Pipeline is started, now what pace to brew?

[jtkratzer]

I got my kit for my birthday a month ago tomorrow and I'm 5 batches in already. Starting on 12/5, over the next 6 weeks, they'll all be ready to drink.

I would love to have a ton of different beers around, but being realistic with space and how quickly my wife and I will drink 2 cases, I'm trying to figure out a rough schedule of how often to brew to keep from having way too much around.

I'm looking really hard at kegging after having to clean the 168 16 oz bottles I just picked up for free, but I don't have a spare fridge or freezer to convert yet. That would allow me to have several choices cold and ready to drink. I don't have a basement to store cases of beer or bottles, but I have room in the garage.

But until then, how often are you guys that strictly bottle brewing batches? I was thinking every 3-4 weeks or so or maybe brewing more often and going with 2.5 gallon brews.

 

[Nateo]

I do 3g batches and brew twice a month, sometimes more. I usually have a lot of higher gravity beers that need extended aging time. Having other beers around that mature faster helps keep me from being tempted to drink the bigger beers too soon.

My batches usually yield about 30 bottles. I just clean the bottles as I drink them, so cleaning them all isn't that big of a deal for me.

 

[jtkratzer]

These bottles I got weren't cleaned before they were put away, so most of them have stuff in the bottom, they all still have labels on them, and it's just obvious, like the guy told me, they've been sitting for a few years.

I think I'll do some smaller batches with beers I know my wife won't drink. At this point, she's not a big fan of beers like Guinness or heavily hopped beers.

She likes lighter ales/lagers - Rolling Rock, Yuengling, and the lime summer-oriented beers. She likes the American-style fruit wheat beers - strawberry and raspberry, orange.

She's really looking forward to the Blood Orange Wheat beer and the Apfelwein on the site.

I'd like to find a lighter beer for the summer, like Kölsch or a cream ale to try as well.

 

[BayerischBier]

I think you have to make a judgement call on your taste of beers.
for beginners I suggest focus on ales and then learn/experience more about lagers.
and then it will hit you with the problem of great beers, your time, and waiting on those beers.
Personally, I did about 15 brews in 2009 (own and shared) and now facing time issues, hitting 5 total in 2010.
Oh and think about all-grain!!

 

[sportscrazed2]

how much do you drink per day? mulltiply by 365. that will give you total you need. then divide by the average sized batch you do to get number of batches you will need. divide that number by 52 to how often you should brew

 

[RM-MN]

how much do you drink per day? mulltiply by 365. that will give you total you need. then divide by the average sized batch you do to get number of batches you will need. divide that number by 52 to how often you should brew

This makes a good starting point but don't forget to add in the amount that you give away to friends or share at a party. Wouldn't want to run out and have to drink the beer before it has aged.

 

[Clann]

I brew about three times a month 5 gal. batches. I also drink on average 3-4 beers a night.
My pipeline barely keeps up with me.

 

[TheDom]

Start browsing craigslist regularly for a nice used cheap chest freezer if you're thinking about kegging. It's so nice not having to play around with all those bottles.

To answer the actual question, I'd say determine how much space you have for boxes of bottles, and brew 'till it is full. Then brew some more, and determine how much space SWMBO will let you get away with.

 

[bgruis]

I would also add that for the sake of variety another trick I've used with great sucess is to alternate some simple ales into your rotation...For example I routinely brew my Belgian Wit and my Dunkelweizen...as both are wheat beers they are ready to drink in three weeks (if you keg...four if you dont)...that helps alot.

I brew pretty much every weekend and have a hard time keeping up, however I share alot. But alternating "big" beers with quick turnaround beers will deffinetley keep the pipeline flowing and keep you with a great variety of beer on hand at all times.

an example of my last months worth of brewing:

10/17 90 Shilling Clone 5 gals
10/30 Belgian Wit 5 gals
10/30 Winter Hook Clone 5 gals
11/7 Dunkelweizen 5 gals
11/14 Lake Walk Pale Ale 5 gals
11/18 Pilsner Lager
11/24 90 Shilling Clone 5 gals
11/27 Partigyle brew of Fullers ESB and London Pride

**it being a holiday week I couldnt pass up the opportuinity to brew twice in one week

 

[AKbrewer]

I brew just about every Saturday, but I like to share my beers with other people.

 

[HalfPint]

If the bottles are kind of a pain for you, just soak them all in a highly concentrated batch of oxyclean with a dash of white vinegar. I would say it really depends on how much you guys drink as to how often you need to brew.

 

[jtkratzer]

If the bottles are kind of a pain for you, just soak them all in a highly concentrated batch of oxyclean with a dash of white vinegar. I would say it really depends on how much you guys drink as to how often you need to brew.

I have them sitting in Rubbermaid tubs with dish soap to get them cleaned up and the labels off since I don't have Oxyclean. I have more than enough soaking to bottle my next two batches and then I won't have one ready to bottle for another month or so.

 

[HalfPint]

I have them sitting in Rubbermaid tubs with dish soap to get them cleaned up and the labels off since I don't have Oxyclean. I have more than enough soaking to bottle my next two batches and then I won't have one ready to bottle for another month or so.

Next time you're at the store, pick some oxy-clean Free up. That stuff will literally dissolve the glue behind the labels and any junk that is inside of them. It's really amazing.

 

[jtkratzer]

Next time you're at the store, pick some oxy-clean Free up. That stuff will literally dissolve the glue behind the labels and any junk that is inside of them. It's really amazing.

It's on my list as there is some funk in the bottom of about 30% of the bottles that is going to require more than a swish of soapy water. I'm not a fan of having to use the bottle brush and this is the first time I've had to use it.

 

[jfr1111]

Two hours hot soak with oxyclean gets rid of both the glue and the gunk at the bottom of bottles. It's like magic.

 

[Toga]

Yeah oxyclean clean free stuff works well. You still have to use a bottle brush from time to time though. I got some bottles from a guy I worked with that had all kinds of critters caked in them. A few even after hitting with a bottle brush ended up in the recycle bin.

 

[Captain_Bigelow]

as others have said, your brew frequency depends on how quickly it is drunk. if you drink 5 gallons a week brew once a week. if you drink 5 gallons a month, brew once a month.

 

[bgruis]

Another thought I had....as I have many thirsty friends...I am having a hell of a time keeping beers on tap....this leads me to the idea of alternating bottling and kegging. An additional factor is my ever changing tastes in beers....ie....I make a porter that is phenomenal...but the thought of drinking more than one or two of those in a sitting is crazy.....I am now building a good cellar if you will of my specialty beers...ie...Belgian Golden Strong, ESB, Porter etc....then when I'm in the mood I can pull a bottle or two out and I'm good to go.

 

[jjones17]

This makes a good starting point but don't forget to add in the amount that you give away to friends or share at a party. Wouldn't want to run out and have to drink the beer before it has aged.

Give away? I would rather give a pint of blood than one of my bottles of beer. Share yes, but give away one of my prized Grolsch flip-tops? Not on your life.

 

[cheezydemon3]

as others have said, your brew frequency depends on how quickly it is drunk. if you drink 5 gallons a week brew once a week. if you drink 5 gallons a month, brew once a month.

wrong.

Another thought I had....as I have many thirsty friends...I am having a hell of a time keeping beers on tap.....

Here is the problem. And most brewers on here have this problem (YAY for you if you don't).

I can't quite get there, but I (having 3 kegs) want 3 fullish kegs and 3 fermenters standing ready with brews at LEAST 6 weeks old.

The epidemic of fermenting for 2 weeks, cold crashing and kegging young beer on this site is such a brewing sin.

Cold beer won't condition for sh!t.


You want to get ahead of the ball. Better to have no place for your aged beer than no aged beer.

 

[rawlus]

i try to keep at least one beer always in production (fermentation, aging, clarifying) with two to three on tap (i keg, no bottling) - at times i may have more than one going through production at a time... i have plenty of betterbottles so i can let them stand in that state until a keg kicks - but i really dislike not having beers ready to go into keg as soon as it's kicked so i tend to keep the production line as full as is reasonable. i buy liquid yeasts (smack packs) 8-10 at a time and probably average 3-5 5gallon batches per month - i share a decent amount in growlers to friends and relatives (and get the growlers back) and a good deal is consumed in a social environment/parties - i may have a beer or two a night along with the wife. but i am a winemaker too so there's probably a 50/50 split except at certain times of the year - beer fills in the gaps between the much longer term aging of wine.

bottomline is, i try to have beers backed up waiting to go into the keg. so as soon as a beer is transferred to a kicked keg, i start another brew.

same idea as cheezydemon - he said it better than i did.

 

[imasickboy]

wrong.

Here is the problem. And most brewers on here have this problem (YAY for you if you don't).

I can't quite get there, but I (having 3 kegs) want 3 fullish kegs and 3 fermenters standing ready with brews at LEAST 6 weeks old.

The epidemic of fermenting for 2 weeks, cold crashing and kegging young beer on this site is such a brewing sin.

Cold beer won't condition for sh!t.


You want to get ahead of the ball. Better to have no place for your aged beer than no aged beer.

+1

Brew as much as you determine you need, and then repeat. THEN, continue on brewing quantities that seem sensible. If you want some high gravity beer, don't include those in your brewing schedule, brew those in addition to what you think you'll need. There's nothing worse than counting on a beer to be ready and finding it still tastes like kerosene.

 

[cheezydemon3]

That said.....I have what should be a wonderful stout, that I rushed so I would have it carbed for new years, that tastes OK, but if it had had 2 months more warm?

god dammit.

That sound? Me kicking myself.

I am considering bottling the bitch and letting it bottle condition warm.......

 

[AnonyBrew]

I say if you're going to be bottling, have a batch going in your primary while you wait for enough bottles to become available. If it takes longer than a month or two maybe you throw the batch in a secondary.

Once you have enough bottles ready then just bottle up the awaiting batch & brew another one right away. Then repeat.

 

[Johnnyooze]

I just started brewing again as well. A couple nights ago I bottled batch #1 and brewed batch #2 at the same time. With help of my GF i was able to sanitize (48 12oz bottles) while the steeping water heated up and bottle everything within the 30 minutes my specialty grains were steeping. Then i cleaned the carboy up while the wort was boiling. It was a bit of a scrabmble but start to finish i was able to get everything done and clean in 3 hrs. So at that pace its about 2 batches a month.

 

[cheezydemon3]

I, being wise and such, knew that my kegs would arrive in a couple of weeks....


SO...........I brewed 3 quick session beers to fill my kegs. A stout, an APA, and an amber ale.

The SECOND I got those in the kegs, I brewed 3 REAL BEERS (you know, my tried and true totally experimental brews that I knew with a little certainty would be good)......asssuming I had 6 weeks at least to let these bad boys condition.......

4 weeks after recieving my 3 kegs, all 3 have been emptied, the only beer in a keg is my REAL stout, prematurely kegged, and my SWMBO SLAYER and Caramel Amber in the fermenters, which I am REALLY tempted to keg.

I could blame the incredible reception my "session beers" had, and the incredible influx of family and friends over the holidays, but the point remains:

THERE ARE DAMNED FEW OF US HERE WHO HAVE ANY "EXTRA" BEER LYING AROUND.


I had almost unlimited brewing and buying license at the end of november and thought I had it figured out.

 

[coypoo]

i buy liquid yeasts (smack packs) 8-10 at a time

Thats ridiculous. That like $70 a month in just yeast! If you are brewing so much, pick a yeast that will work for a lot of those batches and reuse it

 

[cheezydemon3]

Thats ridiculous. That like $70 a month in just yeast! If you are brewing so much, pick a yeast that will work for a lot of those batches and reuse it

Couldn't agree more.

That is 2 more 5 gallon batches of GOOD beer.

19 beers out of one smack pack is my record.

 

[motobrewer]

THERE ARE DAMNED FEW OF US HERE WHO HAVE ANY "EXTRA" BEER LYING AROUND.

no sh*t.

i was looking thru my log, and realized that i've given away over half of what I brewed this year. maybe closer to 60-70%.

parties at our house, bringing kegs to other people's houses, bringing kegs to the track....heck, I brought a keg to my friend's oktoberfest party and I got maybe 2 pints out of it. was a full keg.

 

[cheezydemon3]

no sh*t.

i was looking thru my log, and realized that i've given away over half of what I brewed this year. maybe closer to 60-70%.

parties at our house, bringing kegs to other people's houses, bringing kegs to the track....heck, I brought a keg to my friend's oktoberfest party and I got maybe 2 pints out of it. was a full keg.

It's a little like the "if you have space, you will fill it" law of furniture.

"If you have beer, it has somebody's name on it."

The better you become at brewing, the more friends you will have, the more they will drink your beer.

My uncle in West Virginia has a buddy who is on the verge of going pro. The guy GIVES out kegs to all his buddies and keeps them stocked. They buy him brewing gear and supplies. Pretty sweet set-up. I just don't have time to do that much brewing.