How long do bottles keep?

[jota]

I remember reading somewhere that they keep for about 4 months, but I just read Joy of Homebrewing, and he said he had a 20year old brew.

Here's the recipe i used:
Cincinnati Pale Ale
Ingredients:
3-4 lbs. of Pale malt extract syrup, unhopped.
3 lbs. of Amber dry malt extract.
12 AAUs of Bittering Hop (any variety)
5 AAUs of Finishing Hop (Cascade or other)
3 packets of dried ale yeast

 

[FlyingHorse]

Bottles will be fine for thousands of years, if you don't break them.


















Oh, wait, you meant the beer, right?

I'd say that recipe will be best at 3-6 months, and OK up to a year if stored properly. I've had a HB (Imperial Stout) that was over 10 years, and while not as good as it was at 1 year, was still good.

YMMV.

 

[Reno Homebrewer]

Bottles will be fine for thousands of years, if you don't break them.
Oh, wait, you meant the beer, right?

I'd say that recipe will be best at 3-6 months, and OK up to a year if stored properly. I've had a HB (Imperial Stout) that was over 10 years, and while not as good as it was at 1 year, was still good.

YMMV.

LoL +1

 

[solidghost]

How many of you guys keep beer for over 3 months? I doubt many of us will have the willpower to do that.

 

[WillPall]

I dunno, I just had a bottle of my first ever brew from over 2 months ago. Granted, it was about 200 miles away from where I live now, but I digress.

 

[discgolfin]

How many of you guys keep beer for over 3 months? I doubt many of us will have the willpower to do that.

Lots of us do. I usually don't start drinking an average beer until 2 to 3 months. IPA'S and bigger beers at 3 to 5 months they are the best. Anything real big Imperial stout or barley wine has to go 6 to 12 months minimum. The way you do it is brew another batch as soon as primary is full..Repeat this step..If you are finishing you beer prior to 3 months you miss the best taste for sure. Over time the hop flavor and aroma will become less and less. I have not aged more than a year yet..

I have a few lagers on tap so they require cold conditioning for a long time. I made a Kolsch that I cold conditioned for 4 months and came out 10 times better at 4 months than at 2 months

but I have an imperial stout ready for years of aging so we shall see..

at 12% ABV this should age nice

Jay

 

[zoebisch01]

It is very recipe dependent! I have one recipe that hits it's stride after a year (a Belgian type) and others that go down the tubes after 6 months (well they don't go bad, just the flavor isn't as good).

That Pale Ale recipe will peak in about 1 month after bottling (yes I have made it). After that, the aroma hops is going to degrade. It won't taste bad, just won't have the 'nose'.

 

[CBBaron]

How many of you guys keep beer for over 3 months? I doubt many of us will have the willpower to do that.

I don't drink heavily and I enjoy brewing so I've been able to build up a decent stock of home brew. I do sample beers early but many are still in the bottle at 3 months and I try to keep at least a few around for samples at 1 year and maybe longer.
The key is to have lotsa brew ready to drink. Brew more than you can drink and it will have time to age.
As for beer storage. There is not many that wont be good for at least 6months. Some recipes will be even better at a year, but most are starting down hill by then. So your best bet is to drink beer between 3 and 9 months old.
Craig

 

[BierMuncher]

How many of you guys keep beer for over 3 months? I doubt many of us will have the willpower to do that.

I keg my beer but always bottle off 15-20 beers for "later enjoyment".

I openned up a 1-yr old Kolsch on its anniversary last week. Crystal clear and delish.

I'm meeting up with Edwort this week and I'll have several 4-5 month old beers in tow.

Here's a house ale I brewed back in July and openned 5 months later to test the carbonation technique of my BMBF.

(Turn your sound up for full carbonation results)


[YOUTUBE]sgpQt1emCaY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[solidghost]

wooohooo, you guys really have a lot of willpower to resist!
Think I will let a few of them age myself.

 

[NitrouStang96]

lol @ BM .....

 

[Sloppy Sam]

wooohooo, you guys really have a lot of willpower to resist!
Think I will let a few of them age myself.

The key is to brew more beer than you can drink right away. Find a recipe that is easy and quick and keep rolling them out. That way, if you have lots of beer going, you can let it age a bit longer.

Or if you are having problems with your friends drinking it all, insist that they must help you brew beer if they want to keep drinking it.