Time constrained brew - any recommendations?

[aces-n-eights]

I have about a month at home and then i'll be away for 4 months. I'm looking for recommendations for a brew that i can fit into those time constraints.

A little background… i consider myself an emerging rookie brewer. I have done 10 extract kits and have moved to BIAB (twice!) with good success. I have a fermentation chamber - a chest freezer with a STC1000 type controller for both warming and cooling.

Anyway, i was thinking of perhaps a lager…. or maybe a big beer like a Tripel…

Thoughts? Recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[Peruvian802]

One month is plenty of time for a low to mid ABV beer. Brew this weekend, 2 weeks in fermenter, 2 weeks in bottle (or less if kegging).

If you want to use the 4 mos. away for lagering or aging than you have even more time.

 

[Chris_Primavera]

Timing sounds perfect for an Octoberfest (or any lager)

Unless, of course, your one month window includes drinking the beer as well.

 

[aces-n-eights]

Thanks for the replies, guys. The main thing i want to take advantage of is the long time i have for secondary fermentation. I'll look into some lagers…

 

[govner1]

Blonde ale. Lots if recipes on hbt

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

That time period is great for a kolsch, a tripel, a dubbel, a quad, or a solid stout. As a 'newer' brewer, stouts are really easy. What about a bourbon stout that will benefit from the aging?

 

[Natdavis777]

Timing sounds perfect for an Octoberfest (or any lager)

Unless, of course, your one month window includes drinking the beer as well.

I like this ^^

 

[jekeane]

A trippel or lager are good ideas. The one concern with the lager is fermentation chamber on for 4 months while you are gone. The trippel you could secondary and leave at room temps.

 

[tennesseean_87]

If gone for that long I'd do a big lager like a bock.

 

[aces-n-eights]

Great comments, thanks. I got to thinking that i have a couple of carboys… maybe i'll do BOTH a lager and a tripel. Might be a busy brew day (or two) but if the schedule works i may give it a try. Hopefully come home to a nice surprise.

 

[IslandLizard]

Are you planning to leave the beer in your carboy fermentors for 4 months? Or bottle right before you leave?

 

[aces-n-eights]

Are you planning to leave the beer in your carboy fermentors for 4 months? Or bottle right before you leave?

I plan to leave the beer in the carboys for 4 months. I don't have enough time to get anything into bottles in my time line. Good idea? Bad idea?

 

[IslandLizard]

Aside from sours, bigger beers and lagers are probably the best candidates.

Still, 4 months is a long time for beer to sit on the yeast cake. You may get some off flavors, like Oxo-cubes/Marmite/Vegimite and other byproducts from yeast autolysis (dying/decomposing yeast). Storing cool (<40F) will slow that down. Careful racking to secondaries maybe the best, leaving no more than 1" of headspace.

It is important that there's no oxygen in the headspace and none (or as low amount as possible) can get in during that time. Your airlocks may dry out, but there are ways to prevent that.

 

[aces-n-eights]

Great advice, thanks

 

[hanuswalrus]

My vote would be for a big stout. Primary for 3-4 weeks then rack to a secondary with little to no head space and bulk age for 4 months. Bottle when you get home

 

[joshesmusica]

Yeah I mean if you're fine with keeping a ferment chamber on for four months, then I would do a big lager or big Belgian ale. If you're not fine with that than any really big ale would work, but if it was a tripel or Belgian ale or something I would still lager it for at least two weeks before you leave, then rack it and store in the coolest spot in your house for that time. About half way through, so two months, I would have someone go check the airlock and maybe fill it with some vodka. And as others have said, as little headspace as possible and be very careful with racking it about not splashing it and being very sanitary.