Quickly Maturing Ale Recipe: Have Beer Ready in 7 Days

British_dimpled_glass_pint_jug_with_ale

In just 7 days, you could be drinking your next homebrew. British bitters are low-gravity session ales that mature quickly.

Pressed for time, but your beer supply is running low? Need to get a beer ready quickly, perhaps for an upcoming party? Here’s the recipe for a beer that you can be drinking just 7 days after you brew it (14 days if you don’t keg your beer).

This beer matures quickly because it starts at a low original gravity (although well within BJCP guidelines for the style, ordinary bitter) and the yeast strain chosen ferments quickly, then flocculates. Pitching an adequate amount of yeast, aerating throughly and maintaining the fermentation temperature in the top part of the yeast’s recommended fermentation range makes this fermentation proceed very quickly. Also, one fresh package of liquid yeast should have nearly the optimal number of cells to ferment this wort, so you don’t need to make a yeast starter.

Given the low starting gravity, you can even let the fermentation temperature rise to 74 °F one day after high kräusen without producing an overly estery brew. (This yeast strain, at the temperature recommended, will produce a fruity ale, but not one that is overdone in this respect.)

The instructions given here deviate slightly from normal brewing procedures, but follow them closely to keep your brewday short without sacrificing beer quality. (Extending the boil to 60 minutes might aid in beer clarity.)

A couple years ago, I brewed this beer (from a slightly different recipe) on a Sunday and served it at my homebrew club’s meeting the next Saturday. The beer benefits from several additional days of aging, but it is certainly very drinkable early on. For another beer with a quick brewday, see James Spencer’s 15 minute pale ale. (On the other hand, if you have nothing but time, see Joe Walton’s 5-hour boil old ale.)

 

Leg of Ordinary Biters

(Ordinary Bitter)

All-grain, English units

by Chris Colby

 

DESCRIPTION

This is a homebrew recipe designed to mature quickly. If you keg your beers, you can be drinking this 7–9 days after brewing. Bottle conditioning adds another week. The recipe is also formulated for a quicker brewday.

The recipe produces a fairly dark, English-style bitter, with a complex biscuit-like malt character accentuated by raison-like notes from the dark crystal malt. It’s flavorful, and nicely balanced with English hops, but is also dry and very “sessionable.”

 

INGREDIENTS  (for 5 gallons)

 

Water

carbon filter

dilute with distilled water, if needed, to 75 ppm HCO3

add calcium chloride and gypsum (in 1:3 ratio) to make 100 ppm Ca2+

Malts (for an OG of 1.036 at 70% extract efficiency and an SRM of 17)

3.5 lbs. UK pale ale malt (3 °L)

2.0 lbs. US 2-row pale malt (*1)

12 oz. flaked maize

4.5 oz. biscuit malt

4.0 oz. crystal malt (60 °L)

4.0 oz. crystal malt (90 °L)

1.0 oz. chocolate malt

(*1) the US 2-row is for added enzymatic power to shorten the mash time; if performing a 60-minute mash, replace with UK pale ale malt (for a total of 5.5 lbs.)

Hops (for 29 IBU total)

First Gold (or Goldings) hops (14 IBU)

0.50 oz. (at 8% alpha acids), boiled for 45 minutes (*2)

First Gold (or Goldings) hops (15 IBU)

0.75 oz. (at 8% alpha acids), boiled for 15 minutes

Fuggles hops (0 IBU)

0.75 oz. (at 5% alpha acids), at knockout

(*2) if boiling for 60 minutes, reduce amount to 0.45 oz. and add at beginning of boil

Yeast (for an FG of 1.007 and an ABV of 3.8%)

Wyeast 1968 (London ESB) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast

with a fresh pack/tube of yeast, you do not need a yeast starter

alternately, make a 1-qt. yeast starter

Other 

1 tsp. Irish moss, boiled for 15 minutes

1/8 tsp. yeast nutrients, boiled for 10 minutes

 

PROCEDURE

Heat 10 qts. of water to 163 °F and mash in to 152 °F. Stir as frequently as you can manage without losing too much heat. After 30 minutes, begin performing an iodine test every 5 minutes. While the mash rests, heat 2.0 gallons of water to a boil in your hot liquor tank. Upon a negative result to an iodine test, stir in sufficient boiling water to raise the grain bed temperature to 170 °F. Next, add cool water to your hot liquor tank to lower the water temperature to 170 °F. Stir 170 °F water into mash until you have 4.3 gallons in your mash/lauter tun. Let sit for 5 minutes, then recirculate until wort clears significantly. Then, drain the mash/lauter tun into your kettle. Bring the roughly 4 gallons of wort to a boil, add first hop charge, and boil for 45 minutes. (If you have time, a 60-minute boil would be better. Do not add water to the wort at this point.) Add other hop charges, Irish moss and yeast nutrients at times indicated. Cool wort to 72 °F and transfer to fermenter. Add water to make 5.25 gallons, aerate thoroughly and pitch yeast. Ferment at 72 °F. Ferment until completion, which at this original gravity will take only 2–4 days, then let beer sit on the yeast for another 2 days (for diacetyl reduction). Rack beer to keg (hopefully yielding 5 gallons) and force carbonate to 2.0 volumes of CO2. Let beer sit at serving temperature for 3 days until serving.

 

Bottle Conditioning Option: 

Add 3.5 oz. of corn sugar to prime for bottling. Store bottles warm (around 80 °F, optimally) for 4 days, then move to cold storage for at least 3 days before serving. If time is really of the essence, after 3 days of cold conditioning, chill one bottle and open. If it is carbonated satisfactorily, move all the bottles to cold storage.

 

Dry Hopping Option: 

If you aren’t in such a rush, adding 0.75 oz. of whole Fuggles hops as dry hops will enhance the hop aroma. Contact time should be 4 to 7 days.

 

 

Leg of Ordinary Biters

(Ordinary Bitter)

All-grain, metric units

by Chris Colby

 

INGREDIENTS (for 19 L)

 

Water

carbon filter

dilute with distilled water to 75 ppm HCO3

add calcium chloride and gypsum (in 1:3 ratio) to make 100 ppm Ca2+

Malts (for an OG of 1.036 at 70% extract efficiency and an SRM of 17)

1.6 kg UK pale ale malt (3 °L)

910 g US 2-row pale malt (*1)

340 g flaked maize

130 g. biscuit malt

110 g crystal malt (60 °L)

110 g crystal malt (90 °L)

28 g chocolate malt

(*1) the US 2-row is for added enzymatic power to shorten the mash time; if performing a 60-minute mash, replace with UK pale ale malt (for a total of 5.5 kg)

Hops (for 29 IBU total)

First Gold (or Goldings) hops (14 IBU)

14 g (at 8% alpha acids), boiled for 45 minutes (*2)

First Gold (or Goldings) hops (15 IBU)

21 g (at 8% alpha acids), boiled for 15 minutes

Fuggles hops (0 IBU)

21 g (at 5% alpha acids), at knockout

(*2) if boiling for 60 minutes, reduce amount to 13 g and add at beginning of boil

Yeast (for an FG of 1.007 and an ABV of 3.8%)

Wyeast 1968 (London ESB) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast

with a fresh pack/tube of yeast, you do not need a yeast starter

alternately, make a 1-L yeast starter

Other 

1 tsp. Irish moss, boiled for 15 minutes

1/8 tsp. yeast nutrients, boiled for 10 minutes

 

PROCEDURE

Heat 9 L of water to 163 °F and mash in to 152 °F. Stir as frequently as you can manage without losing too much heat. After 30 minutes, begin performing an iodine test every 5 minutes. While the mash rests, heat 8 L of water to a boil in your hot liquor tank. Upon a negative result to an iodine test, stir in sufficient boiling water to raise the grain bed temperature to 77 °C. Next, add cool water to your hot liquor tank to lower the water temperature to 77 °C. Stir 77 °C water into mash until you have 16 L in your mash/lauter tun. Let sit for 5 minutes, then recirculate until wort clears significantly. Then, drain the mash/lauter tun into your kettle. Bring the roughly 15 L of wort to a boil, add first hop charge, and boil for 45 minutes. (If you have time, a 60-minute boil would be better. Do not add water to the wort at this point.) Add other hop charges, Irish moss and yeast nutrients at times indicated. Cool wort to 22 °C and transfer to fermenter. Add water to make 20 L, aerate thoroughly and pitch yeast. Ferment at 22 °C. Ferment until completion, which at this original gravity will take only 2–4 days, then let beer sit on the yeast for another 2 days (for diacetyl reduction). Rack beer to keg (hopefully yielding 19 L) and force carbonate to 2.0 volumes of CO2. Let beer sit at serving temperature for 3 days until serving.

 

Bottle Conditioning Option: 

Add 100 g of corn sugar to prime for bottling. Store bottles warm (around 27 °C, optimally) for 4 days, then move to cold storage for at least 3 days before serving. If time is really of the essence, after 3 days of cold conditioning, chill one bottle and open. If it is carbonated satisfactorily, move all the bottles to cold storage.

 

Dry Hopping Option: 

If you aren’t in such a rush, adding 21 g of whole Fuggles hops as dry hops will enhance the hop aroma. Contact time should be 4 to 7 days.

 

 

Leg of Ordinary Biters

(Ordinary Bitter)

Malt Extract, English units

by Chris Colby

 

INGREDIENTS (for 5 gallons)

 

Water

carbon filter

dilute with distilled water to 75 ppm HCO3

add calcium chloride and gypsum (in 1:3 ratio) to make 100 ppm Ca2+

or

use naturally soft tap water, distilled water or RO water

add 2.5 tsp. gypsum

Malts (for an OG of 1.036 at 70% extract efficiency and an SRM of 17)

1.75 lbs. UK pale ale malt (3 °L)

8.0 oz. US 2-row pale malt

4.5 oz. biscuit malt

4.0 oz. crystal malt (60 °L)

4.0 oz. crystal malt (90 °L)

1.0 oz. chocolate malt

1 lb. 14 oz. dried light malt extract, half added late in boil

8.0 oz. corn sugar, boiled for 20 minutes

Hops (for 29 IBU total)

First Gold (or Goldings) hops (14 IBU)

0.50 oz. (at 8% alpha acids), boiled for 45 minutes

First Gold (or Goldings) hops (15 IBU)

0.75 oz. (at 8% alpha acids), boiled for 15 minutes

Fuggles hops (0 IBU)

0.75 oz. (at 5% alpha acids), at knockout

Yeast (for an FG of 1.007 and an ABV of 3.8%)

Wyeast 1968 (London ESB) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast

with a fresh pack/tube of yeast, you do not need a yeast starter

alternately, make a 1-qt. yeast starter

Other 

1 tsp. Irish moss, boiled for 15 minutes

1/8 tsp. yeast nutrients, boiled for 10 minutes

 

PROCEDURE

Place the ~3 lbs. of crushed grain in a large steeping bag. Heat 4.25 qts. of water to 163 °F. “Steep” grains at 152 °F in this water in a large kitchen pot (at least 8 qts.) for 45 minutes. This is really a small partial mash, so hold temperature as close to 152 °F as you can manage. While grains are steeping, stir in roughly half of your malt extract and begin heating it in 2 gallons of water your brewpot. In a third pot, heat 2 qts. of water to 170 °F. After grains have “steeped” (mashed), lift bag into a colander placed over your brewpot. Pour the wort from the partial mash through the bag to filter out any solid pieces of grain. Rinse the bag with the 2 qts. of 170 °F water. Add water, if needed, to bring wort volume to 3.5 gallons. Bring wort to a boil and add the first hop charge. Add other hop charges, Irish moss and yeast nutrients at times indicated. Stir in corn sugar with 20 minutes left in boil. Stir in remaining malt extract with 10 minutes left in boil. (Dissolve in wort to avoid scorching.) Cool wort to 72 °F and transfer to fermenter. Add water to make 5.25 gallons, aerate thoroughly and pitch yeast. Ferment at 72 °F. Ferment until completion, which at this original gravity will take only 2–4 days, then let beer sit on the yeast for another 2 days (for diacetyl reduction). Rack beer to keg (hopefully yielding 5 gallons) and force carbonate to 2.0 volumes of CO2. Let beer sit at serving temperature for 3 days until serving.

 

Bottle Conditioning Option: 

Add 3.5 oz. of corn sugar to prime for bottling. Store bottles warm (around 80 °F, optimally) for 4 days, then move to cold storage for at least 3 days before serving. If time is really of the essence, after 3 days of cold conditioning, chill one bottle and open. If it is carbonated satisfactorily, move all the bottles to cold storage.

 

Dry Hopping Option: 

If you aren’t in such a rush, adding 0.75 oz. of whole Fuggles hops as dry hops will enhance the hop aroma. Contact time should be 4 to 7 days.

 

 

Leg of Ordinary Biters

(Ordinary Bitter)

Malt Extract, metric units

by Chris Colby

 

INGREDIENTS (for 19 L)

 

Water

carbon filter

dilute with distilled water to 75 ppm HCO3

add calcium chloride and gypsum (in 1:3 ratio) to make 100 ppm Ca2+

or

use naturally soft tap water, distilled water or RO water

add 2.5 tsp. gypsum

Malts (for an OG of 1.036 at 70% extract efficiency and an SRM of 17)

790 g UK pale ale malt (3 °L)

230 g US 2-row pale malt

130 g biscuit malt

110 g crystal malt (60 °L)

110 g crystal malt (90 °L)

28 g chocolate malt

850 g dried light malt extract, half added late in boil

230 g corn sugar, boiled for 20 minutes

Hops (for 29 IBU total)

First Gold (or Goldings) hops (14 IBU)

14 g (at 8% alpha acids), boiled for 45 minutes

First Gold (or Goldings) hops (15 IBU)

21 g (at 8% alpha acids), boiled for 15 minutes

Fuggles hops (0 IBU)

21 g (at 5% alpha acids), at knockout

Yeast (for an FG of 1.007 and an ABV of 3.8%)

Wyeast 1968 (London ESB) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast

with a fresh pack/tube of yeast, you do not need a yeast starter

alternately, make a 1-L yeast starter

Other 

1 tsp. Irish moss, boiled for 15 minutes

1/8 tsp. yeast nutrients, boiled for 10 minutes

 

PROCEDURE

Place the ~1.4 kg of crushed grain in a large steeping bag. Heat 4.0 L of water to 73 °C. “Steep” grains at 67 °C in this water in a large kitchen pot (at least 8 L) for 45 minutes. This is really a small partial mash, so hold temperature as close to 67 °C as you can manage. While grains are steeping, stir in roughly half of your malt extract and begin heating it in 8 L of water your brewpot. In a third pot, heat 2 L of water to 77 °C After grains have “steeped” (mashed), lift bag into a colander placed over your brewpot. Pour the wort from the partial mash through the bag to filter out any solid pieces of grain. Rinse the bag with the 2 L of 77 °C water. Add water, if needed, to bring wort volume to 13 L. Bring wort to a boil and add the first hop charge. Add other hop charges, Irish moss and yeast nutrients at times indicated. Stir in corn sugar with 20 minutes left in boil. Stir in remaining malt extract with 10 minutes left in boil. (Dissolve in wort to avoid scorching.) Cool wort to 22 °C and transfer to fermenter. Add water to make 20 L, aerate thoroughly and pitch yeast. Ferment at 22 °C. Ferment until completion, which at this original gravity will take only 2–4 days, then let beer sit on the yeast for another 2 days (for diacetyl reduction). Rack beer to keg (hopefully yielding 5 gallons) and force carbonate to 2.0 volumes of CO2. Let beer sit at serving temperature for 3 days until serving.

 

Bottle Conditioning Option: 

Add 100 g of corn sugar to prime for bottling. Store bottles warm (around 27 °C, optimally) for 4 days, then move to cold storage for at least 3 days before serving. If time is really of the essence, after 3 days of cold conditioning, chill one bottle and open. If it is carbonated satisfactorily, move all the bottles to cold storage.

 

Dry Hopping Option: 

If you aren’t in such a rush, adding 21 g of whole Fuggles hops as dry hops will enhance the hop aroma. Contact time should be 4 to 7 days.

 

 

Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing!
    I’m a rokkie homebrewer, and I’d like to know if is possible brewing in short periods of time with dry yeast (small packs of 11gr, about 0,4 oz). I brew small batches for now, 4 l (1 gallon), is possible brewing in 7/14 days with small batches?

    Thanks and sorry for my english, grettings from Spain! 😉

  2. Nice read! I really like the recipe for beer brewing. Beer brewing is one of my favorite hobbies and I often make beer for my friends and relatives. I love to make homemade beer and for this I use beer brewing kits. I like the whole process of manufacturing beer. I will surely try the recipe at my home.

  3. Thank you. I brewed this two weeks ago. Bottled it one week ago and have just been enjoying the first few bottles. You are a man of your word, this was the fastest grain to glass I have ever done and it doesnt taste particularly green/young. That yeast is good stuff, it went off like a bomb at first, I had to fridge it to keep it in the temperature range. It dropped clear veryu quickly leaving no cloudiness and sticks to the bottom of my bottles making pouring without disturbing really easy. I like the taste so far, its biscuity and complex. I adjusted the IBUs to a slightly lower level that I prefer in a session bitter. I will be making this again. Cheers!

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