Drink it now - Drink it later!

[Redbird Fan]

So you've made your beer - How thirsty are you?!

After bottling your tasty adult beverage, how many weeks do you wait before popping the top on the first one?

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One week after bottling? - can't wait, must have beer NOW!
Two weeks after bottling? - hmmm, I bet it's carbonated but I'd better make sure.
One month after bottling? mmmm BEEERRR.
Six months after bottling? I'm sure it'll be worth the wait - DOH!
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[Tweek]

I will usually wait 2 weeks, then I try one every other week or so to see where it is at. once it is ready it doesnt last long.

[Redbird Fan]

I like to try it after 1 week so I can once again say, "nope, not carbonated yet!"

Keeping it around for any length of time seems like an impossibility - I prefer to age it in my stomach.

[shughes600]

I wait a week to pop the top. That is simply to test it. I ussually wait till about three weeks to consume. I always notice that the beer gets better as I go. I have a new plan to counterract this phenomenom. That is i have 4 brews in some stage of fermentation and one conditioning in the keg. 2 of these batches are spoken for though (will last a few hours each). Good thing my homebrew club has a monthly competition.

[fuji6100]

I tend to wait about 2 weeks, then put a dozen or so in the fridge for a day or two. If they've carbonated well, I go ahead and put in as many as I can fit (I have a mini-fridge that holds about 40 beers) and start drinking them.

[paul84043]

I guess most of us are very similar in our impatience..
I will "test" one after a week. Then based on those results, I will wait another week, and test again. Typically the serious comsumption begins at about three weeks, but the real flavor improvements don't seem to show up for at least a month.

[S.F.B.]

I like to wait 10-15 days before cracking the first one open. This is only a test for carbonation. If not done I'll crack another in 7 days. If all is well it goes into the beer storage closet for at least 2-3 weeks longer. I like my beer aged a bit. I can have patience to do this due to the fact I will have 2 drinkable batches in kegs for everyday consumption.

[Redbird Fan]

I have noticed the longer I secondary ferment, the longer it takes to get good carbonation - my guess is the quantity of active yeast is reduced the longer it secondary ferments (thus leaving you with less active yeast to produce CO2 in the bottle).

Hey, does anyone know WHY the taste of our homebrew changes as it ages? Frequently my beer after 2 weeks bottled tastes nothing like my beer after 4 weeks.

[toneyc]

Originally posted by Redbird Fan
Hey, does anyone know WHY the taste of our homebrew changes as it ages?

The guy with the tagline that says we never asked why the chicken crossed the road asks about why the beer changes! I'm sorry Redbird, but that was just too funny!

I had always assumed that it was just some of the "stuff" settling out as the beer got clearer. I don't think it is continuing yeast action because my beer improves in the keg at 35-40 degrees F.

:) Toney.

[paul84043]

I would bet that it's a complicated chain of chemical reactions that would fry the brain of your chemistry teacher.

[S.F.B.]

I got to go with frying the chemistry teacher's brain. :confused:

[Redbird Fan]

Well it's good to know there's a reason I haven't figured out (or found any literature on) why our beers gets so damn good with age -

It's funny how as homebrewers we can tell you what you should probably do and when to make a good batch of beer, but we can't seem to explain why it's good!

In the end - it's beer, drink it - don't ask why.

[hnrblbrbrn]

Remember those cooking skits of the cook with the wine, that's my approach. A sip or two into a glass will bottling, a sample bottle a week later to decide to continue aging and repeating as needed. My preference is to have no more than 48 hours worth in the fridge at a time, about 2 or 3 liters. My wife starts making comments about it looking like a bachelor fridge when I add more since I like to keep a 12 pack of store bought while I wait.

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by Redbird Fan
Hey, does anyone know WHY the taste of our homebrew changes as it ages?


The time between fermentation and consumption is called the maturation period. Two big things happen:

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The yeast continue to consume by-products of the fermentation such as diectyl and acetaldehyde(sp?).
The yeast fall out of suspension
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[BluesHarp]

So much for "born on" dating:rolleyes:

I keg mine, but have to tap a couple after one week; have to get the sediment cleared from around the pick up tube, you know!