Brewing schedule for wedding

[Brewshki]

My sister is getting married and I am brewing ten cornies of beer for it. She is getting married in June. I am trying to set up a schedule to follow so I can make sure that everything works out well. As of now, I am brewing 2 batches of hefe, 2 of a blonde ale flavored with orange blossom water, 2 IPA, and 2 ciders.

I want to get it all done decently ahead of time. I am a student and I will have finals, graduation, and have to move out of my current house in late May. The plan is to get it all brewed and in kegs before then. As things finish carbonating, I will pull them off the gas and store them cold. I only have a 4 line manifold so I cannot let them all sit on gas.

My real question is what you all think would be okay amounts of time to age each style (all in cold storage). I know a hefe and blonde are neither complex nor strong enough to age or even last very long. Those will definitely be brewed closer to the wedding to maximize freshness. I also do not want to brew the IPA too early because I dont want the hops to drop out. I am not nearly as worried about the cider. Any thoughts for each style would be very welcome.

Additionally, I need help deciding on the last two kegs! Any suggestions would be fun.

Thanks,

Brewshki

[NateBrews]

I would say to brew the cider first, then the blonde (there isn't much to drop out in that one, so it should last ok), then the ipa and then the hefe. Maybe other will have other orders, but that is what I would think for freshness requirements of each style. Cold storage will go a long way toward making it less of a big deal one way or the other.

Good luck!

[BDawg]

Here's what I'd do:

You have 3 light colored beers and a cider. I think you need roast. I'd go with something dark for the other beer. Either an Oatmeal Stout or a Sweet Stout. Each is a great beer that will age very well. You'll be able to keep the leftovers for a long time. Both Stouts are smooth and have a residual sweetness that makes them approachable even to the newcomers.

Cider first. Brewing it now would actually be fine. 3 weeks primary. Give it plenty of time to age in a bright tank. Adjust sweetness/tannin/acid balance 3 weeks before the wedding. Carbonate it high (about 3 volumes) for a champagne like presentation

Stout next. Do it in January or as soon as you get the cider out of primary. Give it 3 or 4 weeks in the primary and at least 2 months in the secondary. This one can be carbed up and held off the gas. Just keep it cold and refresh the pressure periodically.

Blonde 7-8 weeks out - 2 weeks primary, carb it 4 weeks out. This is another one that you can keep cold and once its carbonated you can disconnect the gas.

IPA - 5 or 6 weeks before the wedding - 3 weeks primary (last week dry hopped), 2 weeks carbonating

Hefe - brew it 3 weeks before the wedding, 2 weeks in the primary, 1 week carbonating

[Brewshki]

Here's what I'd do:

You have 3 light colored beers and a cider. I think you need roast. I'd go with something dark for the other beer. Either an Oatmeal Stout or a Sweet Stout. Each is a great beer that will age very well. You'll be able to keep the leftovers for a long time. Both Stouts are smooth and have a residual sweetness that makes them approachable even to the newcomers.

Cider first. Brewing it now would actually be fine. 3 weeks primary. Give it plenty of time to age in a bright tank. Adjust sweetness/tannin/acid balance 3 weeks before the wedding. Carbonate it high (about 3 volumes) for a champagne like presentation

Stout next. Do it in January or as soon as you get the cider out of primary. Give it 3 or 4 weeks in the primary and at least 2 months in the secondary. This one can be carbed up and held off the gas. Just keep it cold and refresh the pressure periodically.

Blonde 7-8 weeks out - 2 weeks primary, carb it 4 weeks out. This is another one that you can keep cold and once its carbonated you can disconnect the gas.

IPA - 5 or 6 weeks before the wedding - 3 weeks primary (last week dry hopped), 2 weeks carbonating

Hefe - brew it 3 weeks before the wedding, 2 weeks in the primary, 1 week carbonating

awesome advice, i really appreciate it. I added another wrinkle to this problem. I tried the "Orange Blossom Blonde" this morning and it was just awful. It was half frozen because I dont know how to use my new chest freezer, but i couldn't finish a sip. so now i need to do some recipe formulation.

Ive been thinking about a coffee milk stout. I have been trying to keep it light and summery in my choices because June around here is about 100

[BDawg]

Still do a Blonde, but try this instead:

9 lbs pale 2 row (or if extract, go with 6 lbs pale dme)
1 lb crystal 10
Use 1.5 lbs of Orange Blossom honey, and hop it with Amarillo. Bitter it sort of APA like.
Aim for 25-28 IBUs total. (in 5 gals scale to your batch size) Use an oz at 10 mins, another oz at 0 mins, and dry hop with 2 oz. Use your brewing calculator to figure out how many oz of something citrusy like Cascade or centennial you need to hit in that 28ish ibu range.
1056 or 001 or US-05

The honey will bring the OG into the 1.055 range.

[Brewshki]

my whole goal with the orange blossom thing was not to get orange flavor but the actual smell of the flower

[BDawg]

Ok, that wasn't clear from the OP.
However, have you ever tried a beer (or a mead) made with Orange Blossom Honey?

Here's my Am. Wheat version of it:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=31528

[brewinhard]

I echo Bdawgs advice on timing on this one with one exception. If you are having a "summer wedding" to brew for, a heavily roasted beer (sweet stout or oatmeal stout) may not be everyone's cup of tea at this time of year. I like Bdawgs thinking in that you do want a darker beer to serve though. I would suggest a northern english brown ale. Slight chocolate/roast with some caramel and toast notes. Easy drinking and average alcohol make this one a crowd pleaser and helps to provide some variation to your offerings. As for aging, you would be fine having this in the keg for 2 mos prior to serving day.