How long does a Belgian quad take from start to finish?

I am planning on brewing a quad with my dad here pretty soon but I would like to make something that wouldn't take too long as we haven't brewed in a while and I'm not wanting to wait too long until I can drink it.

I've read some recipes call for the brew to be aged for a few months before cracking open a bottle. Is this required for the beer to be fermented properly? I ask because pasts beers I've made have only taken 1-2 months total from brew day to being ready to drink.

Topic belgian fermentation homebrew

Category Mac


"Is this required for the beer to be fermented properly?"

No, it should be fermented fully within a couple weeks at most, though Belgian yeast can be a bit finicky.

However the bigger issue is conditioning time. Belgian quads are usually ~11+%ABV. If you drink that two weeks after fermentation is done, it'll probably taste a bit like gasoline (a lot of 'heat' from higher alcohols). You certainly could drink it, as in it wouldn't be fermenting any more, but the flavor on a beer that strong usually doesn't peak until 4-6 months after fermentation, or longer.

Bottle-conditioning is another issue, if you choose this method. Where a lower-alcohol beer might carbonate fully in a week and a half, a beer this strong may take 3-4 weeks or more just to carbonate. Also, if it's conditioned for a number of months, you will probably have to pitch fresh yeast for conditioning to be possible.

So, really, for something you're not wanting to wait too long to drink, I think Belgian Quad, though a great style to brew, is not what you're looking for. Why not brew a Belgian Dubble, which will give you a lot of the same flavor characteristics? That should be ready within a month or two, plus you'll have a nice healthy crop of yeast you could pitch into a Quad.

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