Aging beer: Facts, myths, and discussion

[Homercidal]

Yes, certainly this is not the preferred method for ALL beers. Strong beers need more time to mellow and age to improve the flavors, but I can see this working very well for most beers. Thanks, Yuri.

 

[Saccharomyces]

In an American IPA(og 1.64) using only centennial what IBU's would you aim for to obtain the fastest condoning?

Balanced beers on this chart will condition more quickly. Maltier or hoppier beers will usually take more time to reach their peak.

 

[jhb]

Excellent post Yuri -- I think you pretty much nailed it. After 20 years of making beer, this is essentially what my brewing /aging process has evolved into.

 

[TheH2]

Bottle conditioned in 2 weeks seems kind of fast. I have a hard time getting them to condition in 3. My Christmas ale last year wasn't carbed correctly in 6 weeks, just popped one open about 3 weeks ago (cool fall day) and it was overcarbed. I guess I just don't get bottle carbing anyway. Just purchased a kegerator so I guess I won't have to worry about it. In fact that was my biggest problem with homebrewing.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Riddling the bottles (flipping them upside down and back up, or turning them on their side) every other day really speeds up bottle conditioning, since it gets the yeast back into suspension. When I bottle (I still like to bottle condition Belgians), I do this and my beers carb fully within two weeks.

 

[zoebisch01]

I will add a highly flocculent strain that forms a compact sediment really seems to help...hence my shift to S-04 for many of my Ales. My approach is to view each beer in it's own time frame. Every single recipe is going to be ideal in a different time frame, it's just that simple. Sure there are things that can expedite the process if need be. I was concerned about my Kolsch, I served it at 5 weeks and it was crystal clear. Now the flavor was better at week 6...but it was very good (and very enjoyable) at 5 weeks.

 

[jds]

Yuri, thanks for a good and thought-provoking thread.

I am one of those people who consistently tells newbie brewers to "just wait". I'm probably going to keep telling them that. Why?

Simple. Very few new brewers understand or have been taught the importance of pitching rate. So many 'first beers' end up underattenuated and with off-flavors from stressed yeast that extra time in the fermenter can only help them.

For my own processes, I've gone almost exclusively to a 21 day ferment followed by kegging and force carbing, except for large and aggressive beers. However, I still find that my beer continues to 'improve' once it's in the keg.

 

[TexLaw]

That seems to be a matter of opinion. That's how I've done it. Of course, you could combine the methods. Shake at high pressure to get it most of the way there, but let the set & forget method finish it off so you don't overcarb.

I actually shake it at storage/serving pressure and then set it aside in the cold box. Zero chance of overcarbing there.


TL

 

[Dilligaf]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone that answered my questions:rockin:.

I search and read as much as I can but some things are better explained by the experienced. Thanks again

Edit: I suck at spelling

 

[homebrewer_99]

I kegged a SMaSH Pale Ale with Fuggles that completely sucked for the first 3-5 months. At month 5 it was better, but not great.

Now that it's in month 7 it is really very good.

 

[gplutt]

Seems to me that most of the "give it time" posts are for people who are brewing their first batch and are worried something is wrong and want to "fix" it by racking to another carboy, or bottling, or repitching yeast...in the majority of these cases I think that its a good idea to leave well enough alone.
For people who are relative newcomers(including me) I think that your first inclination should be to "give it another week in the carboy", while people that have been brewing long enough to recognize signs that fermentation is absolutely done and it tastes right can go right on to kegging and force carbonating. Maybe as someone new to kegging you SHOULD just let it carbonate at serving pressure rather than overcarbonate your beer. After a batch or two you can turn it up to 30 and shake away.
In a nutshell, I guess what I'm saying is if you know what you are doing, then 2 weeks is great. You know the beer is done and you know its properly carbonated. For that guy who is on his first or second batch, he should force himself to leave the stuff in that carboy for an extra week and stop worrying cause the airlock stopped blowing after 3 days.

 

[broadbill]

I kegged a SMaSH Pale Ale with Fuggles that completely sucked for the first 3-5 months. At month 5 it was better, but not great.

Now that it's in month 7 it is really very good.

The the sake of discussion, any reason why your SMaSH Pale Ale took 5-7 months to get good?

Seems to me this goes against Yuri idea of a quick turn around beer and I would have figured a Pale ale would have been a good style to brew and drink relatively quickly.

 

[Brewing Clamper]

I think a lot has to do with how well balanced a recipe is and how well, um... executed it is.

 

[yeoldebrewer]

Very informative thread for this Noobie. Kegging and forced carbing may or may not be in my brewing future. But Learning to make good starters and better temp. control are on the list for sure.

Great thread!

 

[Danek]

Great thread Yuri - lots of interesting food for thought, and a very practical and well-made case for getting great beer without waiting months.

The only thing I'd want to flag up is that whilst good quick beer is possible, I'm sure a lot of us have experienced beer that - whilst perfectly good at one month - got even better after longer conditioning. I really like the techniques in this thread on how to make good "quick beer", though as a small-scale home-brewer, I also like having the luxury of being able to let beer sit for weeks or months if need be. That's a luxury we have that microbreweries really don't have. They have to sell their beer to survive, and the faster microbreweries can turn over beer, the more they can sell. It'd be madness for them to block up their fermenters for six months just to age a big beer, when in that time they could make twelve times as much quick beer.

Also, I worry we might be getting a bit carried away by high-speed brewing:

I am able to go from grain to glass in as little as 19 days. And I bottle! I don't understand why some guys can't get their ales to carbonate in well under 14 days in the bottle.

I'm sure we've all seen a load of posts where newer brewers open their beer too soon, and then wonder why it tastes like ass. For fear that this thread might start an epidemic of such posts, I'd be really reluctant to suggest that bottle carbing can get done in well under 14 days. I'm sure it may be possible under some circumstances - but unless you're up against a deadline, the best advice on bottle conditioning is 21 days at 70F.

 

[brewer_duke]

I've found that fruit beers tend to take awhile to condition also. I've made cherry beers from both fresh fruits and fruit extracts and noticed a considerable difference after 2 months than before that (that's with bottle conditioning, though). Guess it goes along with one of those flavors that have to develop with time.

 

[delboy]

A lot of sense talked there Yuri.

I thought it was interesting that you saw quite a difference in your beers (for the better) after moving to texas which you say has harder water (likely to have higher Calcium levels).

I've had problems with the clearing of hazes (protein and yeast) turned out after some analysis that I had v. soft water and therfore not enough calcium to get A) an efficent protein coagulation in the boil and B) sufficent quantities to help in the flocculation of the yeast post ferment.

Just another thing to consider for those that may be having clearing issues with your beer, look into your water, you might need to supplement with some Calcium Salts (as a rule of thumb use Ca sulphate to accentuate hoppyness, and Ca Cl for maltyness or a ratio of 1:1 of both to keep it neutral).

 

[Saccharomyces]

Very informative thread for this Noobie. Kegging and forced carbing may or may not be in my brewing future. But Learning to make good starters and better temp. control are on the list for sure.

You'll be amazed at how good your beer gets if you do everything Yuri has on his list. My process has been pretty much the same for the last 6 batches or so, and now I can't wait to tap those kegs...

 

[strohs]

The last 2 beers I brewed were both being served on tap in under 4 weeks.
It wasnt until about 5 weeks though that they were perfectly clear, but taste wise they were fine at 4...

 

[natelatte]

speed brewing, but what about the other end. What about the 7 month old beer. Would you leave it in your secondary for 7 months, keg it and leave it as a still solution, or keg it and bring it up to the proper carbonation level, and then stick it somewhere for all that time?

I would think 7 months in the primary would leave some taste behind from the cake on the bottom.

 

[TexLaw]

I go ahead and keg it, so that I can just seal it up and forget about it. It's easier to store that way, and it's also easier to move.


TL

 

[smizak]

I made a kick-ass, rye IPA that was totally delicious from grain to glass in 4 weeks, and that's with bottling. I always leave my beer 3 weeks in primary, and this one just carbed up super fast in the bottle, 1 week. Nice 2" white head, perfectly carbonated. This was my first beer pitching an actively fermenting, appropriately sized starter.

Pitching the appropriate amount of healthy yeast CANNOT be stressed enough. The first couple beers I made without active starters needed the time to chill out the weird, "homebrew" flavors. Now all my beers are delicious within a month, give or take a week or two for carbing. Even a high gravity porter (1.072) with a lot of dark malts was amazing at two weeks after bottling.

I guess, lots of yeast, keep your temps down=good beer faster

 

[jmo88]

Interesting post. It is nice to hear so many experienced brewers clear up this aging myth. Let me just defend many noobs, myself included, on the issue of using secondaries versus this proposed speedy brew process. Many of us have limited equipment and space. For me, secondaries are essential. I've been brewing quite a bit lately and need the secondaries for time. I have two carboys and a bottling bucket. I use a bottling bucket as my primary. So secondaries allow me to have two different brews going at once, rather than wait out the fermentation process one beer at a time. This gives me enough time to produce more empty bottles while they sit in the carboys and in the end results in a faster process not necessarily from grain to glass but for the amount of beers and different styles of beers over a given period of time.

 

[smizak]

True. I think the most important lesson of this thread (for n00bs and experienced brewers alike) is that improvements in your process can result in good beer sooner. I have experienced this first hand, and my process has been consistent, and so have the beers.

 

[Fat Guy Brewing]

A 'quick beer' is still relative to your situation. When you are used to big complex beers that take time, 3 weeks is not long at all. For a new guy, 3 weeks in the fermenter is an eternity. When you are down to your last 6 pack, its an eternity. Then to wait 2 more weeks after bottling, AARGH.

 

[TexLaw]

Then to wait 3 more weeks after bottling, AARGH.

Fixed that for ya.


TL

 

[Big_Mike]

Do I really need a gallon of yeast? I have just been using just the WYeast activator packs of liquid yeast, and only experienced attenuation problems on my beers higher than 1.060. I have looked at the yeast starter kits that include either a 1 or 2 liter flask with a small package of DME. Is the 1 liter flask even worth considering? I'm curious about how much of a yeast starter is "enough"...

 

[eschatz]

I think balance is the key to aging. Hops drop out a bit and you have to hit your mark in the long hall. However, some beers aren't meant to be aged and they suck but after a couple of months they come back around. Calculating the rate of aging and making a beer balance in say 1 year is hard to do. Props to anyone who has that figured out.

 

[TexLaw]

Do I really need a gallon of yeast? I have just been using just the WYeast activator packs of liquid yeast, and only experienced attenuation problems on my beers higher than 1.060. I have looked at the yeast starter kits that include either a 1 or 2 liter flask with a small package of DME. Is the 1 liter flask even worth considering? I'm curious about how much of a yeast starter is "enough"...

The most I've ever done for any beer is a 2L starter, and I've had no problems. Keep in mind, that's not 2L of yeast. The whole starter is 2L. I just wind up with a bit of yeast at the bottom and end up decanting much of the liquor.

Yes, the 1L flask is enough, but the 2L gives you more room for larger starters or just to avoid messes.


TL

 

[DeathBrewer]

how did i miss this thread!??

a few notes from my experience:

1 - my friend has made several <30 day lagers and they all came out fantastic

2 - i have many lighter abv recipes (mainly breakfast stouts and hefeweizens) that can easily go from grain to glass in 5 days

3 - i age belgians in the primary for months sometimes, then months in secondary and bottles as well

4 - filtered beer can get finished faster.

5 - MOST beers will improve with an extra few weeks in the primary. even some of my lighter beers (such as a recent cream ale) were very clean, clear and smooth due to increased flocculation and conditioning.

6 - conditioning occurs no matter where your beer is. whether it's in primary (best IMO), secondary or keg...as long as there is live yeast, they will clean it up. extended chilling allows things to settle, as well. the lazy approach (primary until you get around to it and then straight to keg and force carbonate) is very effective. 3 days later, the beer will be even better.

7 - +1000 on keeping the recipes simple and light for a quick turnaround. SMaSH beers give some of the most complex flavors and they are simple, cheap and easy.

one of my next experiments is a 6-day steam beer. transfer to keg (bright tank) while fermenting, naturally carbonate, filter to a second keg and drink.