How long does beer without preservative keep?

[lambo1274]

I finished my first batch ever on August 4. I am wondering how long it will last in the fridge before getting "funky." We will be having dinner guests done on Labor Day weekend and I wanted to share the brew with them.

 

[JEnglish]

Most beers takes a couple weeks in the bottle for the flavours to blend together nicely. I recently found two beers that were nine months old and they tasted a lot better than when they were two months old. There are posts on HBT from people finding beers that are 10+ years old and the beer is fine.

 

[Yooper]

I finished my first batch ever on August 4. I am wondering how long it will last in the fridge before getting "funky." We will be having dinner guests done on Labor Day weekend and I wanted to share the brew with them.

It depends on the beer, generally, but most beers don't get "funky"- they start to lose some flavor and aroma first and then may fade once they pass their peak.

In the fridge, aging slows way down. Most beers are best consumed before they are 6 months old, but some get much better with age and are cellared for several years.

That said, if you just finished your first batch on August 4, I would wonder if it's even going to be ready and carbed up on Labor Day weekend, let alone gone past its peak! Maybe they can come back for Thanksgiving, and have it ready.

 

[butterpants]

I made a bourbon barrel porter this summer that won't be touched until Christmas. Plan from the start. That's why a pipeline with multiple carboys/buckets and different beer types (low gravity, ready early... high grav longer age time...) is so nice to have..... even if for the mental sanity part. Spending lots of money and sweat on something you can't. touch for 6mo to a year is very uncharacteristic for this day and age.... unless it's a baby. Most of us are from the instant gratification generation.

 

[zacster]

You will learn that this is never an issue. If the beer tastes good fresh it'll be gone long before it goes stale.

 

[dracus]

Stale?

Beer doesn't go stale. I just had a 4 year old Ommegang Abby ale clone. It was orgasmic really and a bit higher in alcohol than I expected. If it goes "pop" when you open it then its fine...

 

[RIC0]

I've got a gallon of tripel hiding in a spare bathtub in my basement that will not get bottled until it reaches it's 1 year old birthday. The plan is to then let it sit in the bottle for another 6 months. WHY??? Because I can and I have plenty of other beers to drink.

I think big beers need the age your average 4-7% beers are good when they are young.

 

[Brewnoob1]

I just had one of the last 2 chocolate coffee stouts my father in law brewed over 15 years ago! Needless to say, it was a very complex and TASTY brew and I am honored he let me have one. It could have been past its peak, but it was an awesome brew none the less. It was from the very last batch he brewed (stopped due to losing interest and his brewing partner. Although with me brewing, he has a new spark to start back up)

 

[lambo1274]

Thanks for the input folks - I actually started the brewing process on the 4th of July and we opened the first bottle August 4th. Took some to a family reunion and shared at with my brother and cousins and was very pleased with the feedback (considering that was my first brew.) a hefe, quite citrusy and a little breast on the back end but pretty tasty. That brings about another question. I brewed a second batch of the same exact stuff a few days ago and this time tried to be careful about how much yeast I added. (Directions said to "add about 1/3 of the yeast packet.") will adding a little less yeast help to calm down the "breadiness?"

 

[lambo1274]

Sorry guys - that was supposed to read "a little bready on the back end." (Damn autocorrect!)

 

[wilserbrewer]

.....and this time tried to be careful about how much yeast I added. (Directions said to "add about 1/3 of the yeast packet.") will adding a little less yeast help to calm down the "breadiness?"

I don't understand how adding less yeast will cut down on the "breadiness" at all. I would also politely question the directions saying to add a third of the yeast package???

Unless this was a one gallon batch, I find that direction rather strange???

Generally speaking, pitching a large amount, or more correctly the proper amount of yeast helps a healthy fermentation which is a very good thing!

What kind of yeast did you pitch a third of a pack?

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

In my house about 8 weeks, unless it's a high alcohol brew that I've squirreled away in the basement to forget about for 6 months.

My beers take a week or less to completely ferment, then I give them another week at room temperature to soak up some dry hops before putting the fermentor in the refrigerator to cold crash for a week.

I keg the beer cold, force carbonate it for a week at 12 psi and start enjoying cold drafts right after that. But there's a whole lot more to the story that has to be taken into consideration too though, take the type and amount of yeast used to ferment it for example.

You didn't mention making a yeast starter, at least not that I saw, and you've just started brewing so I'm going to say you pitched some dry yeast. If so some might wonder if you rehydrated the dry yeast in sanitized water before pitching it or simply sprinked it on top of the wort before sealing the fermentor.

That then leads to another yeasty topic, namely esters, which are desirable in certain styles of beer including the wheat hefe's you mentioned. Esters can give you clove or banana flavors depending on the temperature of the fermentation while under pitching the amount of yeast can add bubblegum or butterscotch flavors in varying levels.

It's a kind of long winded answer to a fairly simple question but you have to admit there are a ton of different things that can influence the flavors that yeast contributes to any beer recipe. Did I mention oxygenating wort prior to pitching a freshly made starter of healthy viable yeast cells and maintaining recommended fermentation temperatures?

 

[lambo1274]

Yes it is a gallon batch. Unfortunately I threw out the remaining yeast and the little envelope that it came in. I do recall that it measured out to 11.5 grams, so roughly 3.5 grams of yeast was used. I did pitch dry, so maybe getting it started first would help. I am jot experienced enough to consider all of the possibilities of why the flavor is the way it is. I should say that it's not objectionable, I guess I was just hoping for a little crisper profile.