My first batch....

[onad0301]

Great site guys... I'm new here... ALOT of GREAT reading.....Made my first batch of beer...a Black Rock IPA... Everything came out great...Followed the 123 rule....waited two more weeks before tasting a bottle ( that was the hardest part of the whole process)...to me it tasted like a draft...

my question would be ...will it get better as it ages or will basically remain at this taste?

Thanx Onad

 

[MIbrew]

From what I've found in my limited experience the beer gets best after 3 weeks in the bottle but doesn't get much better than that. I say start drinking and sharing.

Welcome to the site, many happy brews!

 

[Revvy]

From what I've found in my limited experience the beer gets best after 3 weeks in the bottle but doesn't get much better than that. I say start drinking and sharing.

Welcome to the site, many happy brews!

Wrong.....

Every beer is different, the higher the grav the longer it takes to reach it's peak. The three weeks we suggest is just that a suggestion, and a minimum for carbing normal (less than 1.060) beers. Some takee longer, and just because the beer is carbed doesn't mean that the beer doesn't still taste like a$$)

I've had beer take 8 weeks before they came into their own in terms of flavors...I have a 1.090 Belgian that after 4 months is just now losing it's rocket fuel taste....

Read this;
Revvy's Blog, Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning.

Lazy Llama diagramed it best...

But if you aren't happy with the taste right now....DON'T SHARE ALL OF THEM WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY....Even a week from now they will taste better....

An Ipa is anywhere from 3-6 weeks to where the flavor will be at it's best.....Don't forget, originally IPAs were made to be transported on long boat rides.....so don't be too quick to drink them off...

There's a saying around here, it is the truest thing I have ever read, "Your best bottle of beer, is the last one from your batch."

 

[Beavdowg]

Please share what the 123 rule is.

thanks

 

[Revvy]

Please share what the 123 rule is.

thanks

The 1-2-3 rule is really a (somewhat faulty) rule of thumb that many newer brewers subscribe in...it means 1 week in Primary, 2 in secondary, and three in the bottle...but it is only a rule of thumb and it has several "flaws".

First one, is the simple fact that https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/fermentation-can-take-24-72-hrs-show-visible-signs-43635/, which means that if you just rack your beer after a week, you may only be getting 4 days of actual fermentation, and move the beer before it is truly done fermenting. (That's why you really should take a hydrometer reading on the 7th and 10th day and see if the fermentation has stopped)

Or wait 14 days, THEN rack to a secondary vessel for the 2 weeks...this will insure fermentation is complete.....

Secondly many people have noticed that leaving a beer 3-4 weeks in primary, skipping secondary and going right to bottle, actually improves their beer. In fact even John Plamer says in How To Brew;

Leaving an ale beer in the primary fermentor for a total of 2-3 weeks (instead of just the one week most canned kits recommend), will provide time for the conditioning reactions and improve the beer. This extra time will also let more sediment settle out before bottling, resulting in a clearer beer and easier pouring. And, three weeks in the primary fermentor is usually not enough time for off-flavors to occur.

And finally like I mentioned above...bottle conditioning and carbing is not a standard thing....Gravity and Temp play a lot into the time it takes for a beer to carb and condition. And three weeks is just a snapshot for low to normal grav beers when stored at 70 degrees...a few degrees cooler, and it will take longer...I think Flyangler posted somewhere that it's one week for every 10 grav points above 1.050....

So the 1-2-3 rule is just another suggested way of doing things...but it does has a few flaws....

The only way really that you should decide to secondary (if you use one) or when to bottle, is with your hydrometer....and with bottling, waiting a minimum of 3 weeks before cracking them.....

Your beers will thank you for that.

 

[endo]

Please share what the 123 rule is.

thanks

From the kid waaay in the back of the classroom...

1 week in the primary fermenter
2 weeks in the secondary fermenter
and 3 weeks in the bottle

then drink

 

[Beavdowg]

Thanks. I brewed several batches about 12 years ago but have taken a hiatus since then as life happened. A couple months ago I got the bug again after becoming friends with a homebrewer. This time around I'm getting much more "sophisticated". I bought an outdoor burner to get things out of the kitchen. I have a 7.5 gal boiling pot so I can boil the whole batch. I made an immersion wort chiller to get things down to pitching temps much faster. Before, I used to add my wort to 3 or 4 gal of cold water and still have to wait overnight to pitch. Now, I'm hoping to pitch within an hour of boil. I also scored a Sanke keg and cut the top out to use as a boil kettle. Once I get my wings back again after maybe 1 or 2 extract batches I'm planning on moving on to all-graining.

I'm excited to get started again!

 

[brian_g]

I agree with Revvy. I'd like to add that darker beers tend to improve more with longer aging time then lighter beers. Note that darker is not the same as higher gravity.

 

[G_Brew]

Wrong.....

Every beer is different, the higher the grav the longer it takes to reach it's peak. The three weeks we suggest is just that a suggestion, and a minimum for carbing normal (less than 1.060) beers. Some takee longer, and just because the beer is carbed doesn't mean that the beer doesn't still taste like a$$)

AGREED.

i've had some very light blond lagers reach their peak in about 5 weeks... some of the Stouts i've made have taken up to 6 months, and so far the longer i've kept those heavy beers, the better they've become. Definately a good rule of thumb the heavier/darker the beer, usualy the longer it needs to age.

FYI though, i have NEVER had a batch reach it's peak in 3 weeks.. i'd say MINIMUM 3 weeks before drinking it.. but will still get better.. just my 2c from my own experience though.

 

[Revvy]

I agree with Revvy. I'd like to add that darker beers tend to improve more with longer aging time then lighter beers. Note that darker is not the same as higher gravity.

I've never noticed that..but then again very few of my beers (dark or otherwise) are below 1.070...so most of my beers take 4 or more weeks..

Though I do have a low grav Vienna Lager that will be at 3 weeks this weekend. So I'll see how that one is. I also have a Scwartzbier in the wings as well...that one definitely needs more time...

 

[BADS197]

For all but the heavy ones I make, I drop them in the primary for 2-3 weeks and then bottle them for 2-3 weeks and drink.

As for the heavy ones, I'll toss in the primary for a couple months and then secondary to clear them a bit for about a week and then bottle.

 

[onad0301]

thanx for the advice......great info...so its nice to know that my beer may get
better with time

thanx Onad