Confusion on 3-week Rule

Hi folks,

I understand that you're supposed to wait at least 21 days before opening a bottle of homebrew. But I also understand that the beer should be chilled from 48 hours to one week before opening so that the CO2 is re-absorbed into the beer.

Now does that mean that ideally you should wait 21 days, then stick the beer in the fridge for 7 more days? Or does it mean letting the beer sit 14 days, then stick it in the fridge for 7 more. Or some other combo?

Thanks!
WW

WriterWriter said:

Hi folks,

I understand that you're supposed to wait at least 21 days before opening a bottle of homebrew. But I also understand that the beer should be chilled from 48 hours to one week before opening so that the CO2 is re-absorbed into the beer.

Now does that mean that ideally you should wait 21 days, then stick the beer ion the fridge for 7 more day? Or does it mean letting the beer sit 14 days, then stick it in the fridge for 7 more. Or some other combo?

Thanks!
WW

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21 days at 70 degrees...then in the fridge....

I usually stick 1 bottle in @ 19 days and leave it in for 48 hours...for my very first taste of the beer....I don't really judge it too much either way...It's just to me the first snapshot of the beer that I worked on...

3 weeks is a decent guess, but you can start refrigerating when it's carbed to your satisfaction. That might be 15 days or 26 days.

I'm like Revvy in that I usually throw a couple in the fridge at 19 days to taste on 21. Also I rarely make it longer than 72 hours in the fridge regardless. I just don't have the space to spare. The exception is when I bust out one of my minikegs. I wait at least 5 weeks to carb and then I chill for 5-7 days. The reasoning is that it has to be carbed or I'm drinking 1.25 Gal of crap.

Very nice answers. Thanks folks. Although I was hoping just to hear 21 days and be done with it!


Ahhhh patience...

Well 21 days and try one in the fridge cooled for a few hours. If no good leave it a few more days and repeat. If no good...... Eventually they'll be to your liking.

You gotta realize that AFTER they carb, the longer you chill them the better also...Chilling does two things...It allows the yeast to floculate (fall out of suspension) which will clear the beer AND if you chill them for at least a week you can get rid of chill haze...If you don't have any type of chiller and are still cooling your wort in the sink..in other words slow cooling you will tend to get "chill haze"

Upon storage for one to three weeks, beer develops cloudiness which is only observable at about 0o and which completely re-dissolves if the temperature of the beer rises. This type of haze is called "chill-haze" and measures taken to prevent it are referred to as "chill-proofing".

The two most important classes of compounds involved in chill-haze formation are:

* Proteins
* Polyphenols

Chill-haze is formed by the combination of "haze-sensitive" proteins with "haze-sensitive" polyphenols, mainly via hydrogen bonding. Haze-sensitive means that certain proteins have a higher tendency to form bonds with polyphenols and vice versa.

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This will make your beer appear cloudy in the glass....Having a long period in the fridge reduces this....

Now if you don't CARE about chill haze, then just chill for a couple days and enjoy...but don't start a "my beer looks cloudy" thread And don't serve it to beer judges or BMC drinkers who are used to crystal clear beer...

Me personally, I really DON'T chill for an extended period of time (unless I have an event-Like I've had the beers I'm bringing to my families T'day dinner chilling all week) I don't have the space to do so....and since I don't yet have a wortchiller, I expect there's going to be some chill haze...so I kinda live with it...

I tend to start drinking them after 48 hours in the fridge...

Now if you have a cold basement or a chilly garage, you can store the majority of them there, WHILE you have a bunch in the fridge...with any luck you will ahve some that get un hazed...

WriterWriter said:

Very nice answers. Thanks folks. Although I was hoping just to hear 21 days and be done with it!


Ahhhh patience...

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This ain't coolaid you're making....If you want quick, mix a rum and coke

DOn't forget, the higher the gravity, the longer it takes to condition....Barley wines and strong belgians need nearly a year....

But they're worth it...

Is chill haze detrimental in terms of taste, mouth-feel, etc...or is it just an aesthetic thing? If the latter, then I assume the 1-2 week fridge rule doesn't much apply to stouts?

Pelikan said:

Is chill haze detrimental in terms of taste, mouth-feel, etc...or is it just an aesthetic thing? If the latter, then I assume the 1-2 week fridge rule doesn't much apply to stouts?

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It's mostly aestetic....

Stouts can get hazy looking as well....hold some up to the light...they may be opaque but their color is dead on...not hazy...

Chill haze has no impact on flavor or aroma. It is purely a visual problem.

I call it a problem because it is a problem. Chill haze is indicative of procedural problems in the brewery, specifically, insufficient or too-long wort chilling.

That said, if you, like me, don't compete and don't really care if your beer is totally star-bright and clear, chill haze is not a problem. I confess I don't really suffer from it; along with a good bitter-wort chilling regimen, I keep my beers at cellar temperature.

Cheers!

Bob

BobNQ3X said:

I confess I don't really suffer from it; along with a good bitter-wort chilling regimen...
Bob

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Ahemmm.....When you're dressed up in your 1700's garb and brewing at a festival or musuem, you're not sneaking in a wort chiller under your apron are you?

I've been meaning to ask you....

Revvy said:

Ahemmm.....When you're dressed up in your 1700's garb and brewing at a festival or musuem, you're not sneaking in a wort chiller under your apron are you?

I've been meaning to ask you....

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Believe it or not, at the event at which Mr Bowen & I brewed, we did indeed have a coil chiller! We used one of those drill-chuck pumps to move ice water through it. Interestingly, we hatched a plan to build either a Baudelot cooler or coolship for next time (probably the latter).

Usually, though, when I'm practicing historical brewing, I use the appropriate historical method, which is usually time.

Bob