Answer: From brewing to packaging, it takes about 6 weeks to make our Festbier. For our August 1st release date and demand to be met, our brewers brew the first batches of Festbier in May!
Conditioning
Brewing and packaging happens within the span or a day or two, so the majority of that time is spent lagering, or conditioning. Conditioning is key to making our lagers clear, crisp, and delicious.
After primary fermentation, the work of the yeast (making alcohol) is done, but there is still more to do.  The yeast must still “clean up” and eliminate off-flavors in young beer, like buttery diacetyl, green-apple tasting acetaldehyde, and more. This maturation process is referred to as lagering, aging, or conditioning.
Ales (like Hefeweizen) condition at higher temperatures for shorter periods of time (usually less than 2 weeks). Lager yeast, however, conditions at much lower temperatures than ale yeast, and works more slowly. So lager conditioning times can range anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks or more.
Conditioning also aids in clarification of beer prior to centrifuging. Hazy particles (suspended yeast, proteins) are less soluble at lower temperatures, and will naturally settle to the bottom of the tank during this process, making it easier to separate from the finished bier.
Some might cut corners or condition for short amounts of time in order to speed-up production times, but we believe good things come to those who wait. Festbier will be packaged soon and heading to stores starting in August!
