2 Week Ale

[jackwhite]

Can I mash ferment and bottle and have a decent beer in 2 weeks? Thinking a 60/40 hefe or a simple bitter recipe? My main concern is bottling to early. BYO did this article and sounds interesting but how do you know fermentation is done so quick? One recipe ferments in 3 days and racks to bottle bucket!

http://www.byo.com/stories/techniques/article/indices/19-brewing-tips/1429-speed-brewing

The part I was reading was: "I brewed this beer on a Sunday and served it to my homebrew club the next Saturday. I thought it would still be green at that point, but it actually tasted finished Friday evening. I designed the recipe and procedures to not only yield a beer that would ferment and condition quickly, but one that would be quick to put together on brew day. — Chris Colby"


2 weeks should buy more time. 1 week in fermenter 1 week in bottle. I am thinking the hefe would be best since I could do it all at warmer temps to move things along. Plus wouldn't need to settle out the fermenter.


5 lbs. Wheat LME
2 lbs. Pilsen Light LME

1 lbs Pilsen Malt
.5 lbs. Wheat Flaked (partial mash--How long?)

.5 oz. Hallertau (Pellets, 4.50 %AA) boiled 50.0 min.
.25 oz. Hallertau (Pellets, 4.50 %AA) boiled 30.0 min
.25 oz. Hallertau (Pellets, 4.50 %AA) boiled 15 min
Yeast : Danstar Munich Wheat Beer X2


6 gallon batch. ferment at 72F bottle and condition at 78F?

 

[merkinman]

It could be done. I have drunk hefeweizens as little as ten days after brewing, but I keg. I know if your O.G. Is small enough, you pitch well and then maintain temps, it should happen. My biggest concern would be bottle conditioning in a week. You may want to repitch some very active yeast at bottling to help out.

 

[jackwhite]

It could be done. I have drunk hefeweizens as little as ten days after brewing, but I keg. I know if your O.G. Is small enough, you pitch well and then maintain temps, it should happen. My biggest concern would be bottle conditioning in a week. You may want to repitch some very active yeast at bottling to help out.

yea thats what I have been reading it certainly wouldn't have the big carbonation you expect from a hefe. Without kegging it seems its difficult to get under 4 weeks. The other thought is to go the british bitter path and go really low carb like a cask conditioned ale? That style would tolerate the fruity esters from warmer fermenting as well.

 

[scadieux]

I did it in 9 days but force carbonated. I think you're screwed with bottles but you can prove me wrong.

If you want 3 days fermentation, I would suggest you pitch lots of healthy yeast and aerate the wort thoroughly at the very least.

Good luck.

 

[birvine]

It would be interesting to try this then age a few of them and compare. I can't imagine how such a quick brew could be that great.

B

 

[kpr121]

3 day ferments are defintely not unheard of. I think you need to get it into bottle as early as possible to allow for bottle carbing. A week to 10 days might get you there.

 

[Yooper]

3 day ferments are defintely not unheard of. I think you need to get it into bottle as early as possible to allow for bottle carbing. A week to 10 days might get you there.

I agree!

What I'd do is NOT ferment warmer, though. Since you are hoping to drink it early, you'd have no room for any off-flavors that need time to clean up.

I'd make a proper sized yeast starter (consult mrmalty.com's pitching calculator, and pitch that much yeast), aerate the wort well, and pitch and ferment at 65-68 degrees. It should be done in about three days. Raise the temperature a bit at the end of fermentation, and take the SG on day 3 and day 4. Bottle if the same and at a reasonable FG.

I've kegged, not bottled, quick beers like a British mild (drinking on day 10 definitely). So another way to go would be to go with a low OG beer, and use a yeast like S04 that clears the beer quickly and well, rather than a hefe yeast.

You could make an American wheat with S04, for example. That would give you a nice tighly compacted yeast cake, since that yeast seems to flocculate well and have a pretty yeast-less result. Or another style that is good young, like a mild or even a cream ale. As long as the OG is 1.040 or so, or less, enough yeast is pitched, temperature is controlled, and a flocculant yeast is used, I think this is doable. The beer may not be at his peak at week 2, due to a slight lack of good carbonation, but it may be pretty good!

 

[ChemE]

I totally agree with Yooper and damn good call ma'am on British low gravity brews. My house ale is an absolutely delicious special bitter that wants to be drunk young. Usually I give all my beers a month in primary and then into bottles but this beer loses something after that long. Now I ferment it two weeks and bottle and next time around I'm going to try just a week in primary. If special bitters are your thing I'm happy to post my recipe, I should anyway truth be told it is supremely drinkable.

EDIT: Posted my Bemused Bitter Recipe

 

[jackwhite]

I totally agree with Yooper and damn good call ma'am on British low gravity brews. My house ale is an absolutely delicious special bitter that wants to be drunk young. Usually I give all my beers a month in primary and then into bottles but this beer loses something after that long. Now I ferment it two weeks and bottle and next time around I'm going to try just a week in primary. If special bitters are your thing I'm happy to post my recipe, I should anyway truth be told it is supremely drinkable.

Sure! I am thinking now definitely ordinary bitter is the better way to go.

 

[jackwhite]

Messing on beertools just now came up with this quick partial mash:

Button Rock Bitter
8-A Standard/Ordinary Bitter

Size: 5.5 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 77.0%
Calories: 119.37 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.036 (1.032 - 1.040)
Terminal Gravity: 1.008 (1.007 - 1.011)
Color: 9.55 (4.0 - 14.0)
Alcohol: 3.64% (3.2% - 3.8%)
Bitterness: 29.8 (25.0 - 35.0)

Ingredients:
1.0 lb Pale Ale Malt
0.5 lb Victory® Malt
0.5 lb Crystal 45
3.0 lb Liquid Pale Extract
1.0 lb Dried Malt Extract
0.5 oz Willamette (4.8%) - added first wort, boiled 90.0 min
0.5 oz Magnum (10.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.5 oz Willamette (4.8%) - added during boil, boiled 20.0 min
1.0 oz Willamette (4.8%) - steeped after boil
2.0 ea Safale S-04


Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.5.16

Crank it out in a little over 2 hours. Ferment at 666-68 (it what my basement is at right now) and start checking SG in 3-5 days. Bottle and start checking in a week. Thinking keep the priming sugar low about .4-.5 oz corn sugar.

 

[pcollins]

I'm brewing all grain but I do a basic Cascade Pale Ale that ferments out in 3-4 days. I leave it in primary a bit longer and cold crash for several days, keg and carb and I have grain to glass in just under two weeks.

I tried this recipe a couple of weeks ago and am letting it go a bit longer because I dry hopped this batch. Still tastes good via hydrometer samples.

It can definitely be done.

 

[jackwhite]

Does conditioning accomplish something more than carbonation in a low gravity beer? Do I lose something besides sparkle by rushing the carbonation? I know when I have sample a beer early it seems I can detect some sweetness maybe from the priming sugar maybe even some "thinness" to the body/flavor. Can this be averted by say using the "wort" (the beer from the bottling bucket) to dissolve priming sugar? Why does a keg allow for a decent beer before a bottle can?

 

[pcollins]

Why does a keg allow for a decent beer before a bottle can?

To just quickly address this particular question... I can get decent carbonation in a beer in 24 hours. I can't do that with a bottle conditioned beer. Therefore, when I get a beer that ferments out quickly and cleans up reasonably quickly as well, I can get it in the keg and carbonated within two weeks. That just can't be done with a bottle conditioned beer.

 

[janivar123]

You can bottle carb in 3-5 days if it is hot enough(27C+) and then chill for 3 days

As long as you got a beer that dont need age that should not be a problem

 

[kpr121]

I may actually be attempting this with a current brew, except I keg.

Brewed an IPA last week and it fermented out in 3 days. I added some dryhops to the primary, and if it tastes good I am going to rack to keg mid week, burst carb, and take it to my brothers graduation party next saturday along with 10 gallons of Blonde Ale and 5 gallons of Dunkel. If its not up to snuff, I will leave it go, and just pick up some Sierra Nevada or something .