Yearly Brew Schedule

[slowbrew16]

I was just wondering if most homebrewers brew by the seasons/weather. Say you want a stout for the holidays. Would most brew this in August or September. Same for a Pumpkin Ale, brew in July? With so many choices out there, I find it hard to decide what to brew next. I love Belgian Saisons. Knowing that the yeast likes warmer fermenting temps, would you brew this now or wait till June?

 

[SnakeRidge]

That's what I do. Think about what you want to be drinking when, subtract 6-8 weeks and brew it. I brew a lot of heavy stuff in the winter so that I won't touch it while the weather is warm. By the time the cold weather rolls around again, I've got barleywines and stouts that have been sitting in my basement for 10-12 months. Pale ales and IPAs tend to be better fresh, so I start brewing them in the spring for summer drankin'

 

[swmalone]

I do this to a certain extent since I only brew a few a year. I typically brew the porters or stouts so they are ready to drink when the weather turns nasty. I brew the hefeweizen so I can drink it in the summer. The pales or IPAs, browns, ambers, etc. just get tossed in when I feel like it. I am thinking of brewing a barleywine that I would like ready for Christmas. I have also started to make mead since we have a beehive. That is a fun one to try to schedule out.

 

[flars]

I'm must be weird. A stout tastes just as good in the summer as winter. I just brew what I like to taste. Four basics on hand year-round.

 

[SnakeRidge]

I'm weird too. When I make a RIS, I add some extra sparge water after the First runnings to make a small stout, perfect for warm weather drinking.

 

[kh54s10]

I brew a couple to season. (Pumpkin for fall for instance.). But I will brew almost any style at anytime of the year.

 

[hopjunkie26]

I will throw my two cents in...

I have a fairly standard schedule in place. I brew a RIS and Barleywine every year over Christmas time and bottle it to be consumed the following fall/winter.

I then have an IPA or IIPA on tap year round, one or two seasonal style beers on tap, and then on nitro some sort of stout whether it is seasonal or sweet or dry Irish or whatever. I then have a 2.5 gallon keg that I fill as I work to tweak recipes.

I used to never really care about how the seasons impacted what style of beer I was drinking, but have definitely found that my taste-buds crave different beers during the season.

 

[BrewNow]

My brewing season is October through May. My fermentation room is my basement and the cooler temps during the winter months allows for better control. In terms of fitting styles to seasons, I don't really pay attention because a good beer is good no matter what day the calendar says.

 

[BreezyBrew]

I'll check out Northern Brewer's brewing schedule now and then. Generally speaking, I find myself brewing with more roasted malts in the cooler months, and more drinkable beers in the warmer.

 

[Zepth]

Fear not weird summer stout folks, your leader is here! Yes, I'm one of your own kind!

For the first year or so of brewing I had no fermentation temp control at all, aside from opening the window of that room at night. Which didn't do much when it's +25C out there overnight. Brewing went with what the weather would let me at that point in time. Not ideal, but I managed. After that point I tried a couple lagers fermenting in the keezer with acceptable results. I am now waiting on the delivery of a temp controller for a proper chamber, it's already got everything wired and mounted, just waiting on the brains.

Serving however I try to keep a variety on tap. Usually a light-ish crowd pleaser, something hoppy, something dark, and a "whatever I happen to have to fill the 4th slot." The last one would be great if I ever started actual brews intended for seasonal consumption. Never made a pumpkin or Christmas spice beer. Not that I'm opposed to them, just too busy brewing other stuff. I personally enjoy having variety available for myself and guests. "Sorry, it's stout and porter season" seems like a terrible thing for a host to say.

I'd say brew what you can. If this means you brew with the seasons to maintain certain yeast and beer styles in the comfort zone, so be it. If you have other means to maintain fermentation temperatures, brew what you feel like. Just don't a slave to the calendar telling you what to be drinking that time of year.

 

[McGarnigle]

I like brewing and drinking (and eating, to a great extent) seasonally. If nothing else, it makes the new season's arrival more interesting to me. I won't drink a Hefe or Witbier for 9-10 months, then have my first one in the Spring. I like that.

 

[LandoLincoln]

I was just wondering if most homebrewers brew by the seasons/weather. Say you want a stout for the holidays. Would most brew this in August or September. Same for a Pumpkin Ale, brew in July? With so many choices out there, I find it hard to decide what to brew next. I love Belgian Saisons. Knowing that the yeast likes warmer fermenting temps, would you brew this now or wait till June?

My fermentation chamber can raise temps inside to about 20° above ambient temps, so it would not be wise of me to attempt making a saison in the dead of winter when my basement is around 50°. My old coal bin room can get quite cold in the wintertime (between 30-40°) so it's a great time to do some lagers without requiring any electricity. So yes, in the interests of saving money on electricity, I do base some of my beers on the season. Lagers in winter, Saisons in summer. For the ales that like 60-65° temps, I do those whenever.

 

[slowbrew16]

Oh, I drink all kinds of different beer anytime of the year. I do have a temperature controller that I used to brew a Saison last fall. Raising the temp a couple of degrees a day till I reached 85 degrees. I also just bottled a Pilsner that I fermented in my garage keeping it at 35-37 degrees. Can't wait to try one. Maybe this weekend. I guess my biggest problem is Patience! I need to learn to wait for proper aging.

 

[Calder]

I brew whatever I want anytime. Usually like to have Session IPAs all the time, then switch between oatmeal stouts and porters, usually plenty of Belgians stashed away somewhere too. The only time I plan for a 'season', is September/October, when I plan and brew a couple of special beers for the Christmas Season. I can't stand Pumpkin ales, so I never plan anything special for Halloween.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I always have a Red Ale and a Saison ready to drink. The others I make when I feel. I have 3 fermenters going all of the time. 2 for my staples and the third for the one that will be for the future or seasonal. I have a barleywine now sitting at almost 4 weeks in primary and won't be bottled until 8. It will probably sit until July and then I will partake during the rainy season (cooler).

 

[ncboiler]

I'm must be weird. A stout tastes just as good in the summer as winter. I just brew what I like to taste. Four basics on hand year-round.

Same. Not sure how seasons change the way a beer tastes or changes the experience. I just think it's a concept that has been around for awhile that people still hold onto. Like don't wear white after labor day.

 

[SnakeRidge]

Same. Not sure how seasons change the way a beer tastes or changes the experience. I just think it's a concept that has been around for awhile that people still hold onto. Like don't wear white after labor day.

What??!!! I guess I'll go home and take off my Boss Hogg outfit.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I have a pretty standard rotation:
-Pale ale for spring (brewing it this weekend)
-Fruit/spice beer for July (wife's bday)
-Spicy beer for fall
-Pumpkin beer for fall
-Porters for Winter

Repeat. Throw a few different ones in on occasion to fill the gaps. Those are my norms though.

 

[hifidelity]

I brew what I'm into at the time. I just put a session IPA in the fermenter a few minutes ago, and I have an Irish red ale on deck for brewing this week while I'm on break. I tend to be impatient, and prefer beers that don't require too much aging.