What style takes the least amount of time?

[Sneaker]

Due to my housing situation, I am unable to brew til the first of August. But I'd like to enter the homebrew competition at my local county fair, which is the first of Sept.

What style would be good for a relatively short fermentation and conditioning period?

I'd like to do a wheat and/or fruit ale, but I am open to suggestions. I have only brewed extract and PM batches thus far, so I might like to stick to that for this one.

 

[mkling]

Hefeweizen -- best when it's really fresh, and you don't need all the yeast to settle out because it's supposed to be cloudy. 4 weeks is easy -- 2 weeks in primary, 2 weeks in the bottle. Could be less if you're kegging.

 

[david_42]

Another option is a Mild. Fast, easy and you probably won't face much competition. Downside is hopheads have a real problem judging them.

 

[humann_brewing]

what David said, you almost have to know who is judging and if they have basis toward anything.

 

[a10t2]

If you're bottling, I'd go with a hefeweizen. 10 days in primary, then bottle. Ferment a little cool (64°F?) so it won't need as much conditioning time.

If you're kegging, you could do just about any ale, although I'd keep it under maybe 1.070. You might not have enough time to dry hop though, so I'd stick to the maltier side.

Either way, I don't think you have time to risk a long secondary with fruit.

 

[escalante88]

Wheat beers, IPAs, and milds. Check out my Weihenstephaner recipe - it took 3 weeks and change.

 

[ThirdGen]

I'd do a wheat, that's what I'm doing now because I want some to drink while it's still somewhat warm outside.

 

[shawnbou]

I'm a big fan of wheats as well for fast turnaround. 2 weeks in primary, 2 weeks in bottles, and they are good to go. They're also pretty forgiving summer brews for those of us who have trouble controlling fermentation temps, but if you are entering a competition with short time, you should keep your fermentation cool for best results.

Some interesting spices or flavorings would also give more flavor complexity in a short turnaround time. How about a witbier, or something along the lines of Sam Adams' Summer Ale (lemon zest and grains of paradise)? 3 weeks ago, I bottled a lemongrass wheat from AHS that I've been drinking for 2 weeks. It's been delicious since before it was fully carbonated.

 

[homebrewer_99]

You can do a Speed Brew this Sunday and drink it next Saturday. I usually give it a couple more days in the primary for the yeast to clean up after itself.

I brewed it per the recipe but aged it a bit and diacetyl showed up. I just added a 1/4 packet of Nottingham and it cleared up in about 4 days.

Search HBT for a Bonneville Flats Bitter. I posted a link to it on a couple of threads last week. It's a Chris Colby (BYO) recipe.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

You could push a lot of low-alcohol styles. Wheats are definitely in, although you could also do pale ales, stouts, browns, etc. Your biggest problem with anything that doesn't normally have yeast in suspension (like a hefeweizen) will be getting it clear and getting the flavors to meld quickly.

You could brew something at 3-4.5% ABV, overpitch yeast, and drag it off the trub as soon as fermentation is done (which could be as quick as 4 days). Secondary with finnings for a day or two (if not something that should have yeast in suspension). Bottle with fresh yeast and condition for three weeks.

 

[Bubba_Mustafa]

what David said, you almost have to know who is judging and if they have basis toward anything.

Poor judge. Get him off the table.