Howdy!

So I'm writing another article for Zymurgy and I can use your help!

What I'd like to hear from y'all is your stories of quick turn around brews. How did you do it? Why did you have to do it? Got a recipe? Share it! How proud were you of it?

The story that may or may not have made it out on air was that this years Southern California Homebrewers Festival caught me up short on beer and the only reason anybody lets me into these things is because I bring beer. So I said "awww crap", stopped and pulled the kettles. I made a mild, pitched it and packaged it after 4 days and then let it settle overnight. Transfer to a new keg on the 5th day, carbonate and then served at SCHF precisely 5 days and 16 hours after pitching.

After all our bigger brothers and sisters don't sit there and let their beer sit forever, why do we!

If you'd rather email me, send me a line at drew@maltosefalcons.com

-- Drew

PS - It was ~42 years ago we put folks on the moon, phones apparently are a problem!

I don't have any hero stories, but I've served a week after brew-day several times over the years. The keys for me are:

1. Fast-working, very flocculant yeast. WLP002 is my go-to here. Pitch into a starter while your strike water is heating. You want a good head of steam on it when it hits the wort. should be finished and dropping clear in 2-3 days.

2. 1.050 or lower starting gravity. Something in an English style makes sense with the yeast I've chosen.

3. Cold crash and keg with gelatin. Wait overnight to 24 hrs, then...

4. Transfer to clean keg, force carb.

Good pitch of yeast and aeration.

Turned around a hefe inside a week using Safale-06, slightly higher than normal temps (~72F) and shake and bake force carbing in the keg.

I've made a couple of 'fast' brew-to-glass in one week beers.

I've had luck with lower gravity beers:
1.045 OG Pale Ale, dry hopped in keg in steel tea ball.
1.036 OG Belgian Single (Pilsner LME and Saaz hops, super simple)
1.042 OG Belgian Wit

Yeast and pitching:
Make a starter morning of brew day, put it on the stir plate. Get the yeast active for pitching. Pitch the whole starter. Pitch the at least the correct amount (or a little more) of yeast and aerate. I also use the white labs yeast nutrient servomycies.

Fermentation profile:
Assuming the target fermentation temp is 65F. , cooler first day as 63-64F, and then let(force) it rise day 2 and 3 to 65-66F. Raise 2 degrees above desired temp day 4 and 5 to 67-68F.

Kegging:
Transfer onto finings into keg and cold crash on day 6. Put on 40 lbs of CO2 pressure to carbonate. I'll put a half full 6.5 gallon bucket of water in my kegerator on day 4 and place the keg in the bucket when cold crashing. Yes it may 'shock' the yeast, but this is a fast beer. It gets the beer cold fast, and gives a couple extra hours for the finings to work. I use Biofine Clear (works faster than gelatin for me) to flock the yeast out faster in the keg.
Day 7, move the beer to a serving keg. I put the first 1/2 gallon (cloudy) in a growler and place it in the fridge to consume later. Like if there's a over drunk jerk that demands a beer. Or to enjoy a couple days later when it has settled.

Has anyone tried to make a low gravity coffee/breakfast stout in a week?

Cheers,
The Fool

use crystal meth...your beer will be done in hours

I've had good luck turning around fast with WLP007 and 1056. 1056 I need to cold crash for a couple days though.

Recent WLP 007 story: In 14 days I fermented a 1.046 best bitter racked off it, and fermented out a 1.111 barleywine to its 1.030 FG without fusels or other off flavors. Obviously the barleywine took a couple months to be ready to drink, but the bitter was fabulous almost immediately.

9lbs thomas fawcett maris otter
0.25lbs briess c40
0.5 oz black patent
EKG + Fuggle blend ot bitter to 36 IBU
0.5oz fuggles @ 20'
0.5oz EKG @ flame out.

Pitch @ 62 let it rise to 68 @ 2 degrees / day

Add t 2tsp of biofine clear to keg on day 5.

Carbonated and drinking well on day 7

Brilliantly clear and excellent drinking by day 10.

I'm curious how well that new White Labs strain is:

WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast
A super clean, super-fast fermenting strain. A low ester-producing strain that results in a balanced, neutral flavor and aroma profile. Alcohol-tolerant and very versatile for a wide variety of styles. Similar to California Ale Yeast WLP001 but it generally ferments faster.
Optimal Fermentation Temperature: 65-68F
Attenuation: 76-83% +
Flocculation: Medium-High
Alcohol Tolerance: High