Commercially brewed beer - how long to condition

[giraffe]

Couldn't help thinking the other day whilst trying my hardest not to open my recently bottled Canadian Blonde how long commercially brewed beer takes from start to ready to be drunk.

Whether it was true or not, I remember someone once told me that Fosters (Not real beer I know) was fermented, bottled and ready to drink within 24 hours. Now I am sure these types of lagers use all sorts of chemicals to speed up the process, but wondered if anyone happened to know first hand. Budweiser also seems to like to promote their "fresh beer is nicer" stance which goes against all the advice on every homebrew forum.

On a side note, for an impatient (restricted by space) person such as myself. Would would anyone recommend as a good homebrew that is ready to drink in just a few weeks?

Thanks

 

[Green Ninja]

Most of them can be drunk in a few weeks.

They only need 2 weeks fermentation

Then 1 week secondary if the room is warm enough

Then 1 week's conditioning per every 10 points of specific gravity.

So if you brewed a beer which had a OG of 1040 and brewed it down to 1010

then you'd be drinking it after a total of six weeks from start to finish.


Obviously more conditioning = better beer but I'm drinking my Wherry now and started fermenting it 5 weeks ago. And it's enjoyable and clear.


Terry.

 

[zgoda]

Most popular lagers here in Poland (Tyskie, Lech) are ready from grain to bottle in 14-16 days. This is official information from SABMiller.

 

[giraffe]

Interesting, so I guess if I wanted something that I could drink faster then having a lower OG and producing a lower alcohol beer should take less time to condition.

Was think of trying the Wherry next, but then thought by the time it is ready it might be summer time and I like lager in the sun :)

 

[Darcey]

Wheat beers are best drunk young. I did an all grain Erdinger clone and from grain to glass it was 3 weeks. Very good too!

I brew for 2 weeks (longer if gravity isn't stable) but 2 weeks regardless of fermentation finishing, rack in to a secondary and cool that in the brew fridge (or kegerator if its empty :drink: :drink: ) for at least a week @2c, cornie keg carbonate for a week then usually give it a week or two before serving so even if I am hurrying its 5 weeks before I'll get to taste it properly.

Bottles I cap and forget then usually find about 4 months later and enjoy! Allways a good plan to hide bottles randomly so you dont drink them all and be tempted!

A trip to Lancaster brewery last week they said they ferment for 6days (knowing the yeast very well), rack in to casks and leave for 4 weeks before selling. They have no temperature control for the casks however they just

..take longer to condition if the weather is cold...

. After my trip and tour I considered that I prob do more temperature control and worry about conditioning than they do... :?

The Thwaites tour (who brew (or used to brew) Fosters for InBev) lager the beer for 8 weeks min and a rather impressive facility they have todo it in as well. Lots of other giggery pokery goes on as well as 8 weeks really isn't enough for a 'lager'

One of my local micros is so physically small that due to floor space they sell the beer to pubs 'young' sometimes days after racking and ask customers to leave casks on average for 5 weeks before serving.. which is annoying for cellarmen like me especially when the stronger stouts can be conditoned for

..ooh up to a year mate if you wanna leave it..

GREAT!! I believe they have built another facility now to cope however..

My employer tanks all cask beer to drop it bright for ~2 months and drops bright beer with and 'unspecified' but an amusingly easy to calculate amount of unfermented wort of the same type to condition the beers. This results in a very bright beer but lacks some of the flavour you get if the yeast is included IMO.

D

 

[Aleman]

I've gone from mashing to drinking in 6 days for an ale . . . most commercial beers are running beers (ie get no storage . . . brewed and out)

That is not to say that the beer will not get better with age, but if you brew to around 1.040 and use a lot of yeast you can get fermentation done quickly.

 

[giraffe]

Some interesting insight to how the bigger breweries do it, I must get myself on to some of them tours to see (taste) the action myself!

Just wish I had more space to store beer (as I live in a small flat) so I could leave it and forget it. I have been putting it in the loft, but I would imagine in the summer the temperature up there would get too hot for storing? It gets around 30-35c during the summer months.

 

[Dave1970]

It might not help much if you're short of space but I've found that All Grain brews are ready to drink a lot quicker than kits

 

[Darcey]

I've gone from mashing to drinking in 6 days for an ale . . . most commercial beers are running beers (ie get no storage . . . brewed and out)

I have a friend that used to work in Burton-On-Trent doing engineering and planning work tell me in the 70's alot of effort went in to conveyor systems where a constant output of beer was made possible, this reduced the quality of the beer but also reduced the cost. He was vary hazy on the subject so I am not entirely sure of his accuracy in this regard. Any corners cut to make mass market beer will be cut in the name of profit and cheap beer.

GM yeasts would be interesting...

D

 

[Pearlfisher]

I spoke to one of my mates about this last week ,he used to be involved in commercial brewing , he said he had a book over 100 years old which stated the Bass brewery weren't allowed to send out any beer which hadn't been conditioned for 3 months.

 

[carl_saint]

I've been around Theakstons brewery in North Yorkshire. Once the brew is in the FV the gravity is checked everyday and it takes about 4 days to ferment out. From there it it is barrelled straight away along with electrostatic finings. They advise customers to leave the casks for 24 hours after delivery before tapping and that once the barrel has left the brewery it only has a 28 day shelf life.

So potentially the beer can be served in under a week. They only brew to order as they are fairly small compared with other brewery's.

It's well worth a tour of a commercial brewery. I only brew kits due to space restrictions but understand the basics of AG and to see it on a grand scale is great!

 

[giraffe]

Does adding finings to beer make it condition faster or is it just to clear it?

It doesn't seem that common on the forums to add finings to beer, am I right in thinking it is more of a practice in wine making?

 

[carl_saint]

I don't believe it conditions it faster just clears it quicker. People don't usually fine beer as it normally takes a few weeks to condition anyway in which time I will have naturally cleared. Wines will clear on their own without finings in a few weeks too!

 

[Darcey]

4 days to ferment out. From there it it is barrelled straight away along with electrostatic finings. They advise customers to leave the casks for 24 hours after delivery before tapping and that once the barrel has left the brewery it only has a 28 day shelf life.
So potentially the beer can be served in under a week. They only brew to order as they are fairly small compared with other brewery's.

A week? seems a bit short to me. Especially for Old Pec. I would be very surprised if they dont condition in tanks or hold cask for afew weeks before sending out. Having said that everyone seems to do it differently.

once the barrel has left the brewery it only has a 28 day shelf life

This is more a food hygiene thing now that beer is classed as 'food' its easier to pigeon hole it with the 28days for other foods.