Seasonal brewing

[TasunkaWitko]

More and more, I'm liking the concept, matching what I brew to what's going on around me, using ingredients and styles that are appropriate and/or available to the season. It seems a lot of the time we're mindful of this in October, of course, but in truth, it is an idea that can carry throughout the year.

Opinions?

 

[kh54s10]

I don't have this problem. If I want a lawnmower beer on a summer afternoon, I might also like a stout in the evening. I made my Octoberfest last year or the year before but it was ready in January.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a "problem" - I enjoyed a Chestnut Brown Ale two nights ago that is really starting to come into its own, and just before that, a Summer Wheat that might be one of my favourite ones yet.

It's just a cool idea, I think; and takes me back to the way my grandparents and ancestors took advantage of what various seasons have to offer. For instance, right now the rhubarb is really taking over the lawn, so along with making wine and juice, I'll include it in a strong ale, and might try making pop with some, as well. A couple of weeks ago, I brewed a dandelion gruit, then went down and mowed the remaining ones. I'm looking forward to seeing how that ones turns out.... As late summer goes into fall, I'll re-visit the idea of a chokecherry wheat beer, as well as a buffaloberry red ale.

 

[kh54s10]

Certainly, brewing with ingredients that are seasonal and fresh is a great idea. Some of those brews should be consumed quickly, others will be best in a season long after the growing season has passed.

I like the idea of a pumpkin ale in the fall, and an Imperial Stout on a cold winters night. But, I will also enjoy the same Imperial Stout on a mid summer night at times.

 

[bucketnative]

I don't have this problem. If I want a lawnmower beer on a summer afternoon, I might also like a stout in the evening. I made my Octoberfest last year or the year before but it was ready in January.

Actually, OP is talking about brewing with the season, while you are specifically referring to drinking with the season.

I have been "brewing with the season" mostly due to my lack of temperature control on my fermentation process. All fermentation is done in the basement, which stayed at 56-62 F throughout the winter and will stay at 80-85 F in the summer. So, in the winter, I brewed wits and Kolschs. In the summer I brew saisons. Somewhere in between those seasons I brew ales and stouts. I haven't yet tried to brew with fresh ingredient, save for ciders, which I make from fresh cider in the fall.

If I brew a stout in November, then I'll still be drinking it come May or June because by then it will have aged nicely. I'll also have a saison in January. So, I brew with season, but when it comes to drinking, season be damned.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

So, I brew with season, but when it comes to drinking, season be damned.

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

I am a seasonal brewer pretty much primarily. I schedule everything out on a spreadsheet that includes brew date, keg date, and tapping date about 6 months in advance. I enjoy drinking different styles based on the temperature and time of year.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Here's an interesting article that I came across on this subject:

Create Your Own Seasonal Beer Brewing Calendar

Posted on September 26, 2016 by David Ackley

At certain times of the year, some styles of beers just taste better than others. An imperial stout in summer and a hefeweizen in winter seems equally out of place. But you can’t well wait 'til December to brew your imperial stout and hope that it will be ready by Christmas. Enter: a seasonal beer brewing calendar.

Due to the nature of brewing, it’s important to do some planning and scheduling if you want to drink your beer during a certain time period. Plan on at least a month or two of “production” time before your homebrew is ready to drink. With high gravity beers and lagers, you may need even longer. That means if you want to drink your Oktoberfest in October, you should start brewing by mid-August at the latest. A seasonal beer brewing calendar will help you to plan this out.

The information below isn’t meant to be an end all resource – you’re welcome to brew and enjoy any style of beer any time of year! There will be a lot of overlapping of beer styles depending on your tastes and time constraints. But for the occasion when you want to pull off – for example – a summer ale for the summer, a seasonal beer brewing calendar can be very helpful to keep you beer styles on schedule.

Year Round Beers!

These beers seem to work well any time of year and are good options for year-round “house” beers. Consider them for any month on your beer brewing calendar.

Pale Ale
IPA
Amber ale
Pale lagers
Pilsner

Brew in the Winter (for Spring drinking)

In anticipation of those long, final months of cold, brew a bock or an Irish stout. Irish stout (as well as Irish Red) will also come in handy on St. Patrick’s Day. Imperial stout and barleywine are often aged for 9-12 months, so this is a good time to get a start on next year’s vintage. Consider putting these beer styles on your beer brewing calendar for fall brewing. Get started on a spring ale or Maibock so they’ll be ready when the weather starts to warm.

Irish Red
Irish Stout
Bock
Barleywine (for next winter)
Imperial Stout (for next winter)
Spring Ale
Maibock

Brew in the Spring (for Summer drinking)

The summer season is high time for lighter colored ales and lagers, from pale ale and Kölsch to pilsner and witbier. Unlike the previous group, these beers do not need much, if any, aging at all, so they can be put on the beer brewing calendar closer to the time of anticipated consumption. The warmer weather also lends itself to brewing some Belgian ales that can tolerate higher fermentation temperatures, like saison and bière de mars.

Cream Ale
Pale Ale
IPA
Summer Ale
Kölsch
Hefeweizen
Witbier
Light Lager
Pilsner
Saison
Belgian Pale Ales
Bière de Mars
Gose

Brew in the Summer (for Fall/Winter drinking)

Darker beers, such as brown ale, start to hit the spot in the fall. Pumpkin beers are popular around Halloween and Thanksgiving. To make sure it’s ready for Oktoberfest, plan on starting your Oktoberfestbier by mid-summer to allow for a long, cool lagering period. You can start an imperial stout or barleywine in the summer and still have several months of conditioning to make sure it’s ready for winter.

Brown ale
Pumpkin beer
Oktoberfestbier/Marzen
Vienna lager
Imperial stout
Barley wine

Fall (for winter drinking)

By fall, you should be enjoying your Oktoberfestbier and pumpkin ale. Get a jump on some darker beers to get you through the winter, such as stout, bock, and strong Scotch ale. Start some holiday spiced ales so they’ll be ready in time to give away as gifts. If started in the fall, you should be able to pull off a batch of imperial stout or barleywine by winter, though the longer they can age the better.

Strong porter
Stout
Bock
Dopplebock
Dunkelweizen Shop Brew Kettles
Strong Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
Imperial stout (last chance)
Barleywine (last chance)
Holiday spiced beers

http://www.eckraus.com/blog/seasonal-beer-brewing-calendar

 

[filthyastronaut]

I'll drink any beer at any time of the year, but I still brew to ensure I have Stouts/Porters in the Fall and Winter, lighter session ales for the summer, etc. But still, those same Stouts and Porters might serve the same purpose as an iced coffee in the summer, and a session Saison might have a nice rustic quality that goes well with the Fall and Winter snows.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]If I want a lawnmower beer on a summer afternoon, I might also like a stout in the evening.[...]

^that^

We keep four favorites in rotation and use the other two taps for specials and experimentals.
I have to have a wheat, pale, big ipa and a huge stout all year 'round.

The last couple of years I've been keeping Belgians/Trappists on the fifth tap,
and alternating between English bitters/ESBs, and cream ales for when visitors are expected, on the sixth.

Cheers! (Not much respect for seasons going on here )

 

[jerbrew]

I wish I had seasons to brew with. I get to brew for either August summer or February summer on the extremes. So I can drink and brew anything anytime

 

[Murphys_Law]

Crap. I wish I read this before I brewed a Berliner Weisse this weekend! I guess I'll dump it and brew a porter tomorrow.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Well, as I said, it's not like the Seasonal Brewing Police are gonna come get'cha. Hell, I'm about to do a Blue Moon clone, but still like the idea of seasonal brewing.

Maybe it's my rural upbringing, being tied to the Earth and the seasons that move her ~ who knows?

 

[jerbrew]

Crap. I wish I read this before I brewed a Berliner Weisse this weekend! I guess I'll dump it and brew a porter tomorrow.

Good call.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

With the "seasonal" concept in mind - a combination of brewing WITH the seasons as well as brewing FOR the seasons - I came up with this list of upcoming "goals" for the brewing year (not necessarily in any order within the seasons):

Ron's Seasonal Brewing Goals


(Remainder of) Spring

Grapefruit Honey Ale (x2)
Kentucky Common Ale
Amerikanisch Pale Ale
Englisch Pale Ale


Summer

Basic Saison
Basic Wheat Beer
Rose-Cheeked and Blonde
Smoked Cherry
Bruxelles Blonde
Citrus Wheat
Peach Cobbler Ale


Fall

Basic Brown Ale
Fall Saison
Honey Sage Seasonal
Klosterkirche Weizenbier
Oktoberfest
Pumpkin Dubbel
Smoked Wheat


Winter

SchwarzWälder Braun
Bruxelles Black
Basic Porter
Basic Stout
Buffalo Sweat
Winter Wheat
Blauer Mond

These aren't set in stone and only represent a sketchy plan, but I'd like to give all of them a try, and possibly others, as well.

 

[bajaedition]

Tis The Season for me to brew some lawn mower beers

you see, where I live it was 88 today and in 2 moths will be over 100 every day, we even turn off the hot water heater for 4 months a year as the water comes out of the ground at 90 plus in the summer.

So for the next few months I need a light beer for quaffing down. So it is my High life clone of corn holio for a few months

I do have my OKtoberfest aging, as well as an Imperial Stout I will tap next Xmas, but the bigger beers and the ales are off the list because as of now, I have to use a frig for temperature control. My Ale season is October till March, and after that It is Lagering time