Timeline for brewing

[hjones1119]

Hello all!

I'm hoping someone can help me... I can't for the life of me wrap my head around the timeline of brewing after bottling. Our first attempt at homebrewing (cider) was an epic failure. After bottling I was never sure when the brew would be finished carbonation. We made 4 or so batches, and still have (2 years later) many unopened bottles. We didn't enjoy any of the ones we did try - unsure when the prime time to crack open our brew was. I think some we opened too early, and after opening failure after failure in a bottle we just gave up...

I'd really like to at this point dust off the old brew equipment and try again - this time with beer. I need take 2 to be a success! My end goal would be to brew traditional English ale eventually into half kegs. I'd like to get the process down so that I have a supply of deliciousness that rotates endlessly I think I have the brew process down up until bottling... but that's where I'm lost. I have no idea when it's bottled how long it should left alone for, and how long it will last. Can someone please explain to me:

1. How soon after bottling can the brew be refrigerated and then enjoyed?
2. How long will the bottles last in the refrigerator?
3. How long will is the shelf life of the bottles / kegs?

TIA!

 

[hjones1119]

PS: If anyone has any links to other threads that really go into detail of the shelf life of homebrew, that'd be great.

 

[feinbera]

Presuming by "traditional English ale," you mean something neither particularly hop-driven nor particularly strong...

1. It'll be ready when it's ready, the only way to know for sure is to pop one in the fridge, let it settle for 48+ hours, and pop it open. That being said, three weeks is a good rule-of-thumb, as long as the beer's not so strong (> ~7% abv) or stored so cold (< ~60°) that the yeast slows down.

2/3. As long as you're keeping them somewhere with a relatively constant and cool temperature (and you did a good job sealing your bottles), your beers should be good for a few months (probably still drinkable up to a year, but I'd try and finish 'em in 90 days). Hops tend to shorten this window (hop flavor/aroma fades quickly, even in the fridge), while high ABV tends to lengthen it, but it doesn't sound like either one will be in play for English styles like bitters, milds, or porters.

 

[TheHappyHopper]

1. How soon after bottling can the brew be refrigerated and then enjoyed?
2. How long will the bottles last in the refrigerator?
3. How long will is the shelf life of the bottles / kegs?

1. Depends on the style of beer. I do mostly low gravity beers and I try one after 1 week in the bottle to see how it is progressing (that is almost never enough time for full carbonation). At 2 weeks I try another, and if the carbonation is good, I might try a few more :cross:. Usually at the 3-4 week point, I start stocking my fridge with them.

2. In the fridge? Should last as long as you take to drink them (within reason). However, if you are doing very hoppy beers, they may lose some of their hoppy aroma over a long period of time.

3. I can't offer any help here, I don't think that I have had a batch last longer than 2 months in the bottle. This also depends on the style you are doing, higher alcohol beers tend to keep longer. Keeping them cold helps out a lot.

 

[MagicMatt]

If a beer has been bottled with attention to detail so as to minimize the risk of infection and oxidation, then technically the beer will never go bad. The flavors will absolutely change over the course of its aging, but it will still be drinkable beer provided you didn't lose carbonation through poor quality caps. Perhaps the tastes and notes you were looking for will disappear over time, and maybe you won't like the resulting taste, but maybe you will!

 

[mdindy]

I leave my brews in the bottle for at least 3 weeks before refrigerating. they will last for months, might loose some flavor but it will not go bad.

 

[m00ps]

If you handle your beer properly (good yeast pitching rate and temp control, purge containers with CO2 to prevent oxidation) your bottles can last years. IPAs will fade and some big stouts may loose their body a bit, but I've heard of people aging Belgians and Barleywines for years

 

[fartinmartin]

I have tried brews that have been bottled for just three or four days, they have been carbonated, but green, the carb very quickly disappeared after a few minutes. The same beer continued to improve at one week and better at two and after three weeks, well get stuck in they are great, but they still improve if left a bit longer. Then it's just keeping them, if that's your thing, I just drink them!

 

[eric19312]

To avoid a repeat of the bad experience with cider walk before you run.

Start with an easy style like and America or British ale in the 4-6% ABV range. Ferment in primary for 3 weeks. Then bottle. Store the bottles 3 weeks at 70F (+/- 5F). Chill 48 hours. Enjoy.

On first few batches pay attention to details like sanitation, pitching healthy yeast (US-05 is easy mode), controlling fermentation temperature.

If you do that I think you will be making decent beer you are happy/proud to share with friends from batch #1.

The bottles stored at room temperature should be fine for 6 months or more, longer if kept cool but hey it is probably 2 cases of beer how long do you expect that to last anyway?