When to drink?

[Canadianbrewer2012]

Hey guys new brewer here.. I am currently making a simple entry level kit of Muntons American Light ... it's very simple .. Add hot water to extract and sugar , fill to 23 liters and let fermentation begin.. I want know when can I drink this stuff without it being too green? The guy at the store said to wait as long as I am for my dark ale I'm doin right now (3 months) but I'm thirsty .. (going to the cabin in july and wanna bring a keg) .. The instruction say I can drink it right away basically... Will it taste like garbage after 5-6 weeks?

 

[tsellmeyer]

I think that everyone finds out that with experience all beers taste their best with some amount of age. A light ale won't taste bad young, but will taste much better after about a month or so of aging. I actually find that it is the most fun to taste along the way to see the difference. Some brewers will say that you shouldn't drink it until it has achieved the proper aging, but I would say take the keg to the party and then you have the excuse to brew more, let it age and taste the difference.

 

[Canadianbrewer2012]

Thanks for the advice .. Just don't wanna disappoint.. I did just finish an amber and after 1 week in the primary, one week in the secondary and 3 weeks in bottles it tastes great! But then again maybe in 3 months it will taste phenomenal ... Who knows cause it will be long gone by then ...

 

[grimzella]

i taste along the way, but i am still new at this. i think, now that i am getting an idea of what to look for in a young or maturing beer, i may stop this. Saves more for later, when they taste a hell of alot better. i think the 5-6 week time period should be ok to drink.. shouldnt taste all that bad.

 

[nymtber]

Depends on the beer. Most beers I make (all extract with specialty grains for flavor) Get maybe 3-4 weeks fermentation, and then 3 weeks at 70F is really the MINIMUM for bottle conditioning. I normally test one bottle at 2 weeks so I can compare to 3-4 week taste. Its always better after 3+ weeks!

The St. Paul Porter kit (NB) I made took more like 2 months to start really tasting decent. It was bitter and thin before that. It has been bottled for a year, and last I tried some (month or so ago) it was absolutely delicious! All my other beers have been lighter beers... My current bottled beer (Kolsch) is tasting quite good after 3 weeks at 70F in the bottle