Counting the days

[FedoraDave]

My pipeline ran completely dry this summer. I had some batches that didn't work out and had to be discarded, and I cut way back on brewing during the summer months because I was too busy and it was too hot. And I completely ran out of homebrew.

But I've got a couple of batches conditioning, and I'm counting the days until they're ready to drink. Both are 2.5 gallon batches, so it's only a trickle, but I look at it as a way to re-prime the pump and get the pipeline flowing again.

One is an amber lager, and I only turned down the temperature on it last weekend, so it'll take at least a month of waiting before I want to try one. The other is a brown ale, and that's been in the bottle for three weeks warm conditioning, so I'll bring a couple of bottles up to the fridge this morning and sample them this weekend. It might need extended conditioning, being a darker, maltier recipe, but I'm eager to see how it's progressing.

Then there's the fiver I'm kegging this weekend. I know it'll only take about ten days or so before it's ready, but I'm going to give it a full two weeks, because I intend to invite my brother over for the first tasting. He deserves to be in on it, since he put in the time and expertise to build the keezer.

So the pipeline is going to start trickling this weekend. It's a slow start, but I'm eager to get it flowing full force before long.

[Dawg LB Steve]

If you keg it Saturday, on 12 lbs and leave it be, you could be drinking (carbed enough to be drinkable) it by Wednesday. I have found unless it is a more complex flavored brew 1 week is good on being fully ready.

[FedoraDave]

Perhaps, but it also occurred to me today that I won't actually be turning the thing on and chilling the beer until I put the keg into it.

So there's that.