Just cracked open a bottle of Mild, and it taste great even only being 21 days old. It's a Arkel's Mash-tun Mild ale recipe from Graham Wheeler's book. Very nice, and the flavors are very bold for a mild ale. So I got to thinking what is the quickest a beer can be produced in a drinkable format?
Mash to Mouth: How long?
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ACBEV
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For me the quickest I'll drink a beer is two weeks in the bottle... This is for low ABV and low to moderate IBUs, like milds and ordinary bitters. They tend to get more mellow and rounded after a few more weeks. Higher ABV beers I tend to wait longer.
Some of my high ABV and IBU pale ales, I'd describe as harsh on the pallet after only two weeks, but give them some time, you'd think they were not the same beer.
Some of my high ABV and IBU pale ales, I'd describe as harsh on the pallet after only two weeks, but give them some time, you'd think they were not the same beer.
Drunkula
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12 days for a wheat beer that won best in show.
https://www.maltosefalcons.com/tech/express-brewing-speed-brewing-grain-glass-less-10-days-0
I drank a wheat I made after 6 days conditioning in the bottle and it was great and I didn't perceive it getting any better with time. It was on the wane after 12 weeks. I reckon I could drink it 3 or 4 days in. That was with crossmyloof kristalweizen yeast.
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peebee
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Your bottling is the main time constraint. As "ACBEV" says, two weeks is about the minimum in the bottle, better if given longer.
My fermenter has beer that's finished fermenting (day 4), is now just conditioning and dry hopping, will be casked later this week, and sampled just into next week (10-12 days in all). It's about 4% ABV, 30ish IBU. This follows typical commercial practices for that type of beer, although I've stopped using finings so it might take a day or two to properly clear (and that depends on yeast used). This beer is at its prime in 10-30 days. But if you want fizzy cold keg stuff this way about it wont help.
I'll put a Pale Ale on later in the week. That will be ready in a week. But it will be fermented in the keg under "spunding" valves, so it's blurring several time consuming steps into one. It will be fizzy cold keg stuff too, and fairly high IBUs! Err … but the ABV might put some folk off; 0.5%.
My fermenter has beer that's finished fermenting (day 4), is now just conditioning and dry hopping, will be casked later this week, and sampled just into next week (10-12 days in all). It's about 4% ABV, 30ish IBU. This follows typical commercial practices for that type of beer, although I've stopped using finings so it might take a day or two to properly clear (and that depends on yeast used). This beer is at its prime in 10-30 days. But if you want fizzy cold keg stuff this way about it wont help.
I'll put a Pale Ale on later in the week. That will be ready in a week. But it will be fermented in the keg under "spunding" valves, so it's blurring several time consuming steps into one. It will be fizzy cold keg stuff too, and fairly high IBUs! Err … but the ABV might put some folk off; 0.5%.
I sup beer as soon as it's clear. That can mean as little as 2 days in the bottle. I don't mess around lol.
3 weeks for a GW mild brewed with Mangrove Jack's Liberty Bell yeast. It was a Batemans Dark Mild from his BYOBA book.
The beauty of a wheat. Best when young :)
I generally estimate 3-4 weeks including fermentation and bottle conditioning. But that can vary by recipe, FV additions, temp profiles, yeast type, etc.
stz
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2-3 weeks. A lot depends on the style and if we are talking about a theoretical 'how fast' but typically 3-5 day ferment, 3-5 day dry hop, 1-2 day cold crash and then package. Naturally conditioned beer then wants two weeks from package ideally, but can certainly be done sooner depending on yeast count and viability. Kegs can be force carbed and served immediately, but benefit from being put up to settle for at least 2 days before serving and usually improves with further conditioning time. Some keg beers I serve immediately, but certainly will not be entirely consumed immediately, still it is tapped 7-12 days from mashing in.
Usual method for me is to pitch enough yeast to get me about done for an average wort in 3 days. I dry hop at that point, usually with a point or two remaining, seal and roll my vessel. I roll it again to suspend the hops on the first, second and third days allowing fermentation to completely finish venting if necessary and then chill on the evening of the sixth. I tend to give it 1-2 days cold crash before kegging sometime on the eighth day.
At the moment I've been priming kegs with a sugar because it is very warm. Saves some co2 and the beer warms up and conditions quickly in this heat. In the winter tend to force carb as the beer comes off the cold crash close to 0C, takes ages to warm up and condition at room temperature.
Usual method for me is to pitch enough yeast to get me about done for an average wort in 3 days. I dry hop at that point, usually with a point or two remaining, seal and roll my vessel. I roll it again to suspend the hops on the first, second and third days allowing fermentation to completely finish venting if necessary and then chill on the evening of the sixth. I tend to give it 1-2 days cold crash before kegging sometime on the eighth day.
At the moment I've been priming kegs with a sugar because it is very warm. Saves some co2 and the beer warms up and conditions quickly in this heat. In the winter tend to force carb as the beer comes off the cold crash close to 0C, takes ages to warm up and condition at room temperature.
Gunge ...is it that drinkable after such a short time?
For home brew I always leave it in the fermenter for at least 2 weeks then prime and bottle, I frequently will try a bottle as soon as I can feel the plastic one is carbed which could be as little as 3 days and in a pale beer I don't really see any difference to ones that are 3 weeks bottled. Commercial cask beer is normally casked 5-7 days after mash and could be delivered to a pub for cellar conditioning immediately and served maybe under 2 weeks from mash, I imagine but have no idea that filtered force carbed beer could be served even quicker. Dark beers will always be better older. Note I do like a harsh bitterness in IPAs so it could be me.
For me, the secret of getting a palatable (as opposed to drinkable) brew is to allow it time to sit and mature on the shelf after carbonation.
Unfortunately, to get the best out of a brew, this may take a few months rather than a few days or weeks! :thumb:
I've done two milds, Arkel's Mash-tun & Bank's Hansons and both are coming great. The Hanson's is in a barrel, started on 15/06 and already it's a nice light refreshing drink. I've also got a Fuller's London porter fermenting, also from Graham's book. Planning on doing a Burton Bridge top dog stout next.
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I think I could do 3 weeks. Ten days fermenting and coldcrashing, ten days in the bottle. Most of the times I'll have a try at 4 weeks anyway, just because.
Cwrw666
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When I'm bottling I usually have at least a pint of the brew. It's warm and flat.
Bottles in the warm for about 5 days and away you go. Ok, it's not at it's best then but by the time you're drinking the last few bottles it will be.
When I'm bottling I usually have at least a pint of the brew. It's warm and flat.
Bottles in the warm for about 5 days and away you go. Ok, it's not at it's best then but by the time you're drinking the last few bottles it will be.
It sure is. Bear in mind that it'll have been in the FV for 3 weeks or more, most of which I consider to be maturation time. Sure, after a couple of days in the bottle it's never carbed up fully but if it's clear, it's very nice... as good maybe as 3 weeks down the line but very different. It's interesting to observe how it changes over time, and not necessarily for the better. I can't be doing with all these guidelines. I'll sup it as soon as I see fit.
BeerCat
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For cornies 2 weeks fermenting and a week to cold crash and and a few days to carb up. Bottles are all over the place.
I’m drinking a chocolate cherry stout that I brewed last Friday. So that’s just over 7 days.....
Yeast was S04, fermented out in 4 days and has been force carbing in corny for 3 days.
Very fresh as it is so young and a bit too drinkable at 6%.
The speed of the ferment caught me out a bit and the cherry purée went in later than anticipated which gives a bit more sourness, which I really like.
Fermentation temp set at 21c
Yeast was S04, fermented out in 4 days and has been force carbing in corny for 3 days.
Very fresh as it is so young and a bit too drinkable at 6%.
The speed of the ferment caught me out a bit and the cherry purée went in later than anticipated which gives a bit more sourness, which I really like.
Fermentation temp set at 21c
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