How long to Bottle Condition?

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Jason Horlacher

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I have brewed 6-7 extract kits and they have all had a sharp metallic, over the top bitterness to them. Some have suggested it will disappear over time. I have 3-4 month old beers that I stored cool and cold, and still have the taste.

I do boil in aluminum--the SS kettle is on its way.
I have tried using Culligan water thinking it was a ph problem...no help there.
Going all grain in the next month.

So, How long are you supposed to wait?
Do you store cold/cool/warm?
Any other tips/tricks?
 
The general accepted rule of thumb is 1-2-3

1 week primary
2 weeks secondary
3 weeks in the bottle
 
I've had beers that tasted "green" up to 6 months and then after that, they were awesome. One other question, do you put your carboy anyplace that there is a lot of light?

Loop
 
Well, a metallic taste is different than over the top bitterness. Bitterness subsides with time but I am not sure what to tell you on the metallicness. What kind of aluminum pot are you using? That may very well be the problem.
 
I thought 3 weeks to a month was long enough but I can hold on to them longer to see what happens.
My fermenters are plastice buckets...and they do not sit in direct sunlight...they do sit out in the open in a back room that is unheated.
 
The aluminum kettle is almost assuredly not the cause, especially if you are protecting the oxide layer (dull stuff) inside.

The phantom bitter-metallic off flavour is a wierd one that crops up from time to time, and I have yet to hear an explanation. It even got discussed in a fairly recent podcast by Jamil Zainasheff, and he said it has happened to him and was speculating wildly about the cause. I have not experienced it, but my brother in law has had it happen. It often just goes away as quick as it came. I would love to figure this one out. IIRC, I think Jamil was suggesting oxidation was the cause, although the explanation clearly didn't register with me because I can't repeat it.
 
I've had it happen to me, but only on one batch that was a kit. I decided that it was from old LME in the kit that had possibly been oxidized. I have never had the problem since going AG, or even after kicking kits to the curb. I could never find a cause and eventually tossed it after about 8 months becuase I needed the bottles.

I don't think it was post brewing oxidation because it tasted like that at bottling, still tasted that way after carbing up, and still after months, that's why I thought maybe old extract in the kits, but if Jamil has the problem, that's probably not it either, since I doubt he's making many kits using LME.
 
liquid or dry malt? liquid may be causing it if its from a can.
I notice my harsh bitterness in some beers usually goes away after 6 weeks from the boil.
 
I have brewed 6-7 extract kits and they have all had a sharp metallic, over the top bitterness to them. Some have suggested it will disappear over time. I have 3-4 month old beers that I stored cool and cold, and still have the taste.

I do boil in aluminum--the SS kettle is on its way.
I have tried using Culligan water thinking it was a ph problem...no help there.
Going all grain in the next month.

So, How long are you supposed to wait?
Do you store cold/cool/warm?
Any other tips/tricks?

im not really sure about your asking but i can say u still like your beer go figure id find you on a beer website Talk later Alison
 
I have brewed 6-7 extract kits and they have all had a sharp metallic, over the top bitterness to them. Some have suggested it will disappear over time. I have 3-4 month old beers that I stored cool and cold, and still have the taste.

I do boil in aluminum--the SS kettle is on its way.
I have tried using Culligan water thinking it was a ph problem...no help there.
Going all grain in the next month.

So, How long are you supposed to wait?
Do you store cold/cool/warm?
Any other tips/tricks?

im not really sure about your asking but i can say u still like your beer go figure id find you on a beer website Talk later Alison oh and congrats with the new baby
 
I had that in my first couple kits, what are you using to sanitize?

It went away for me when I went all grain and stopped using bleach to sanitize.
 
Well as I read this thread I just opened up one of my Nut Brown Ales. Wow its great.
Now I had one 2 weeks ago and it was ok but now its much better. Im going to give it like 3 more weeks and I bet its going to be even better.

Many people will say after 3 weeks its ready to drink, yes, they are right.
It is ready to drink but is the taste all there??? Probably not. Some brews are different then others, some need to age longer some dont. I give my brews a good 6-7 weeks before I really find the taste im looking for.
 
I had that in my first couple kits, what are you using to sanitize?

It went away for me when I went all grain and stopped using bleach to sanitize.

Bleach???? Yikes no way man. Oxy-clean everything then rinse out good. The use Star-san. Never once had a problem with doing it that way. When it comes to bottles I let them all sit in a Oxy-Clean bath for 24 hours then rinse very well then soak them in Star-san.
 
Seems like just star-san would work, as long as you clean your equipment after you use it. Phosphoric acid eats away all the nasty.
 
Could it be the water used to boil? It seems if the water was not distilled or deionized, or even store bought that the tap water may contain high traces of minerals that could cause the metallic taste. Copper piping, fracking residue, etc etc?
 
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