What is the life span of my home brew?

Brewer's Friend 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
B

BrooZer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
340
Reaction score
0
As long as I dont drink it all, how long is the life span of my homebrew. What are the different maturity timeframes for different types (i.e., stouts, IPA, etc.). When does each type reach its peak??

Ive ordered the book "How to Brew" but have not gotten it yet and dont know if this is addressed.
 
Way too many variables here. Roughly, a 4% ABV ale will peak 2-4 months, a 10% 12-18 months. Highly hopped ales lose their nose 4-6 months, that's why very high gravity ales tend to have malty profiles. Storage temperature is the most important consideration.
 
Most average-strength beers (gravities in the 40s-60s) Probably peak somewhere around 3 months after brew day (assuming decent storage conditions at something like "cellar temperatures.") A bit longer on the higher end of the gravity scale.

For beers with a very high hop flavor and aroma, like IPAs, some prefer to drink them wen fairly fresh because the hops flavor and aroma does tend to fade over time.

Beers with spices in them sometimes need a little extra time for the spice to mellow.

Over time, a beer becomes less hoppy tasting and sweeter, toasted and/or carmelly flavors develop.

Smaller beers reach their peak sooner and are really meant to be drunk fresh.
 
cweston said:
Most average-strength beers (gravities in the 40s-60s) Probably peak somewhere around 3 months after brew day (assuming decent storage conditions at something like "cellar temperatures.") A bit longer on the higher end of the gravity scale.

For beers with a very high hop flavor and aroma, like IPAs, some prefer to drink them wen fairly fresh because the hops flavor and aroma does tend to fade over time.

Beers with spices in them sometimes need a little extra time for the spice to mellow.

Over time, a beer becomes less hoppy tasting and sweeter, toasted and/or carmelly flavors develop.

Smaller beers reach their peak sooner and are really meant to be drunk fresh.
Click to expand...

Does "Big Beer" mean a lot of hops? And small mean less hops?

Is there a general rule of thumb about the aging of a beer or any good articles?
 
BrooZer said:
Does "Big Beer" mean a lot of hops? And small mean less hops?
Click to expand...

No--original gravities. Below 40 = small beer (or session beer), about 70 or so = big beer.

The bigger the beer, the more it will tend to benefit from age, generally speaking.
 
cweston said:
No--original gravities. Below 40 = small beer (or session beer), about 70 or so = big beer.

The bigger the beer, the more it will tend to benefit from age, generally speaking.
Click to expand...


Does that also tie out to ending alcohol content?
 
I just had the last bottle of a batch I made in 1996 (10 years ago), a Belgian Xmas ale. It was fantastic, wish I had kept the whole batch that long.
 

Similar threads

T.O.M.B. Brewing
T.O.M.B. Home Brewing Introduction
Replies
8
Views
503
T.O.M.B. Brewing
T.O.M.B. Brewing
M
Aften one year of brewing i finally joined
Replies
3
Views
264
HBT_Admin
HBT_Admin
yard_bird
New Challenge for Brewing: Stouts
Replies
13
Views
666
DuncB
D
G
Will my NEIPA still develop a haze?
Replies
16
Views
2K
DevilsCups
DevilsCups
orgenomescii
Brewing like a Barbarian: Ancient Irish Descriptions of Malting & Brewing
Replies
2
Views
1K
McMullan
McMullan
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top