When to refrigerate

[zeb]

Well I am happy to say I just tested one of my bottles of an India Pale Ale that has been bottled for 10 days and it tastes great! I am really shocked, I expected it to not taste as good as it is, as well as be perfectly carbonated at this point. I used DLME for priming.

Should I stick what I have in the fridge? Or is it best to leave it at fermentation temperatures? I dont want to have them over carbonate, at the same time I dont want to ruin any potential of them getting better with age.

 

[SKMO]

Should I stick what I have in the fridge? Or is it best to leave it at fermentation temperatures? I dont want to have them over carbonate, at the same time I dont want to ruin any potential of them getting better with age.

I'm not sure exactly you are asking here. If it's 10 days in the bottle and tastes good, it's going to be even better down the road. I would think at about 4 weeks it would be pretty well worked out, and 2-6 months aged it would be even better.

Still don't understand the question exactly. There is nothing you CAN do to make the beer "overcarbonate" beyond putting too much priming sugar in, and that's already done.

 

[Grinder12000]

Wait the 3 weeks - then refrig them. Even if they are carbed now there might be some left to go!

 

[Mongrel]

Put one in the fridge every 3-5 days and see how they mature. Then keep brewing more until you're not even tempted to try a batch before 3 weeks in the bottle.

 

[user 19629]

I'm not sure exactly you are asking here. If it's 10 days in the bottle and tastes good, it's going to be even better down the road. I would think at about 4 weeks it would be pretty well worked out, and 2-6 months aged it would be even better.

Still don't understand the question exactly. There is nothing you CAN do to make the beer "overcarbonate" beyond putting too much priming sugar in, and that's already done.

If it tastes good throw them in the fridge and drink them
I don't think you really want to age an IPA for 6 months.

 

[jwheelz]

Well I am happy to say I just tested one of my bottles of an India Pale Ale that has been bottled for 10 days and it tastes great! I am really shocked, I expected it to not taste as good as it is, as well as be perfectly carbonated at this point. I used DLME for priming.

Should I stick what I have in the fridge? Or is it best to leave it at fermentation temperatures? I dont want to have them over carbonate, at the same time I dont want to ruin any potential of them getting better with age.

I think I get what the OP is asking. I've wondered the same. I hear that many brews especially the darker ones just get better with time. If I'm patient enough to wait several months or even a year, should they be room temp the whole time or put in the fridge after the 3 week mark?

I guess the question is do they age better in the fridge or the closet once the carbination proccess is done?

 

[RM-MN]

I have parts of 8 different batches of beer and be darned if I'm going to get a refrigerator big enough to hold all of it. I think they really age better stored at room temperature and I've had some at that temperature since mid-September and they taste good. It took something like 2 months for my porter to "come together' and get really tasty. Even the cream ale tasted better after a month in the bottle.

 

[McGarnigle]

I guess the question is do they age better in the fridge or the closet once the carbination proccess is done?

They change less in the fridge. They 'mature' more at room temp. Whether you want that or not is another story. Want your Hefe to retain its freshness? Put it in the fridge. Want your Dubbel to develop depth of flavor? Leave it out.

 

[jwheelz]

They change less in the fridge. They 'mature' more at room temp. Whether you want that or not is another story. Want your Hefe to retain its freshness? Put it in the fridge. Want your Dubbel to develop depth of flavor? Leave it out.

That makes PERFECT sense. Thank you for clearing that up for me! :rockin: