Flavor improvements

[tmgrood]

I have heard that for most homebrews, the longer they sit in the bottles the more the flavor and aroma will improve.
Is this while being kept at room temperature (60-70 degrees F) or can they be put into cold storage after the initial 2 weeks of priming?
I want flavor and aroma to improve but am running out of room in the house and may start moving them to the garage after their initial 2 weeks of carbonating.

[PCaravan]

Actually, after they are sufficiently carbed up, it is generally better to keep them cold for storage but I certainly wouldn't say that it's required to keep good beer... just as long as you're not keeping them hot (like in your garage during the summer). As for your question as to whether your beer will improve with aging all depends on a number of factors. All beers will improve to some extent and peek at some point and if held on too long they start to get stale/oxidized but not all beers will peek at the same point. It's up to you to decide if your beer is fine or not and that comes with experience. The best advice is... if tastes good to you now, go ahead and drink it. If by the time you finish the batch you decide it improved then you'll know for next time that you started a little too early.

Some guidlines though:

Pale, lightly hopped, and low alcohol beers need less aging and many are best not aged at all.

Beers made with a lot of wheat are said to not age well.

Beers made with lots of hops, large amounts of roasted malts, and or high in alcohol tend to do well with a little aging but most of the time, we're not talking like aging the way it's done with wine (except for maybe barleywine) where aging goes on for years. It's usually a matter of weeks or a few months.

Some things to consider, sometimes harsh and astringent flavors can subside to some degree with aging and I think in particular cold storage aging, however, the longer you let the beer sit the more your hop bitterness and flavors will subside as well which is not always a good thing. Flavors associated with dry hopping are particularly noted for not lasting very long.

One thing to keep in mind is that one of the advantages to brewing your own is the freshness of the beer just can't be beat. If you let you beer sit on the shelf for a long time, you negate that advantage.

[tmgrood]

Thanks for the info Caravan.
Don't worry. They won't be around for too long. hehe.
Just wanted to make sure they would continue to improve even while in the cold garage.

WhooHooo!!

[Mad Scientist]

My Xmas ale aged for six months, and was great. I have a couple of bottles sitting up for next year....

[tmgrood]

Yes, but are they stored at room temp or colder?

[Mad Scientist]

Originally posted by tmgrood
Yes, but are they stored at room temp or colder?

Room temp, in a very quite closet

[tmgrood]

Oh well. Mine are going to have to go in the garge after two weeks in the room, because of lack of room.

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by tmgrood
Oh well. Mine are going to have to go in the garge after two weeks in the room, because of lack of room.

I find for the average brew, a couple weeks (at least) in the cold is good for them.

[tmgrood]

Great.
Then the'll be cold enough for me to drink when I get home from work on Friday night!!
Thanks.

[B_rad1969]

I keep all of my beer cold. I had one beer that I was going give to someone. I had it in the car for a couple of weeks. I opened it and it tasted a little stale. Cold, I feel, will be the best for beer.

[tmgrood]

Awsome. Another answer I was hoping for.
Well I have 2 12 pacs sitting in the cool (40 F degrees) garage right now that I bottled a couple weeks ago.
Thanks, my brewing brothers!

[HogieWan]

just make sure they are done carbonating before you move them to cold storage

[tmgrood]

Yes. I will gladly open one or two up, taste the hoppy nectar and make sure they are carbonated. :)

[B_rad1969]

Originally posted by tmgrood
Yes. I will gladly open one or two up, taste the hoppy nectar and make sure they are carbonated. :)

That takes a skilled man, such as my self. Send me a few for a comparison.!

[tmgrood]

HaHa!!

:D