So...How Many Make It?

[Aaron1983]

Beers, that is... How many beers make it to the full aging duration you set for in your recipe? Perhaps it is because I am still a fairly green brewer with only a baker's dozen AG brews under my belt and a handful of extract brews, but it seems that after about a week after bottling, I cant help but periodically "sample" my beer as it ages. Typically about only 80% of my brew makes it the full aging duration, which really equates to about 4+ gallons of my 5 gallon batches.

What about you guys?

 

[beergolf]

I Know that it takes time, so I always wait a full 3 weeks before trying my brews. Some recipes I go even longer. I brew a lot of Belgians and those go even longer before the first taste. I have some that have been aging for a long time.

I do have a very big pipeline so the waiting is no issue. I have plenty of good brews to drink.

 

[trent]

I shoot for 12-14 days grain to glass on my IPAs and APAs, so I'd say 75% of my beers fit into that time frame, and the other 25% go over.

 

[pohldogg]

I too am lucky to have a huge pipeline so patience isn't too hard. Generally I'll bottle up a 12 pack in 11.2 oz bottles. Six of these are reserved for potential comp entries. The other six are for early tasting. The rest goes into 750s where half are reserved for aging until next year. Depending on what I think about the aging potential this may drop to six bottles. I'm pretty good at sticking to it because there's always something new coming on.

 

[November]

Yup, having a good pipeline makes it a lot easier to age beer. I like to brew small beer or large batches every few brew sessions to keep the pipeline strong. Putting sisters of completed batches aside helps too.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I shoot for 12-14 days grain to glass on my IPAs and APAs, so I'd say 75% of my beers fit into that time frame, and the other 25% go over.

Yep. Fresh beer is good beer. And done right, fresh beer isn't "green".

I usually aim to get beer into the keg within 14 days for most average-strength beer. But I generally "set and forget" for carbonation, so it's usually another week before I'll even try the first taste, and 2 weeks until the carbonation level is correct.

 

[bscott1011]

I tend to do a "carb check" bottle after one week, then try to leave the rest alone for another week or two.

 

[catdaddy66]

I have read that it is encouraged to taste beer at every stage (wort, uncarbed, finished) so I do open a bottle or two after 2 weeks to check things out. I have a few friends that give me their opinions on my brew. I get probably 54-60 12oz bottles per batch and about 48-54 make it to 6-8 weeks of age.