Wort fermented with no bittering

[hotbeer]

What does wort taste like after fermenting if you don't add hops or other bittering? Is it just a very sweet liquid with alcohol?

Also, is there less of a shelf life on it that a hopped beer will have?

I suppose I ought to just plan on making a little extra wort next time and then boil and ferment it separately.

 

[VikeMan]

What does wort taste like after fermenting if you don't add hops or other bittering? Is it just a very sweet liquid with alcohol?

"Very sweet" is kind of subjective, but I'd say that most beers with no bittering would probably qualify as very sweet to my palate. But it's not just alcohol and sweetness. There are also esters, phenols, etc.

Also, is there less of a shelf life on it that a hopped beer will have?

It would be more prone to contamination, if sanitation wasn't good.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

It would be more prone to contamination, if sanitation wasn't good.

And according to your experience or observation whats the shelf life of a home brewed beer with hops or other bittering agents?

 

[VikeMan]

And according to your experience or observation whats the shelf life of a home brewed beer with hops or other bittering agents?

There are too many variables to answer that question, because not all home brewed beers are created equal. Oxidation, Temperature, Light Exposure, Metals, and Vibration are some factors. An increase in any of them will decrease beer stability.

There's a presentation in the library at my club's web site titled "Beer (In)Stability, Oxidation, and Freshness Presentation (.PDF)" that goes into some detail on each of these.

http://sonsofalchemy.org/library/

 

[hotbeer]

I was partly wondering about it because someone ask about making ginger beer. And that I've been interested in making a ginger flavored beer too in the past but can't seem to wrap my head around what hops will taste good paired with ginger.

So I figured I just try to do some relatively low gravity wort and use a low attenuating yeast with some yet to be determined amount of fresh ginger at the end of the boil. Which probably doesn't need to be long at all. Just long enough to kill the beasties.

I agree that not using hops in wort will likely result in something that will stale quicker. How quick, who knows. This isn't something I'd want to keep for months. If it last a couple weeks after fermenting, that'd be plenty of time.

I also realize that most things called ginger beer aren't beer at all. But I am curious what the malt flavors might add with the ginger.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

I was partly wondering about it because someone ask about making ginger beer. And that I've been interested in making a ginger flavored beer too in the past but can't seem to wrap my head around what hops will taste good paired with ginger.

So I figured I just try to do some relatively low gravity wort and use a low attenuating yeast with some yet to be determined amount of fresh ginger at the end of the boil. Which probably doesn't need to be long at all. Just long enough to kill the beasties.

I agree that not using hops in wort will likely result in something that will stale quicker. How quick, who knows. This isn't something I'd want to keep for months. If it last a couple weeks after fermenting, that'd be plenty of time.

I also realize that most things called ginger beer aren't beer at all. But I am curious what the malt flavors might add with the ginger.

I agree ginger beer,apple beer etc aren't beers at all. You can call them ciders . Real beer comes from the grain.
If you are a experienced beer brewer I would love to know how long your homebrew beers last? I mean their shelf life.

 

[hotbeer]

I agree ginger beer,apple beer etc aren't beers at all. You can call them ciders . Real beer comes from the grain.
If you are a experienced beer brewer I would love to know how long your homebrew beers last? I mean their shelf life.

Oh, I have to be experienced? That might disqualify me then. I've only been brewing a little over a year. Though I've read about it off and on for over 40 years.

My oldest beer to date was a kettle soured Berliner Weiss that didn't taste so great 3 to 4 weeks after bottling. However the two bottles I had remaining at six months tasted really good. They'd been stored at ambient temps of 68 - 70°F.

I'm also a low volume brewer and only brew about 10 bottles worth at a time. So not many batches last that long. But I get to brew more variety of beer more often so that is a plus.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Oh, I have to be experienced? That might disqualify me then. I've only been brewing a little over a year. Though I've read about it off and on for over 40 years.

My oldest beer to date was a kettle soured Berliner Weiss that didn't taste so great 3 to 4 weeks after bottling. However the two bottles I had remaining at six months tasted really good. They'd been stored at ambient temps of 68 - 70°F.

I'm also a low volume brewer and only brew about 10 bottles worth at a time. So not many batches last that long. But I get to brew more variety of beer more often so that is a plus.

So looks like it's safe to assume that a good homemade beer with hops etc can last for months.

 

[marc1]

So looks like it's safe to assume that a good homemade beer with hops etc can last for months.

How long they last is subjective. If they are not contaminated they will not go "bad" as in rancid. They will change over time.
How long it is drinkable is part personal preference and part process, but it's not unreasonable for bottled beer to taste good for many months, with some styles aging well for years.

Hop forward styles like American IPAs generally do not store as well, the hops can fade and in very hoppy beers like NEIPA are more prone to oxidation.

 

[hotbeer]

So looks like it's safe to assume that a good homemade beer with hops etc can last for months.

With the usual caveats. Cleanliness of your equipment and sanitation of everything being the primary things. And some types and some recipes make a beer better suited for longer terms and some recipes do require some aging.

I recently had some sanitation issues that resulted in one of my brews that tasted really fantastic to me when only 4 weeks from bottling. Then start showing the signs of infection when almost 8 or 9 weeks from bottling.

Hopefully I've got that taken care of with these newer batches that also taste great... but I don't think they are going to last long either. That's partly why I'm going to start doing some slightly larger 2 or 3 gallon batches.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

If you are a experienced beer brewer I would love to know how long your homebrew beers last? I mean their shelf life.

Mine usually don't last very long, someone (mainly me) drinks them. lol
Leaving beer on a shelf is blasphemy.

 

[AlexKay]

Depends on the beer. I just had a barleywine at my homebrew club that had been in the cellar for 7 years, and was perfect. I know when I make big lagers (Baltic porter, doppelbock) they’re certainly better at 6 months than they are fresh. But after 6 months an IPA is barely drinkable.

 

[Lefou]

And according to your experience or observation whats the shelf life of a home brewed beer with hops or other bittering agents?

Compared to the experience level and knowledge of others here, my personal observations would be just another brick in a huge wall.
I don't make unhopped beers because it wouldn't quite be "beer" to me. In my amateur opinion, unhopped fermented grain worts with a low ABV level could likely suffer from possible contamination if handled or stored improperly.
Hops not only add flavors and aromas but anti-bacterial properties to drinkable beer. A higher alcohol level in the drink also contributes to storage longevity but the ABV doesn't really have to be ridiculously high considering many wines - properly stored and cooled - can last for years. Beers, moderately hopped, handled, and refrigerated properly near freezing could last for years.

... unfortunately, mine never seem to last beyond several weeks because I keep drinking them. My longest-lived beer was a mildly-hopped amber ale around 6.5% ABV that aged for almost a year. It was a mixed fermentation of all grain and wheat extract done with WLP001. One of my better biology experiments.

 

[Lefou]

"But after 6 months an IPA is barely drinkable."

I'd generally agree but given the right storage temps such a beer could last longer. The best beer, in my humble opinion, is a fresh one ... like you say, six months old or less. I look for DATES on my retail beer and refuse to buy anything that isn't in a refrigerator.

The wife was nice enough to buy me a few cases of bottled retail beer. It's a commercial style I generally won't brew or drink at home by choice, but wouldn't you know, it's changed my perception of the style. To my utter elitist horror, imported German Pilsner isn't the limit of my "hoppy" beer experience and there's actually something to be said for a good IPA dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Motueka that I'd never bothered considering before.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

"But after 6 months an IPA is barely drinkable."

I'd generally agree but given the right storage temps such a beer could last longer. The best beer, in my humble opinion, is a fresh one ... like you say, six months old or less. I look for DATES on my retail beer and refuse to buy anything that isn't in a refrigerator.

The wife was nice enough to buy me a few cases of bottled retail beer. It's a commercial style I generally won't brew or drink at home by choice, but wouldn't you know, it's changed my perception of the style. To my utter elitist horror, imported German Pilsner isn't the limit of my "hoppy" beer experience and there's actually something to be said for a good IPA dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Motueka that I'd never bothered considering before.

What does IPA stands for?

 

[AlexKay]

What does IPA stands for?

For "India pale ale" though these days, it doesn't stand for much: it doesn't necessarily have any connection to India, it can be red or even black, and it can be a lager. (Or, somehow, it can be "cold.") Historically, very bitter, pale ales exported from England to India back when the latter was ruled by the former. Nowadays, anything (really, anything) with a whole lot of hops, especially when added late or as dry hops.

 

[Lefou]

India pale ale is a brewstyle many people say they dislike. I was always a fan of moderately hopped ales and lagers using noble hops until finding a well-done pale ale with an excellent mixture of good hops. Germany has some great history behind their beers but so does England. The story behind their stronger beer is just as unique and interesting.

A really good beer is all about the balance of malt and hops. The perception of what "good" actually means can be subjective where individual tastes vary, but when you find a beer you like, you'll know it. Some folks will say there's only one good craft beer brewery in Boston but those who like pale ale and something a bit more aromatic and stronger will beg to differ.

 

[Dgallo]

I agree ginger beer,apple beer etc aren't beers at all. You can call them ciders . Real beer comes from the grain.
If you are a experienced beer brewer I would love to know how long your homebrew beers last? I mean their shelf life.

Depends on style and what you consider shelf life. My Bretted/wild beers can last 2 years cellaring, no problem, obviously they change and develop due to oxidation And the microbes themselves but they are still beautiful beers. Stouts/darks and lagers, very similar. Hoppy offerings, can go 12 weeks or more but they do end up fading in hop present. Tht said they aren’t meant to have much of a shelf life

 

[davidabcd]

I didn't read the above posts, but a lightly hopped beer is very good but you need something else to step up like being whiskey barrel aged or some pronounced item like molasses, for example.
It's not going to be sweet, per se, but if you're a beer drinker, it might seem like a nuance is absent. Hops properly done as a background are like an umpire--if you don't notice, the job was done well.
Leaving out hops, you start to get into the realm of other products like port or something like that.

 

[Steveruch]

India pale ale is a brewstyle many people say they dislike. I was always a fan of moderately hopped ales and lagers using noble hops until finding a well-done pale ale with an excellent mixture of good hops. Germany has some great history behind their beers but so does England. The story behind their stronger beer is just as unique and interesting.

A really good beer is all about the balance of malt and hops.

I recently brewed a batch of bitter using mittlefruh hops that was quite good.
Several years ago I had a fantastic pale ale at a beer fest and complimented the brewer to find out it was made with the old standby of centennial and cascade, but it was fantastically well balanced.

 

[Upstate12866]

Some beer styles that want to minimize hoppiness use very old (several years old) hops. You can get the year's end crop on sale oftentimes, and leave it out for longer if you wish as well. This degrades a lot of the hoppiness. I assume they are still keen to keep some of the bittering/aroma and preservative qualities.

I have brewed styles that call for very little hops, maybe as little as 0.75 oz in 5 gallons. I explored some of those limits out of curiosity as well. All I can say is that you perceive a pleasant balance before you perceive a flavor. Beer without enough hops balance can be less enjoyable, even though it's not a hoppy flavor that's missing, exactly. Just a thought.

I also know that very light amounts of malt can come out very neutral. I think the Twisted Tea drink is actually from a malt base, as a good example. A little malt can also add some important nutrition for the yeast if your recipe basically calls for ginger and sugar, which I've seen in some examples. Yeast eating just sugar alone can actually be tough for them. Again, if you add a very little amount of malt you can get some benefit without it really becoming an obvious flavor. Sorry I can't speak with any experience on ginger beer, but just wanted to share these with you.