The information below is from a BeerSmith.com email that was sent out! I've been looking for a good guide that shows when certain beers should be brewed for different seasons. This isn't an all inclusive list I don't think but it's pretty good and helpful.
Seasonal Beer Brewing
For many years, I’ve wanted to do a better job of matching my beer brewing with seasons and major holidays. But I always found myself behind. When October rolled around it was too late to brew that Oktoberfest, and my green beer was always a bit too late for St Patty’s day. My stouts were always finished for the warm summer months.
To combat this, I’ve assembled a brewing schedule of sorts to help me have mature beers ready for the right holiday or season. To keep it simple, I’ve listed popular styles of beer for different seasons by quarter, and a corresponding list of which quarter you need to brew them in. The assumption here is that 3 months lead time is enough for me to assemble the ingredients, brew the beer, and have it mature properly. While I don’t brew all of these styles each year, it gives me a list to choose from.
Winter Beer Styles – Beers to Brew in Fall, Drink in Winter:
Holiday Ales
Christmas/Winter Beer
Stouts, Porters and other Dark Beers
Barley Wine (needs long aging – start a year or more in advance)
Winter Wheats
Smoked Rauchbier
Scotch Ale
Old Ale
Spring Beer Styles – Beers to Brew in Winter, Drink in Spring
Irish Ale and Irish Stout
Green Beer for St Patty’s Day
Bock/Doppelbock
India Pale Ale
Fruit Beer
Wheat Beer, Weizen and Weisse – particularly Hefeweizen
Saison
Blonde Ale
Belgian Wit/White Beer
Summer Beer Styles – Beers to Brew in Spring, Drink in Summer
Bavarian Weizen/Weisse
Pilsner
Cream Ale
Steam Beer – California Common
Kolsch Beer
Summer Ales
Saison
Fruit/Wheat Beers
Fall Beer Styles – Beers to Brew in Summer, Drink in the Fall
Marzen/Oktoberfest
Pumpkin Beer
English Pale Ale
Brown Ales
Dunkelweizen
Harvest Ale
Do you have your own seasonal beer suggestion?
Worrying can spoil the taste of beer more then anything else! ~ Charles Papazian
While it's a good list in a thumbnail kind of way, it's also important to remember that certain styles, especially lagers, take longer to mature and condition. If you want a bock ready by May 1, you might want to brew it in late October, rather than winter, and give it plenty of time to mellow. Same with a Pilsner. It's a great summer beer, but January or February would seem to me to be the best time to get it started.
Up Next: Moon Shot Double IPA Fermenting/Conditioning 2Daves Irish Red Ale -- Ladybug Lager Drinking: FedoraDave's American Ale -- Schöenwald Schwarzbier -- Littlejohn's Ale -- King Duncan's Porter
I do know a lot of people like to have their own seasonal beers in the traditional seasons. Frankly I like to have wheat beer available all summer long. I don't much care for it in the winter. Fortunately wheat beer is generally really good grain to glass in 3 weeks. So it is easy to keep that on hand. Doesn't take much planning.
Up Next: Moon Shot Double IPA Fermenting/Conditioning 2Daves Irish Red Ale -- Ladybug Lager Drinking: FedoraDave's American Ale -- Schöenwald Schwarzbier -- Littlejohn's Ale -- King Duncan's Porter
