When to bottle, when to age, when to drink

[cyanide]

I've been reading about fermentation, reading recipes and so on, but I'm still left confused about the three things in my title.

Different recipes and different 'kits' even call for different lengths of time. For example, Mr. Beer kits instruct users to ferment for a week, bottle for a week and drink.

Others seem to ask for a week to two weeks in fermentation and at least another week or two in bottling. A lot of recipes and people out there suggest aging beer for longer periods of time.

So here are my concerns about making one's own recipes:
-When do you know when to bottle it?

-When do you know when to drink it?

-If you know the beer is done fermenting and won't cause explosions in the bottle, why not just ferment a week and have it age 3 weeks in a bottle, instead of 2 and 2 weeks?

The reason I'm asking this is I'm a very impatient person. I'd rather have it spend a week in fermentation and then bottle it, if I knew it was done fementing (had a very low gravity when I bottled it). Then after a week I could try a bottle and see if it was done. I'm trying to understand why someone might want to leave beer in the fermenter for 2 weeks even though they knew it was done fermenting in the first week.

[toneyc]

I don't think that there are any hard and fast rules for these things except that you should wait until your hydrometer readings are stable before bottling. Usually, the reason we let it sit in the fermenter for another week after it is done fermenting is for clarification, to let some of the cloudy stuff settle out. There are so many variables that I really don't think you can "It's done!" at any particular time, we just know that if it is in the bottle a week, it's drinkable, but it'll be better in two or three. The really nice thing about this hobby is that you can be impatient and still get something drinkable.

:) Toney.

[paul84043]

I too am an extremely impatient person and have repeatedly asked the same questions...

Basically...ferment until it's done...some let it condition longer in the secondary, it's supposed to "condition" faster due to the larger quantity of active yeast...I don't know, I've never done a comparison.
Mine will typically ferment for 7 to 10 daysuntil the kreusen falls, then another week in the secondary to condition and clear.

Bottle when it's done...lighter, lower alcohol beers tend to take a little less time to mature and tend to need less time in the bottle to be ready to drink.

Carbonate until they're fizzy....I let them sit for at least a week then pop one open and see what they have done...if they're carbonated, they get moved into the basement.

Then it's up to you...the longer you wait the better the beer will be. Most reach a very nice flavor within two months, but usually they don't live that long. Unfortunately, they are very good when they are young as well...I conquered this problem by sheer volume, I made a whole lot of beer....now alot of it has aged for a couple of months and is tasting fantastic while I keep making more to replace it when it's gone.

Ultimately it boils down to this....there are lots of ways to make great beer. Don't let someone else pawn "their" method off on you as the only way. Just follow the basics, and don't bottle so soon that you are going to make a bunch of bombs. The rest is however you want to do it.

[yonkersbrewer]

I agree. Don't let any human tell you how you should do it. LET THE BEER TELL YOU HOW IT WANTS TO BE DONE!

I have had great luck with a variation on the MR BEER instruction mainly because it suits my timing. Who has time during the week to brew? I brew on the weekend, ferment for a week, rack to secondary the nexte weekend and bottle the third. A week or two for conditioning and we are done!

You might want to try some styles that are meant to be a bit faster, for example, I made a Brown Ale that did not call for secondary and it is now my favorite recipe. Malty but with a nice tart finish it was a week in primary and a week in the bottle and SHAZAAM, it was read for drinking.

[paul84043]

Um...actually, if you'r beer is talking to you...you may want to cut back a bit and possibly seek counseling..

:D

[joejoe]

I totally agree with Yonkers.
I have followed this method many times and it has never failed.
Here is an example of my so-far foolproof method:

Brew on Sunday night March 1st.
Rack to Secondary the following Sunday March 8th.
Leave in second for one week or two depending on what you feel like doing. Two weeks is better for clarity and there will still be plenty of yeast in suspension for carbonation.
Bottle on Sunday March 22nd.
Start drinking after two weeks in the bottle Sunday April 5th.

Make sure that you put a six pack away somewhere so it can sit and condition for another two months. You will be amazed at how much better it gets just sitting longer in the bottle.

I also get another batch going in between so that I always have one in primary and one in secondary at all times. I got out of rhythm a few months ago and almost ran out of beer!
________
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[paul84043]

I have tried tucking a sixer away, but it never seems to work, that and I always get upset that I couldn't wait longer because it is alot better after a couple months..

[cyanide]

Originally posted by yonkersbrewer


You might want to try some styles that are meant to be a bit faster, for example, I made a Brown Ale that did not call for secondary and it is now my favorite recipe. Malty but with a nice tart finish it was a week in primary and a week in the bottle and SHAZAAM, it was read for drinking.

Hmm, I made an American Pale Ale. I doubt it will go over 4-4.5% alcohol (by volume). I doubt it needs much conditioning then...

I guess the 2 week ferment, 2 week in the bottle method seems to be the most common because it is the most general way to do it.

[joejoe]

At one point I had 8 six pack tucked away. All were from different batches. I use these for special occasions and friends. The problem I ran into is that once you give someone a homebrew that has aged in the bottle for a couple of months they persist in begging for more and won't leave! I ran through half of my stash pretty fast one weekend.
________
Toyota C engine specifications (http://www.toyota-wiki.com/wiki/Toyota_C_engine)

[fuji6100]

Jojo,

Next time that happens, start trading ingredients (or money for ingredients) for beer.

"Well bob, I'd love to give you my last chocolate stout that's been aging for 6 months, but I'm all out of (instert ingredient here) and i'll need some to make a new batch. I tell you what, you buy me some (ingredient) and that beer is yours buddy!"

hehe.

[cyanide]

Quick question, I'm thinking of going ahead and bottling my Pale Ale after 7 days in the fermenter. It was very active in the first 12 hours, so I'm sure it'll be done fermenting by then. (I'll check the FG anyways)

Is the clarity the only issue in bottling it after a week instead of 2 weeks? Is there anything that the extra time in the fermenter does beside improve appearence that leaving it in the bottle doesn't?

In other words, I'm not going to irreversibly effect the flavor am I? I could just leave it in the bottle a little longer.

I hope that makes sense.

[Tom C]

If the OG has not plateued you may run the risk of over carbonating and creating beer bombs. Also by bottling quickly you are leaving alot in suspension that may create different off flavors that you may not desire. Best bet is to let it sit in a secondary at least 3-4 days, the longer the better though.

Tom C

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by cyanide
Quick question, I'm thinking of going ahead and bottling my Pale Ale after 7 days in the fermenter. It was very active in the first 12 hours, so I'm sure it'll be done fermenting by then. (I'll check the FG anyways)

Is the clarity the only issue in bottling it after a week instead of 2 weeks? Is there anything that the extra time in the fermenter does beside improve appearence that leaving it in the bottle doesn't?

In other words, I'm not going to irreversibly effect the flavor am I? I could just leave it in the bottle a little longer.

I hope that makes sense.

If you can't wait - although you probably should - it's a good idea to keep the beer cold as soon as the carbonation is done. It will help limit yeast autolyzation.

If you have the means you can crash cool ale yeast out of suspension.

You'll be happier with your finished product if you wait. :(