Has anyone tested - what matters more, fermenter time or cold conditioning time?

[Rev2010]

So I've been brewing for close to 6 years time. Had a hiatus so I am not counting that time in those 6 years. In my time I eventually found for my brewing that letting beers sit for 4 weeks in the fermenter and a week in the keg carbing/cold conditioning worked best for me. So say overall 5 weeks total till drinking time with kegging. With bottling I had to give it 3-4 weeks in the fridge for optimum taste with no off flavors.

So, recently since I started up brewing again a number of months ago I tried a couple of beers recently with 3 weeks in the fermenter and one week in the keg and have had very disappointing results. My IPA was pretty decent at 3 weeks but had a bit of metallic bite that went away about 4 days later in the keg. My pumpkin ale that I just tapped after 6 days in the keg tasted very disappointing yesterday, rather tart and tangy/metallic. I am sure that too will fade within another few days to one week in the keg. Now, in the past one week in the keg seemed to be fine if I gave it that extra week in the fermenter. This is bugging me because I would like to speed up the grain to glass time. So I was thinking of doing a test between letting one sit longer in the fermenter along one that had less time in the fermenter but more time in the keg to see what had the more important affect. Then I thought to post and ask if anyone has tested this already and has any insight. Anyone?


Rev.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

I'd say it really depends on the yeast, pitch rate and ferment profile. It sounds like you mostly brew beers where you want a clean ferment; I brew a lot with expressive yeasts (Belgos, English, hefes) and find they are better with a much shorter primary ferment (I don't want them too clean).

So, keeping this to clean ferment beer styles....
Still very much yeast dependent (I find US05 needs extra time over my go to Notty), but I don't go with the common 'ferment at the cool end of the yeast range' wisdom. I pitch at the cool end, slowly warm to the mid range of the yeast temp range over a few days, then to the upper end when ferment is nearly finished. Transfer to serving keg normally after a week to ten days, leave warm in the keg for another week, then crash chill and gelatin for 3 days minimum and it's good to go.

 

[Blackdirt_cowboy]

It’s been my experience that cold conditioning time is more important. I don’t think it really matters if the cold conditioning happens in on the yeast cake if it’s not excessive time. I usually cold crash as soon as fermentation is done, fine with gelatin and after a couple days, keg and carbonate. I’m impatient so I start drinking it right away, but the beer always seems to improve with age.

 

[RM-MN]

So I've been brewing for close to 6 years time. Had a hiatus so I am not counting that time in those 6 years. In my time I eventually found for my brewing that letting beers sit for 4 weeks in the fermenter and a week in the keg carbing/cold conditioning worked best for me. So say overall 5 weeks total till drinking time with kegging. With bottling I had to give it 3-4 weeks in the fridge for optimum taste with no off flavors.

So, recently since I started up brewing again a number of months ago I tried a couple of beers recently with 3 weeks in the fermenter and one week in the keg and have had very disappointing results. My IPA was pretty decent at 3 weeks but had a bit of metallic bite that went away about 4 days later in the keg. My pumpkin ale that I just tapped after 6 days in the keg tasted very disappointing yesterday, rather tart and tangy/metallic. I am sure that too will fade within another few days to one week in the keg. Now, in the past one week in the keg seemed to be fine if I gave it that extra week in the fermenter. This is bugging me because I would like to speed up the grain to glass time. So I was thinking of doing a test between letting one sit longer in the fermenter along one that had less time in the fermenter but more time in the keg to see what had the more important affect. Then I thought to post and ask if anyone has tested this already and has any insight. Anyone?


Rev.

I suspect that the flavor you describe is due to suspended yeast. Time will help settle it out as will cold crashing/gelatin. Instead of speeding up the grain to glass time, why not have more than one batch going at once so that they can spend the time they need in the fermenter instead of trying to rush them to glass. I'm currently at 4 batches in fermenters, about to bottle one of them today.

 

[Iseneye]

IMHO you want to get the beer down to serving / lagering temps as soon as the beer is "done". If everything is done properly during fermentation there is no benefit in leaving it on for extended times. Beer stales way faster at room temp than at serving temp.

 

[Rev2010]

Instead of speeding up the grain to glass time, why not have more than one batch going at once so that they can spend the time they need in the fermenter instead of trying to rush them to glass. I'm currently at 4 batches in fermenters, about to bottle one of them today.

Yeah I used to run three fermenters. I am now going to go to two, ordered an extra keg and going to order the extra fermenter today.

I'm going to let me pumpkin sit and a few days and then give it a taste and report back if the flavor has improved, which I;m sure it will. Just was really wondering if I should spend the extra week time in the fermenter or in the keg.


Rev.

 

[RM-MN]

IMHO you want to get the beer down to serving / lagering temps as soon as the beer is "done". If everything is done properly during fermentation there is no benefit in leaving it on for extended times. Beer stales way faster at room temp than at serving temp.

That depends on the beer. I'll agree on a wheat beer but I want my porters and stouts to sit and mature for quite a while. They just aren't ready at the end of fermentation. They don't stale in the bottle at room temp either.