Aging vs Spoiling

[HBT0701]

I'm having trouble understanding the effect of time on my homebrew.

A lot of recipes call for the homebrew to sit (either in the primary or secondary, not really trying to get into the difference here) for a period of time after fermentation is complete (few weeks for some beers, months for cider, etc). What's going on during this period of time that has an impact, and why is it different lengths depending on the type of homebrew?

After it sits for a while, I bottle or keg it. Then it seems that a deathclock has been put on my beer. 3-6 months, then the beer expires. What happens to beer when bottled or keg, that wouldn't have happened if I left it in a fermenter? Or if I left it in the fermenter too long, would it just have expired in there too after 3-6 months?

I'm struggling with this, because I've had some odd results and have been getting mixed advice.
I made 3 beers (dunkelweizen, belgian wit, am. lager) to start, followed the recipes, fermented, let them sit in the primary or secondary, then let them bottle condition. After about 4-5 months, the taste on all 3 changed for the worst, as I expected, as I had read.

Then I did a malt liquor. Fermented, then sat for a few weeks, bottle conditioned it, etc. Came out incredibly sour. I was told to let it sit and age in the bottles, it would lose the sourness in about 6-12 months. Immediately, I'm concerned because my beers went south in 4-5 months in the bottle. I let it sit 9 months, then opened a few. They all tasted less sour (still don't understand why), but they also all went completely flat. Not sure why that happened either.

Now I'm doing cider. Followed the recipe, put it in a secondary, but it says leave it for 9 months in the secondary. I'm on month 6, cider is crystal clear with a lump of sediment on the bottom and thin yellow lacing that has developed at the top in the last 2 months. I don't want it to be sour like my malt liquor, so I'm letting it go the whole nine months, then I'll bottle half and keg the other half. Why's it not expiring after 9 months in the fermenter? Then after I bottle it, why's it last in the bottle for years, unlike beer? I read on another page that someone was drinking their 2006/2007 'vintage' ciders in 2011.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Getzinator]

I'm new to the brew scene, but from what I understand, your beers shouldn't be going bad that quickly. There are stories of a beer being bottle conditioned for 20 years with no issue. My assumption would be a minor bacterial infection that was unnoticable until it became a major bacterial infection.

With proper sanitation I don't know what the issue would be. But I would love to know what other people think.

 

[jaycount]

This thread prompted me to open a bottle of hefeweizen that I brewed sometime last year. It was in my "archived box o goodies". Hefeweizens aren't exactly meant to be aged, and this beer is fine. A little bit overcarbonated (I was bottle conditioning at the time and had uneven carbonation frequently), a lot of the hefe yeastiness has dissipated and there is a slight metallic taste maybe from the bottle cap?

Anyways, what I'm getting at is that your beer should be fine after several months in the bottles especially if its a beer that ages well (higher gravity, lower IBU)

 

[unionrdr]

Average beers up to mid gravity aren't going to age well. They're usually drunk young for that reason. Beers like IPA,pale ales,ambers,& wheats aren't intended for long aging. But rather,ment to be chilled & drank with maybe 2 months of bottling or so. That's my experience,as at that time hop presence starts going south,& for some reason now,carbonation settles down. But the head is always great.

 

[cmybeer]

What is your cleaning and sanitizing routine and how anal about it are you? This is the most important routine during all phases after boiling. Cleaned and sanitized carboys, racking canes, bottling buckets, bottles, caps and your hands that are touching all these things.

 

[cmybeer]

Also wondering what type of bottles you use? Are they clear or brown and are they in the light at all? This could accelerate the process of them going bad.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

I believe that the type of beer makes a BIG difference on shelf life and whether it improves or declines with age. In general, the higher alcohol and darker beers (stouts, Barleywines, belgian strong ales) tend to age better, and are often better after 6 months or a year of bottle conditioning. The lighter pale ales, wits, and other session beers are often better served relatively fresh. IPA's especially benefit from being consumed when fresh.

Another factor to consider with homebrew is quality control and process management during the brew day itself. Any disturbance which adds oxygen to the beer after fermentation is complete (unnecessary racking, poor bottling technique, etc...) can cause beer to oxidize and stale more quickly.

While there is no "set in stone" rule for these kind of things, a pretty good rule of thumb is that if the beer has an ABV of 6% or more, it will probably benefit from some extended bottle conditioning. If it is smaller than that, or a pale, hoppy style of beer, then you may want to drink it in the first 6 months after bottling.

 

[Getzinator]

What kind of bottle caps and capper are you using?

 

[HBT0701]

Thanks for the replies so far.

To clarify, when I say the beers changed for the worst in 4-5 months, they don't taste bad, they just taste watery, especially the dunkel. They're still drinkable, just boring.

As to sanitation, I use lots and lots of starsan. I soak and spray down everything, starting the moment I stop boiling. I use 12oz brown bottles, red baron bottle capper, and I've used both o2 absorbing and regular caps.

 

[Getzinator]

This is mystifying me. I've never heard of a beer getting weaker with age.
Would you mind walking us through a quick breakdown of your ingredients, brewing and fermenting process?

 

[HBT0701]

Most affected was definitely my dunkel. It was also the first beer I've ever done. It was Brewer's Best kit, I followed instructions and used included ingredients:
http://www.ldcarlson.com/public catalog/Brewers Best Recipes/1029.pdf