Time crunch, ferment or condition longer?

[photobru]

I'm brewing a bitter tomorrow for a club contest on April 7th which gives me 31 days. With the days I'm able to brew I can do either 12 days in the fermenter and 19 bottle conditioning or 15 and 16 respectively. Which would be the better option?

I'm also considering only bottling 2 gallons and then racking the remaining 3 to a 3 gallon carboy secondary to go longer (if I have a free carboy by then). Or is that totally unnecessary? (Estimated OG 1.049, pitching S-04)

Thanks!

 

[bobeer]

If it were me I'd do 15/16 and just keep the conditioning beer in the 70's so it can condition a little faster than if you did it a cellar temps.
With that said you can always taste test it at 12 days and see where you're at. If you think it's good and you reached your terminal FG then maybe bottle it up but 12 days isn't a very long time to give the yeast a chance to clean things up which is way I'd go with the 15/16 model. It's hard to rush the yeast!

 

[ncbrewer]

I agree with 15/16 and keeping the beer temp in the 70's. I wouldn't bother with the secondary - just an opportunity for contamination/oxidation.

 

[photobru]

Ok, thanks! 15/16 it is then and I'll condition at room temp, hadn't thought to try that. I usually try go for at least 3 weeks in primary, but this doesn't seem too quick now that I think about it and I hear S-04 is supposed to be fast fermenting, although idk if that also means it cleans up fast.

 

[jump_xiii]

Yep, 15/16 will give more time in the fermenter which should be better overall.