Aiko
Well-Known Member
I have heard from others and seen messages on the net about home brewed Hefe having a limited shelf life. Can someone give me an idea of time a brewed Hefe will stay fresh before it starts to fall off?
Thanks
Thanks
Hefe Shelf Life
- Thread starter Aiko
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Hemi
Well-Known Member
Aiko said:
All beers have a limited shelf life however I wouldn't see why this would go bad before homebrews with similar alcohol content. If you are bottling this you would pour half your beer in a glass swirl the last half to resuspend the yeasts and pour the rest in.
homebrewer_99
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2005
- Messages
- 19,581
- Reaction score
- 1,218
- Location
- I-80, Exit 27 (near the Quad Cities)
Once it's carbonated and placed in the fridge it should last for months. 
What destroys a lot of brews is temperature flucuations and light...
What destroys a lot of brews is temperature flucuations and light...
Hefe's have a low hopping rate and the yeast flavors are meant to be picked up. Yeast flavors will drop out relatively quickly and the low hops mean it will oxidize/spoil more quickly. But with good sanitation and low oxygen introduction, I would guess a hefe would keep six months easy. From most accounts, they are best around the 1-2 month range.
hefes peak at 6 weeks after bottling and tend to decline after about 2 months. i would definitely put them in the fridge by 5-6 weeks and it will extend their freshiness
EdWort
Well-Known Member
How long do kegged Hefe's last if they are kept at 39 degrees? I ask because I make 10 gallon batches. 1 keg will go faster than the other.
can i come over and help?
n/m...that would ruin the experiment
n/m...that would ruin the experiment
Turkeyfoot Jr.
Well-Known Member
Hmmm...I have a batch of hefe sitting at home right now but I can't recall exactly when I bottled it, I will check that when I get home. I know its been in the bottle at least 4 weeks and I think a couple more. I've been drinking it since it was 3 weeks in the bottle but only adding bottles to the fridge as necessary. The carbonation is a little screwy, big bubbles, but aside from that it's tasted great since 3 weeks in.
I will try this as an experiment. I have a couple bottles that have been in the fridge since week 3 and a case that has been sitting in a closet in my basement for the same amount of time. Tonight when I get home I'll throw a bottle that's been sitting in the closet into the fridge just to chill it for a couple hours and then pour a glass of it beside a glass of the stuff that's been in the fridge for several weeks and see if there's a difference in flavor, head, etc. I can hold on to a couple other bottles and perform the same test in a couple weeks. I will report back what I find.
I will try this as an experiment. I have a couple bottles that have been in the fridge since week 3 and a case that has been sitting in a closet in my basement for the same amount of time. Tonight when I get home I'll throw a bottle that's been sitting in the closet into the fridge just to chill it for a couple hours and then pour a glass of it beside a glass of the stuff that's been in the fridge for several weeks and see if there's a difference in flavor, head, etc. I can hold on to a couple other bottles and perform the same test in a couple weeks. I will report back what I find.
Turkeyfoot Jr.
Well-Known Member
Alright, my hefe's been in the bottle for 38 days as of today. That means that the first round of chilled beer has been in the fridge for 17 days where as the second round was just placed in the fridge 30 minutes ago.
I was wrong about how many I had left in the fridge from the original group, there are only two. So, I'll have one tonight with a recently chilled bottle and the other in say two weeks with another recently chilled bottle. I'll report back any discernable difference between them.
I was wrong about how many I had left in the fridge from the original group, there are only two. So, I'll have one tonight with a recently chilled bottle and the other in say two weeks with another recently chilled bottle. I'll report back any discernable difference between them.
FlyGuy
Well-Known Member
My hefe that I bottled peaked at about 6 weeks, and was great after that for about a month. Then is started to clear and decline in flavour. Resuspending the yeast by swirling didn't help.
Old thread, I know.
I bottled a Hefe 6 weeks ago. At 2 -3 weeks they were great.
Bottles were stored rather warm at 80 degrees, and the beers are going down hill fast. Color has faded to grayish light cream. Was a nice yellow.
Flavor is less clove and more Banana, which is ok.
I've since put the remaining bottles in the fridge. They appear to be holding now.
I bottled a Hefe 6 weeks ago. At 2 -3 weeks they were great.
Bottles were stored rather warm at 80 degrees, and the beers are going down hill fast. Color has faded to grayish light cream. Was a nice yellow.
Flavor is less clove and more Banana, which is ok.
I've since put the remaining bottles in the fridge. They appear to be holding now.
