Tasting Question

OK, I've brewed two batches. First an America Pale Ale, and I tasted it after 18 days in the bottle. It was good, but as noted by so many folks here, it was even better about 2 weeks later. Second is a clone of Pete's Wicked Ale (which is a brown ale). I plan to taste this one today (21 days in the bottle). Here's the question: When you brew ales, how much bottle conditioning have you found to be ideal? 3 weeks, 5 weeks, 2 months? I understand different sytles have different requirements. But I plan to stick with ales for a while.

3 weeks is a good minimum, but there is no "ideal". There are WAY too many factors. Basically, the rule of thumb is the bigger the beer, the longer you age.

at least 3 weeks, then put one in the fridge and taste it when it gets cold.. if you like it.. go for it. If it is not up to par yet, wait another week and repeat..

You'll probably find your last one's the best.
Life's a ***** then you brew!

Most ales are drinkable after the old 1-2-3, but tend to improve for 4-6 months.

So, I tasted. And I was a little disappointed. The color and flavor are right on, but there was very little carbonation. My Pale Ale produced a 3 to 4 inch head in a pilsner glass 18 days after bottling. This has gone 21 days, and almost no head at all. I'm going to give it another week and try again. We'll see...

Not to hijack this thread, but is there any problem, other than wasted space, with aging stuff in the 'fridge? A friend of mine took a couple bottles from me and I told him to wait until I called to drink them as they needed a few more weeks. he called the other day ask if he'd screwed them up by sticking them in the fridge. I told him as long as he didn't take them out again he should be fine. The beer was pretty by then, though, so he won't have the problem for long.

I have been drinking mine usually before their peak time. I think if they can sit at around 70 for 3 weeks my beers tend to be at a good carb level although they taste their best at the 5 weeks. I'm going on a brewing binge to build up a stock of 8-10 cases so hopefully I can enjoy them closer to their best.

ARV9673 said:

Not to hijack this thread, but is there any problem, other than wasted space, with aging stuff in the 'fridge? A friend of mine took a couple bottles from me and I told him to wait until I called to drink them as they needed a few more weeks. he called the other day ask if he'd screwed them up by sticking them in the fridge. I told him as long as he didn't take them out again he should be fine. The beer was pretty by then, though, so he won't have the problem for long.

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The priming sugar has to react with the yeast after bottling in order to achieve carbonation. Cold temps can make the yeast go dormant. Your friend may end up with some tasty, but rather flat beer. It also depends on the kind of yeast. Some can stay active at lower temps. Let us know how it goes!