If you got a homebrewing starter kit for Christmas, you should by now be about halfway through the minimum two week maturing period provided that you managed to keep the temperature constant and finished your primary fermentation within 5-10 days. Once the beer is ready to drink, you will find that, in most instances, it runs out surprisingly quickly. If you are not going to spend an extended period without any beer to drink, it is a good idea to put on another batch about now so that it will be ready for bottling (or putting into a second barrel if your main brew is already in a barrrel) before you start drinking the first batch. This is the easiest way to ensure that you have a constant supply of beer and never run out.