35 mins and check/stir again followed by another 35 mins to call it done.

If conversion is so quick why is 60 mins standard?

My strike water was ~165* but I had the lid to my "mash tun" off while I was getting prepared (my strike water wasn't quite high enough). After the 7 mins I noted that my temp was about 142-144*.

I spilled a little of my wort but I came in a little low. Instead of the 1.049 I expected I had 1.045. I added 1/4 lb of DME to bring it back up.

This one certainly won't be considered as my trial batch to see if it I can turn it around soon enough. I need to better nail down my boil off rate (it was about 45%!) as well as my mash temp situation.

I think you are confusing the MASH with the BOIL....you aren't adding hops during the mash are you???

60 min has just always been used for mashing, especially for step mashes where you need a 15-20 min rest at multiple temps.

 

[rodwha]

I didn't add my hops to the mash. It was the hop chart that showed me the multiples of 7 that I ran wild with and integrated it into about everything brewing with a time.

All of the resting and changing the temp has me baffled. I just use 165* strike water with the intentions of hitting 152-155* and call it good for the duration.

 

[metanoia]

If you're looking for a quick turnaround, I can't think of anything faster than a wit. Clarity is not an issue, so you don't have to worry much about letting the yeast clean up the beer visually, nor do you have to cold crash. My last hefe was at FG after 5 days, so if you're being cautious and wait for 2 days between consistent SG readings you could bottle at day 7 with priming sugar on the high side, which will be okay for this style once it's fully carbonated anyway. After 3-5 days in the bottle you'll get medium carbonation, at least enough to enjoy. So that could be an easy 10-day turnaround.

 

[rodwha]

I am making a honey wheat soon. Maybe I ought to attempt a quicker turnaround with it.

I greatly dislike banana and bubblegum, and regular wheats just aren't my thing. However I'm also making a Belgian Wit using T-58 yeast along with lemon zest and grains of paradise. I wonder if this would be rather quick as well.

 

[m00ps]

The t-58 is great with spices, the end result may be closer to a saison with wheat in it since t-58 is also highly attenuating, but its homebrewing after all. As long as it tastes good...

 

[rodwha]

I bought the T-58 thinking I could make a warm fermented Belgian. I later realized it doesn't like warm temps. It's at it's due date and so I'm just using it up now.

 

[rodwha]

I bottled the honey wheat on the 19th and had a little taste (I generally don't do this), and despite being only 2 weeks old with no carbonation it was very good! But I expected that with this beer.

I did not try the blonde, but it will be ready to try real soon as it goes into the fridge on the 25th with the first taste on the 28th. I expect it to be good as well.

Next up will be an amber and a hoppy pale ale. If the American pale works out could I assume an ESB would too? Maybe I ought to just try it too and figure out another British beer to make with the other half of S-04... A northern brown or mild maybe and test it as well, or maybe just a British IPA on the small.

 

[m00ps]

So I'm guessing you are limited to dry yeast strains

Have you heard of belle saison? Its easily one of the best available dry yeasts. Very similar to wheat French saison. As far as i know, its the only belgiam dry yeast that tastea authentic

Also, mangrove jack is a newer company with some nice offerings. For English yeast they have a Newcastle dark ale which I've used and a Burton on Trent strain that looks nice. I've used to use s04 a lot but stopped completely when I realized half of my beers made with it developed weird unpleasant off flavors after a month or so in the bottle. Found a topic on it where one guy did an analysis of 100+ brews he's done and the only brews with offensive off flavors all used s04

 

[rodwha]

I just haven't gotten around to restocking liquids again. I had lost track of how many cycles I had with them, and we were moving so it was going to be too long before I could use them so I tossed them all and started trying dry yeasts.

I used to keep WLP 001, but I think I actually prefer US-05, and have considered saving some slurry to keep going.

I do like the idea of S-04 as I don't know that I'd keep a British beer style going quick enough to keep a liquid strain. I'm also uncertain of a good strain that would work well enough for the few I'd consider rotating (ESB, IPA, barely wine, and maybe northern brown). I've also wondered if anything would also work to make an Irish red or Scottish beer.

WB-06 was great for what it was, but the clove flavor somewhat clashed with the honey wheat I brewed. I even fermented it cooler than it showed for the clove flavor hoping it would be nonexistent.

I'll be using T-58 maybe Monday to make a Belgian wit with lemon zest and grains of paradise. That pack's date is actually 10 '14. I'm hoping it will work out well enough.

I've seen those Mangrove Jack yeasts and wondered about them. Maybe I'll give them a try.

I've had 2 saisons now and liked them. I thought I'd greatly dislike them and so never tried them. Nice to have brewer friends to turn you on to new things!

My first ESB using S-04 has a strange flavor to it. It almost seems like unsweetened tea, but different. I have another ESB nearly ready to try so I'll see if it has a strange profile too...