I just realized. ..bottle aging..

I just realized that I don't know when to put my bottles in the fridge. I'm working on two weeks in the bottles at room temp but...not sure when to toss em in the fridge. Does the beer age better at room temp? Or at sone point does it make no difference? Red ale btw.

It will take 2-3 weeks to bottle condition (carbonate) and then a week in the fridge for the carbonation to dissolve. If you want to know when conditioning is complete try this trick:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-long-does-it-take-to-carbonate-beer.html

Personally, I've been known to rush my beers a little. I keg my beers now, but in the beginning I was never shy about cracking one open after a couple of days if I didn't have beer in the house. I don't think there's any hard set rule for when to start drinking them. You are brewing for yourself...not someone who will judge you. If you crack one open a week after bottling and it tastes good....start drinking them. If it lacks the carb level you desire...let them ride. I don't subscribe to "it has to carb for 3 weeks at 70f...and then the fridge for a week. Drink 'em when they are ready for you.

Agreed. My word selection was a little strong. You don't have to do it any one way, and there is no guarantee that anything will happen. At two weeks they might be ready. If you don't mind risking a few flat beers then start opening them. I made a Belgium wit recently that carbed in one week at 55°F. (I used the balloon trick that i linked above) Perhaps I should rephrase for clarity. 2-3 weeks of conditioning is the typical time for carbonation. If you have lots of yeast in the bottles they can finish much faster. I've also had beers that took over a month to carb up.

My first brew is a Belgian Wit; it looked and smelled great! I put a bottle in the fridge after a couple of days, and it tasted almost perfect. Completely drinkable, with decent fizz.

Now after two weeks, I'm going to put the rest in the fridge, but I've been pilfering at least one a day

Ok so three weeks to carbonate.

A week to disolve the carbonation.....gonna have to lokk that one up.

How about aging past three weeks? Better in the fridge or in the closet at room temp?

Dude, try one, it's probably great. No need to wait a month for most beers.

As for aging it depends on what you're going for.
Room temp will mellow out alcohol/fusels, hops will fade, and flavors will meld
Cold will make it smoother - polyphenols/yeast/suspended particles will drop, leaving a bright, clean beer.

I leave'em at warm room temp in our master bedroom. warmest room in the house. 3-4 weeks on average to carbonate & condition. At least a week in the fridge to get decent carbonation & head. Not to mention needing that time on average for any chill haze to settle out.
I look at this as being home made craft beer,not hooch to be swilled asap. I always had more patience than that.

Well I leave mine in the bedroom for a month or more then into the cellar until I drink them. 65 F in the bedroom and 45 to 50 F in the cellar. Heck half the time I just drink them right out of the cellar but I will put a case or so in the fridge for a week or two.

Nice cellar temp you have there! Our master bedroom is between say 73-85F. The cellar is cold but dirty. Gotta get on that with some help.

TyTanium said:

Dude, try one, it's probably great. No need to wait a month for most beers.

As for aging it depends on what you're going for.
Room temp will mellow out alcohol/fusels, hops will fade, and flavors will meld
Cold will make it smoother - polyphenols/yeast/suspended particles will drop, leaving a bright, clean beer.

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Oh I'm right there with ya, I've had two already! They are coming along but the carbonation needs more time and the beer leave a bit of an odd taste in the middle of your tounge. Hence me wondering about all this aging.

unionrdr said:

I leave'em at warm room temp in our master bedroom. warmest room in the house. 3-4 weeks on average to carbonate & condition. At least a week in the fridge to get decent carbonation & head. Not to mention needing that time on average for any chill haze to settle out.
I look at this as being home made craft beer,not hooch to be swilled asap. I always had more patience than that.

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That's alittle more along the lines I'm looking for, a little patience should be rewarded by good beer, at least in my mind.