Hi my name is seatazzz and I love fresh beer.

[seatazzz]

So there's been some discussion lately about how long to leave your precious beer in primary (I won't get into the "secondary is essential or not needed" discussion). Some of us aren't overburdened with that essential brewing ingredient, patience, or that other needful thing, money, so we tend to "rush" (by many standards) our beers. A great many of us, I would imagine, aren't brewing to wow some BJCP judge at the local competition or county fair, we just want good beer on tap to enjoy ourselves or share with our friends. I myself really love the taste of beer less than 14 days grain to glass. For the hoppier beers, it is essential. For the rest, I just like the taste. Yes, maybe I get some more "yeasty" or "estery" flavors but I like it like that. And I have the chance to taste the evolution from "fresh" to "aged" (if the keg lasts that long) that gives me a better understanding of the process.

Ok let the discussion begin.

 

[gotbeer74]

I go minimal 21 days before I keg, but most often 28 days. This keeps me from sampling/drinking it before it reaches its peak flavor. Too young just never seems balanced.

 

[brewcat]

I primary ales around 10 days. In a perfect scenario I would then have them kegged for ~2 weeks. Still very fresh, awesome beer. Some varieties may need longer in the keg.

If your process is great you should be able to turn out a lot of beer varieties fast.

 

[Yooper]

I'm with you sista! It depends on what I'm making, but I generally keg my ales by day 14, sometimes earlier if they aren't dryhopped, and I'm usually enjoying IPAs and other hoppy beers by day 17 or 21. My oatmeal stout is the outlier- it's best at about 5-6 weeks old. My lagers are kegged at about the same time, but I do lager them for 4 weeks or sometimes more for bigger lagers, so they are a bit older when consumed.

 

[ba-brewer]

A great many of us, I would imagine, aren't brewing to wow some BJCP judge at the local competition or county fair, we just want good beer on tap to enjoy ourselves or share with our friends.

Those goals don't have to be mutually exclusive. I would bet most of the people brewing to wow the judges are also brewing for the same reason as you are.

I keg my beer in a week to 10days and start sampling when I think there is enough carbonation(4 or 5 days on gas). I too like tasting the progression but I drink the beer when it is ready. Some time that is right away but normally not. I think most of my beers are better after week 3 or 4 in the keg then they are after only a week. Sometime after the hops and malt have had some time to mellow it is easier to pick up on esters. I have no interest in getting raw yeast flavor in my beer.

 

[day_trippr]

I'd say 75% of the recipes I brew are cold-crashed and in the keg by 14 days from pitching.
But I allow two weeks minimum for cold-conditioning/carbonation, so it's typically a solid month from brew day to hoisting a pour.
That said, half the beer's life was spent around 36°F to that point, and aside from brightening I don't think there's much progression going on...

Cheers!

 

[BGHSmt7]

Dang, I guess I like old beer. Most of my stuff is in carboys at least a month until I keg.

 

[gunhaus]

If YOOPER says it is so - IT IS SO!! Explanations needed? PLUS - I am quite fond of beers that are quick grain to glass.

 

[waldoar15]

All depends on the beer style/ingredients . Some are better fresh and some need time to mature.

 

[seatazzz]

Some great points here, thanks. I generally brew styles that don't need aging (don't have the setup for lagers yet, and I'm not overly fond of heavy dark beers) so my system works for me. The brewery I work for generally goes grain to keg in 10 days and we make some great beers on a 6bbl system that way. Of course, in that situation it's a matter of $$ - beer that's not ready ain't getting sold. I've said it before and will say it again, probably many times, the great thing about homebrewers is our enthusiasm for the hobby and willingness to share our experiences to benefit others!