Need advice on aging/conditioning

Aging/conditioning are the same thing, right?

Anyhow...I just tried my first bottle of my first ever batch . (It's an ale, FYI.)

It was pretty good...but I feel like it needs time. I did some forum searches, but haven't gotten a definitive answer.

Is it best to just leave the ale at room temperature to age? Or should you age it in the refrigerator? I think I've read both before.

Advice/feedback?

Thanks guys, this forum is awesome.

aggiejay06 said:

Aging/conditioning are the same thing, right?

Anyhow...I just tried my first bottle of my first ever batch . (It's an ale, FYI.)

It was pretty good...but I feel like it needs time. I did some forum searches, but haven't gotten a definitive answer.

Is it best to just leave the ale at room temperature to age? Or should you age it in the refrigerator? I think I've read both before.

Advice/feedback?

Thanks guys, this forum is awesome.

Click to expand...

room temp for aging/conditioning - then chill it for at leat 2-3 days for drinking. (or be lazy like me and throw it in the freezer for 1/2 hour)

3-4 weeks at 70 degrees so the beer carbonates. I won't do it if they in the refrigerator or to cold.

AZ_IPA said:

room temp for aging/conditioning - then chill it for at leat 2-3 days for drinking. (or be lazy like me and throw it in the freezer for 1/2 hour)

Click to expand...

Pretty much this. You'd be surprised how much of a difference 2-3 days (as opposed to, say, 8 hours or so) in the fridge makes.

Yeah, so I put the whole rest of the batch in the fridge for about 5-10 minutes. And then decided I should wait and get some answers on here...and could always put them in the fridge tomorrow. So I took them all back out and put them at room temp (about 75F in our apartment, I'm burning up). The necks had gotten cold, but hopefully the liquid didn't get cold enough to keep the yeasties from doing anything else (if they weren't done).

Aging and conditioning are the same thing. If you want the flavor to change or mature over time then you want to have it at room temperature. Cold temps stabilize the flavors more.

Cold conditioning will clear the beer. It may clean up the flavor due to solids dropping out, but it doesn't really mature in the cold.

I say leave it at room temperature until you like the flavor and then put it in the fridge for 2-3 days before drinking.

If it's a lighter beer that won't age well, then when you are happy with the flavor you may want to put the whole batch in the fridge.

Awesome. Thanks folks, room temp it is...

Follow up question about aging.

When I tried a bottle earlier, it had some flavor, but I thought it tasted a bit watered down too. I didn't add any extra water when I brewed my wort up (even though the kit instructions said I could), and it's not a weak beer or anything (about 5.1% ABV).

Would aging make the beer taste less watery as the flavors mature?

I'm not sure if aging would make it taste less watery. Did you brew an extract beer? Use Steeping grains? If you brewed an extract beer with out any steeping grains, you may just be tasting a beer with out much body to it. All grain, or extract/steeping will give the beer that body. It's your first batch though, just enjoy it. Drink some and keep some aging, i say.