Letting the bottle sit a while longer...

[Link45]

From my limited understanding and experience, a general rule i follow is to let my brew sit in primary for 4 weeks before bottling, and then let the bottles sit for another 4 weeks.

My question here is, how many people have opened a bottle after 4 weeks and found it to not taste right, or be up to what your expectations were, but then left the bottles sit longer and found the beer turned out fantastic.

The reason i ask is because i was told by a fella that he did the above, thought to throw out the beer as it was gross, instead gave the bottles to a friend, who then let it age and opened after 16 weeks and found it to be fantastic.

Is this a one off, or could it be something brewers might consider before they piff their brew?

 

[Kharnynb]

depending on the beer a lot of course, but certain bad flavours can change or disappear over time.

Certain beers really don't even taste "correct" until months after bottling/lagering etc.

 

[RM-MN]

From my limited understanding and experience, a general rule i follow is to let my brew sit in primary for 4 weeks before bottling, and then let the bottles sit for another 4 weeks.

My question here is, how many people have opened a bottle after 4 weeks and found it to not taste right, or be up to what your expectations were, but then left the bottles sit longer and found the beer turned out fantastic.

The reason i ask is because i was told by a fella that he did the above, thought to throw out the beer as it was gross, instead gave the bottles to a friend, who then let it age and opened after 16 weeks and found it to be fantastic.

Is this a one off, or could it be something brewers might consider before they piff their brew?

There shouldn't be a general rule on how long beers need to be in the fermenter or in bottles. Every beer is different and while one might benefit from 4 and 4 another would be just fine with 1 and 3 and a different beer might do well with 6 and 10.

I have had beers that took a while to mellow out and go from gross to great. Most don't though as it depends on the recipe. If you make a beer and sample it at a week and it is gross, wait another couple weeks. Still tastes bad, wait some more. Some beers do change a lot, some make little change. Some will become great, some will be dumpers. Try not to dump to early though, bottles are cheap and you can wait to see if the beer changes.

 

[beergolf]

Yeast don't punch a time clock. A beer is done when it is done. Some styles like a wheat beer or a low gravity English mild can be done very quickly. No need for 4 weeks. On the extreme end of beers that need time are sours, some can take a year or more to get where they need to be.

So there really is no firm rule as to how long a beer can take. I just find that beers that I can turn around quickly may only need 2 weeks ( or even less) in the fermenter. A RIS or a BDSA may need a lot longer to finish and mellow. And then benefit from extended aging.

 

[Link45]

There shouldn't be a general rule on how long beers need to be in the fermenter or in bottles. Every beer is different and while one might benefit from 4 and 4 another would be just fine with 1 and 3 and a different beer might do well with 6 and 10.

I have had beers that took a while to mellow out and go from gross to great. Most don't though as it depends on the recipe. If you make a beer and sample it at a week and it is gross, wait another couple weeks. Still tastes bad, wait some more. Some beers do change a lot, some make little change. Some will become great, some will be dumpers. Try not to dump to early though, bottles are cheap and you can wait to see if the beer changes.

Thanks RM, yes you are correct, and thanks for clarifying that point. As i said, its just what 'I' do atm, and the reason being is because my knowledge and experience wasnt there with the entry level beer brewing that i currently do. I had read in another thread elsewhere here where many people agreed to leave their brew in primary for 4 weeks and found their beers to be better and just followed that, however, i am aware the science of such does not necessarily agree to that. Its a general that i have and am currently following with the 2 brews i have on now, but will move away from it into the future as i get my head around the hydrometer.

Thanks for the input mate, much appreciated.