Beers that age faster

[GallonJugs]

Hey guys,

I have my first and second one-gallon batches in fermenters. I will hopefully bottle the first this weekend, it's an IPA. I see that I should leave it in the bottle at least 2, if not 3 weeks. The second beer I brewed was a Hefeweizen, which my recipe says to leave in the bottle for 4 weeks before opening. I'm just curious - what beers condition soonest? I don't want to open them before they're ready, but are there any beers that will get to ready sooner? I'm pretty anxious to start drinking my homebrew, but since I'm sticking to one gallon batches right now, I also don't want to open any and risk wasting a precious bottle.

 

[Haputanlas]

Most session beers and hefeweizens.

My hefs typically go from kettle to glass in about 10 days. I use a keg system though, so you can add another week or so to the time if you are bottling. You can drink that hef as soon as it's carbed. Typically doesn't need 4 weeks in the bottle, but the beer will definitely taste different over the first few months.

Session beers that are lower in gravity will also condition a little bit quicker.

 

[3PegBrew]

Your IPA will lose Hops flavor and Aroma over time. IPA's will age with malt character though. Pretty much every beer ages with Malt. So drink up on that IPA and enjoy every hop cone bite!

Stouts rock for aging. I made a Russian Imperial about 3 weeks ago. Maybe more. I'm going to bottle that bad boy in a weeks time and let it sit until next winter....that first bottle is going to be beautiful.

 

[GallonJugs]

Ohh that's good, when I bought the grains for my hefe, I got enough for two rounds. I was considering going with something with a shorter timeline for the next batch, but maybe I'll use up the hefe supplies first.

Excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by a session beer?

 

[GallonJugs]

Stouts rock for aging. I made a Russian Imperial about 3 weeks ago. Maybe more. I'm going to bottle that bad boy in a weeks time and let it sit until next winter....that first bottle is going to be beautiful.

I do like a Guinness, but I think I'd go mad waiting that long for my batch to be ready

 

[Haputanlas]

Ohh that's good, when I bought the grains for my hefe, I got enough for two rounds. I was considering going with something with a shorter timeline for the next batch, but maybe I'll use up the hefe supplies first.

Excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by a session beer?

Typically lower alcohol beers. The term session beer is usually used in the context of being able to drink a beer over a long session (Without worry of getting wasted or sloppy).

 

[Haputanlas]

I do like a Guinness, but I think I'd go mad waiting that long for my batch to be ready

If you're gonna make a Guinness, you probably wouldn't need to worry about any aging. Guinness beers are actually session beers because of the low alcohols.

The Imperial Stouts 3PegBrew is talking about require longer aging than a Guinness because of the larger amounts of malt and higher alcohol.

 

[3PegBrew]

I concur, wheat beers are the next road to take if you want a quick aged beer. Pretty much every wheat beer will taste awesome right out of the fermenter.

Brewing With Wheat is a nice book that discusses the different types of wheat, the different % usage, the different styles of wheat beer, and different adjuncts used with wheat.

 

[3PegBrew]

If you're gonna make a Guinness, you probably wouldn't need to worry about any aging. Guinness beers are actually session beers because of the low alcohols.

The Imperial Stouts he is talking about require longer aging than a Guinness because of the larger amounts of malt and higher alcohol.

Yes, different family in the Stout category

 

[GallonJugs]

ahh, I see, so it's not really possible to say that a whole category of beers will age faster or slower, but it depends on the recipe?

 

[Haputanlas]

ahh, I see, so it's not really possible to say that a whole category of beers will age faster or slower, but it depends on the recipe?

Yes and No. Some styles might taste great while green and young, but require longer aging times to meet the necessary guidelines (Old Ale, Adambier, etc).

However, the rule of thumb that I use is simple: the larger the beer, the longer the aging time (Excluding IPAs and IIPAs).

 

[3PegBrew]

I like to think of High Gravity beers age well. Low gravity beers drink young. Average Gravity....somewhere in the middle.

 

[kiwibrew]

I like to think of High Gravity beers age well. Low gravity beers drink young. Average Gravity....somewhere in the middle.

yup,

I had 1.032 Mild, that I primaried for 10 days and started drinking one week later and it was ready, very good, I think my favorite beer I've made, and I really only made it as a "starter" for a 1.082 Holiday beer that racked onto the yeast cake. The only problem is that with a beer like that that you can have three or four of without feeling the effects of it too much 5-6 gallons goes by real fast!

 

[squirrelly]

Belgian wits and heffes are good beers that fall into the "session" category, and don't need much conditioning. Small English cask ales, Scottish 60 shilling, and ESBs are usually pretty enjoyable around the 4th week, and make for good cold whether beers.

My double IPA gets a total of 8 weeks in the fermenter, but that's after 2 dry hop additions and some oak. My wife has a RIS that has been in the conical for 14 weeks, and 3 days on oak so far. Both of these beers start at over 1.100 though.

 

[gr8shandini]

Are we talking about aging or conditioning? The OP mentions conditioning in which case it makes sense that they recommend a little more time for a Hefe as it needs to be carbed to a higher level. If that's your question, your typical British styles (mild, bitter, porter, etc) would require the shortest time to condition as you only need to carb to 1.5 to 2 vols to be enjoyable and true to style.

However, if we're talking about aging, I'm in the camp that only really big or really complex (e.g. tons of spices or other adjuncts) beers need to be aged. Personally, I've never busted 1.063, but all of my beers are ready to go in 21 days after brewing - 14 if I'm pushing it (of course kegging and force carbing help speed this along). Or as Michael Jackson put it --

"If you see a beer, do it a favour, and drink it. Beer was not meant to age."

 

[BobC]

One of the first AG beers I made was called Goat Scrotum Ale from the book "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing". We added chillie peppers as well as everything on the optional list. It tasted really bad. I didn't throw it out though after a year of mellowing, yes a year, it became a great beer. So don't be afraid to let it sit in a corner and age.

 

[broadbill]

Hey guys,

I have my first and second one-gallon batches in fermenters. I will hopefully bottle the first this weekend, it's an IPA. I see that I should leave it in the bottle at least 2, if not 3 weeks. The second beer I brewed was a Hefeweizen, which my recipe says to leave in the bottle for 4 weeks before opening. I'm just curious - what beers condition soonest? I don't want to open them before they're ready, but are there any beers that will get to ready sooner? I'm pretty anxious to start drinking my homebrew, but since I'm sticking to one gallon batches right now, I also don't want to open any and risk wasting a precious bottle.

Those bottles are precious because you are only getting 9-10 bottles from a batch!
I wouldn't open until the 4 week mark at least to ensure you have a properly carbonated beer. At this point your beer should be properly conditioned as well.

With proper temp control and a OG under 1.050-.060, you can have a drinkable/properly conditioned beer in 10 days-2 weeks. Will it get change over time? Definitely. But this is the turnaround time for craft breweries and homebrewers can also do it with the proper equipment and technique.

 

[3PegBrew]

Those bottles are precious

Golem is right!