Generally speaking, it takes 2 1/2 to 8 weeks to get from ingredients to finished, ready-to-drink beer, with a 3-4 week timeline being the most common. Many factors affect the overall brewing timeline, which is why there is such a range. The three main factors that will affect your brew time are:
Each will add or subtract from the amount of time needed to complete a batch of beer. To further explain the timeline, let’s go over the main steps of the beer-making process and how long each takes:
Overall, the fundamental steps involved with the beer brewing process are relatively consistent and usually take about 4-8 hours from start to finish. The timeline largely depends, again, on equipment and brewing methods. For a more detailed explanation of the beer brewing process, check out our post on how to brew beer. Once you have finished brewing your beer, you have what is called wort. Wort, pronounced “wert,” is pre or unfermented beer, which brings us to our next step, fermentation.
At this stage, brewers yeast is added to the wort, and the fermentation process begins. The amount of time needed for fermentation from here is based on the yeast/beer style. The typical fermentation takes two weeks when making ale and four to eight weeks when making lager. For more on the distinction between the two, see our post going over the difference between ale and lager. Once the primary fermentation is complete, you’ll have a beer, but it will be flat, which brings us to our next step, carbonation.
Depending on the equipment, and method, carbonating beer can take as little as 30 minutes with forced co2 methods and up to two weeks through bottle conditioning. While kegging (forced c02, brite tanks, unitanks) can take under an hour to 2 days.
Timeline: 16+ days
Homebrewing without kegging equipment: 28+ days
Homebrewing with kegging equipment: 15+ days
No, the brewing process and fermentation time remain the same whether you make 1 gallon or 10,000. The recipe is scaled up, and you use larger equipment and more yeast.
Take your brewing knowledge to the next level! Check out our other beer brewing articles for more tips and tricks to improve your brewing skills.
The fermentation process, which begins after the ‘Brew Day’, usually takes about two weeks. This is when the yeast consumes the sugar in the wort and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Beer is usually ready for bottling after two weeks of fermentation. The beer should be tested for specific gravity using a hydrometer to ensure that fermentation has completed.
The conditioning phase, which follows bottling, serves to carbonate the beer naturally. The yeast consumes priming sugar added at bottling, creating carbon dioxide that dissolves into the beer, giving it the desired carbonation.
The conditioning phase typically lasts about two weeks. During this time, the beer is stored at room temperature, allowing the carbonation to develop.
From start to finish, the beer brewing process can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks.
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