Faster brews

[surferosa]

Hi Everyone, I've made a couple of extract brews recently, and it seems like they're all going to need AGES maturing in the bottle. I wondered, is there a beer style/kit that tastes good after maybe only a month or so of conditioning? I don't mind an IPA, although not really into the super-hoppy styles, the one's i'm conditioning at the moment are BrewFerm Triple and MJ Saison, which will both take a few months I gather (the saison for sure!).

 

[DavidDetroit]

Wheat and Kolsch are fast. Arguably, a Belgian Tripel doesn't take long to be good but does get even better with age. I use the Tripels as my "quick turnaround" beer. It's quite drinkable after three weeks or four.

 

[phildo79]

When you say extract, do you mean DME or shop bought kits like Cooper's?

I always found that a kit took a minimum of 4 weeks to be drinkable. Whereas recipes made with DME could be good to drink within 2 weeks.

 

[An Ankoù]

Don't see why any ordinary (not megastrength) beer shouldn't be ready after 6 weeks of bottling. I've had one or two that took longer than that to carbonate properly, but that's another matter.

 

[Cheyne_brewer]

Hi Everyone, I've made a couple of extract brews recently, and it seems like they're all going to need AGES maturing in the bottle.

All depends on your taste in beer of course. I've only just returned to brewing, having done all-grain & extract brews previously. My first comeback brew was a Coopers European lager - this has been in bottle for about 4/5 weeks, with a slight yeast edge yet but perfectly drinkable. My Coopers Stout was barelled 2 weeks ago, is clear and well conditioned and drinking very nicely. It should bottle ok but I prefer a less gassy beer (and less faffing about). Most of the low-end kits cater for the less patient, but most will improve with ageing and tweaks like dry hopping. I'm in Notts too - think yourself blessed that we have Boyes stores for a quick brewing fix!

Paul.

 

[surferosa]

When you say extract, do you mean DME or shop bought kits like Cooper's?

I always found that a kit took a minimum of 4 weeks to be drinkable. Whereas recipes made with DME could be good to drink within 2 weeks.

Sorry, yes I meant Kit brewing with hopped LME. The saison I’ve made is reputed to need lots of conditioning (and even then is said to be an acquired taste), and have heard the brewferm trippel is really good after a few months. I’d rather wait for the beer to get good before drinking it, so sounds like whatever I make, I’ll need to wait a couple of months.

out of interest, is there a difference in conditioning time between kit brewing and AG?

 

[The Baron]

generally it is the style of beer that determines how long the conditioning and ABV the higher usually the longer as well.Most average kits will be ready to drink in 4 plus weeks and improve a little more after that some beers need to be drunk relatively early like Wheats and hoppy beers that are not too high in ABV so as not to lose that hoppy fresh taste

 

[Ghillie]

Bottle conditioning, I always drank after two weeks. As soon as it was carbed.

This was all grain though; regardless - if you're making hop forward beers then they're best consumed sooner rather than later.

 

[parpot]

I have just brewed a Courage Directors Kit, 2 week to brew and 6 days to Carb & Clear, drank one day 21 great taste & head!

 

[Graz]

I have just brewed a Courage Directors Kit, 2 week to brew and 6 days to Carb & Clear, drank one day 21 great taste & head!

This really. It's all relative, for sure some kit beers will taste better after a month or so of conditioning, at the extreme edge of that I made a Brewferm Christmas kit which stopped at quite a high gravity and it was over a year to secondary ferment and come good in the bottle.

I'd happily drink a bog standard ale kit (e.g. Wherry) after 2 weeks fermenting and two weeks of priming / conditioning. In fact due to some apathy on my part and low stocks I'll be doing just that over the next few weeks but hoping to speed thing up even further with my recently purchased corny kegs and force carbing.

 

[phildo79]

As previously mentioned, style plays a big part. An IPA will be ready much sooner than a RIS. Other factors that play a part are adjuncts. I made a pecan stout with fenugreek to impart a maple syrup flavour. It worked but it has taken at least two months for the maple flavour to mellow out enough to allow the toasted pecan flavour through.

 

[jceg316]

You can try using kveik yeast, it ferments fast in the right conditions.

 

[phildo79]

As does S-04.