I have a Belgian specialty ale that once primary is finished should be between 8-9%. My question is how long after bottling should I expect to wait before the beer is ready for consumption. 1 month? 6 months? I plan on trying one every month after bottled and if it tastes good then I guess that would be fine. I would prefer not to waste any by opening to early either. Just looking for some first hand experience from people who have done big beers before. This is my first. Thanks!
How long to age?
- Thread starter Tryger73
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sputnam
Well-Known Member
i did a tripel that didn't start tasting good until 8 months...maybe start trying yours one a month at 6 month mark...
For high alcohol barley wine batches in the 9-10% ABV range I've let them cold condition between 55-66F for at least 6 months before drinking them. I have an 8.5% Wee Heavy conditioning now at 45F that I plan to have ready a year from it's brew date. The 8% ABV Cascadian Dark Ale brewed yesterday should be ready for sampling in about 3 months, it's loaded with 3/4 of a pound of hops. The trick is to age the beer long enough so the alcohol has time to blend in and mellow with the other flavors in the beer and eliminate any hot alcohol bite.
sputnam
Well-Known Member
i have heard there is a point that being on the yeast for too long is bad. Maybe do 6 weeks in carboy then bottle and age.
estricklin
Well-Known Member
You can age it in bottles with no problem.
I would personally taste one after a month. I usually try mine within a week, but bigger beers I wait longer. I struggled with questions about aging beer when i started brewing; actually the very question is what led me to this forum, I was only going to make a few posts and now I'm stuck with this username! Ehhhmmm, anyway, bottom line is it's your beer, and you have to decide when it's ready and how long your going to age it. If it has brett, lacto or fruit, those take longer, but many beers, even high gravity beers, that are well brewed to start with, don't need a lot of aging. I actually reserve aging beers for long periods when i have something that didn't turn out the way I hoped.
I would personally taste one after a month. I usually try mine within a week, but bigger beers I wait longer. I struggled with questions about aging beer when i started brewing; actually the very question is what led me to this forum, I was only going to make a few posts and now I'm stuck with this username! Ehhhmmm, anyway, bottom line is it's your beer, and you have to decide when it's ready and how long your going to age it. If it has brett, lacto or fruit, those take longer, but many beers, even high gravity beers, that are well brewed to start with, don't need a lot of aging. I actually reserve aging beers for long periods when i have something that didn't turn out the way I hoped.
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