I have recently brewed an IPA, an English Bitter, a Canadian Blonde and a Dark Ale. I have sampled them all along the way to see how they are maturing in the bottles, and I started to ask myself the factors that determine how long to leave a beer before it tastes its best.
I have only ever brewed to approximately the same abv, so I will assume everyone is correct when they generally say the higher the abv, the longer it will need to condition.
However, does it also depend on the colour of the beer?
The IPA and English Bitter (ruby red colour) took about 6 weeks for it to be where I consider 'very good'.
The Dark Ale (been in the bottle now for 3 weeks) tastes worse than the IPA and English when they were at 3 weeks.
And the Canadian Blonde tastes pretty darn good at 1 week, even though its not carbonated (I know, three weeks minimum) lol.
That said, is it true that colour is also a factor to consider when brewing and how long to age it?
If there are any other factors involved, please let me know. Cheers.
I have only ever brewed to approximately the same abv, so I will assume everyone is correct when they generally say the higher the abv, the longer it will need to condition.
However, does it also depend on the colour of the beer?
The IPA and English Bitter (ruby red colour) took about 6 weeks for it to be where I consider 'very good'.
The Dark Ale (been in the bottle now for 3 weeks) tastes worse than the IPA and English when they were at 3 weeks.
And the Canadian Blonde tastes pretty darn good at 1 week, even though its not carbonated (I know, three weeks minimum) lol.
That said, is it true that colour is also a factor to consider when brewing and how long to age it?
If there are any other factors involved, please let me know. Cheers.