[edvinjonsson]

Hi, I wanna make a batch of beer this saturday (haven't decided on the style yet, probably a brown ale or a porter), and I want to have it ready for christmas dinner, so I have about 4 weeks. It has to be bottle conditioned since I don't have a keg. I always bottle condition for at least 3 weeks, I've tried the beer after two weeks, but its always better carbonated and tastes better a week after. I always do primary and secondary fermentation for a total of 2 weeks, so thats 5 weeks. What would be the best way to make it in four? Any suggestions? 

Cheers! 

[firedog23]

Getting rid of secondary would help unless you are using it for a specific reason.

[edvinjonsson]

Nah, I guess I can get away without it. I've only been homebrewing for about 4 or 5 months so I'm still learning a lot.

Thanks!

[morticaixavier]

aim for a modest gravity, say 1.040 max, give it enough yeast, which for this might be just one packet but a starter wouldn't hurt. keep the temp stable around the mid to high 60's shake the wort well to aerate.  you should be fine with 1 week in primary.

[jamminbrew]

I usually ferment my mid-range ales (1.040-1.060) for 10 days to 2 weeks, and bottle condition for 2 weeks.  If you need to speed up carbonation, store the bottles at a slightly higher temp... i do about 72-75* for this.

[timberati]

Here's a thread from when Weaze announced he was planning a "6 day IPA." A starter yeast was recommended, but if you're just getting started that could be too big a step.
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=7434.0

[edvinjonsson]

Thanks a lot for the tips, I hope I can have it ready by christmas to share with my family.

[a10t2]

Four weeks is a VERY long timeline for an ale. If you pitch a standard amount of yeast, an average-gravity ale should reach FG in 3-6 days. Bottle three days after that and it should be carbonated well ahead of time. You'll probably even have a week or two left for cold conditioning to drop it bright. If your bottles aren't carbonated after 7-10 days, you're probably storing them at too low a temperature. 75°F or so is ideal.

Using one plastic bottle per batch will let you know when the beers have carbonated, without having to open them.

[euge]

Use a yeast with high flocculation characteristics so it drops bright even sooner. You can certainly get by with bottling after a week, and truly my bottles are always carbed up after three days at 75. The rest is just conditioning.

You have plenty of time, but start now!