Why are so many people letting beer sit so long??

[bragona71]

My friends and neighbors who like free beer.

++++++ 10000 cant brew fast enough around here

 

[Rhumbline]

I've always had the question of why so many homebrewers let their beer sit in primary or secondary for soooo long. Aside from sours, fruit beers and high gravity beers, isn't anything over 1 week in primary and 1 week in secondary bad for the beer? Most commercial brewers thrive on freshness and usually see turn around from brew to glass in around 2 weeks. So why do some homebrewers feel the need to let their beer sit in a closet for weeks and sometimes months? My only thoughts are they either just get lazy and can't find the time to transfer/keg or they brew bad beer that requires time to mellow out harsh flavors/aromas. I do session IPAs and wheat beers from grain to glass in around 12 days and these beers have both gone on to get gold medals. So I'm just wanting to hear why people think their beer should sit so long. Cheers!

Ok so here's one for you, how the f$&k are you on here for five years and have 40 posts?

To answer your specific question, you don't have much familiarity with stouts, beer de garde, or anything else that might have some complexity to its flavor profile. Educate yourself, expand your horizons, try something other than the weak IPA.

There's a whole world of beer out there.

 

[ANewrBrewr]

Ok so here's one for you, how the f$&k are you on here for five years and have 40 posts?

To answer your specific question, you don't have much familiarity with stouts, beer de garde, or anything else that might have some complexity to its flavor profile. Educate yourself, expand your horizons, try something other than the weak IPA.

There's a whole world of beer out there.

*harsh I don't post much because I don't have many questions that haven't been already answered on the site, so instead of starting new threads I just soak up all the info! I've brewed over 30 styles and I've received gold medals in 5 different styles (including a 2 week stout) so I do have the ability to brew other beers and my horizons have expanded slightly...lol However I won't brew styles of beer I don't like to drink. I'm simply talking about the folks out there that are brewing reds, browns, pales, etc. and leaving them in fermenters for months. For these styles I think freshness is important. Just my thoughts...

 

[RmikeVT]

Ok so here's one for you, how the f$&k are you on here for five years and have 40 posts?

To answer your specific question, you don't have much familiarity with stouts, beer de garde, or anything else that might have some complexity to its flavor profile. Educate yourself, expand your horizons, try something other than the weak IPA.

There's a whole world of beer out there.

I think the OP was excluding the beers you mentioned in his statement when he said "High Gravity" beers. Which would include many stout styles and definitely biere de garde. It is quite obvious that he was referring to standard and lower gravity ales (red, scotch, english pale, american pale, english brown, blonde, wheat and the list goes on). And you can definitely turn around a Dry Stout in 2 or 3 weeks if brewed properly without detriment to flavor.

 

[55x11]

++++++ 10000 cant brew fast enough around here

How quickly do you brew then, that waiting an extra week or so for each batch makes such a big difference? How many carboys do you have? Give me an idea of why, say 1 week vs 2 week fermentation, is so crucial to your system.

Like I said, I can brew every 5 days (6 batches a month) and still keep my 2 week primary process.
It's not the frequency of brewing it's the fermenting and keg/bottle capacity that matters n

 

[ANewrBrewr]

i think the op was excluding the beers you mentioned in his statement when he said "high gravity" beers. Which would include many stout styles and definitely biere de garde. It is quite obvious that he was referring to standard and lower gravity ales. And you can definitely turn around a dry stout in 2 or 3 weeks if brewed properly without detriment to flavor.

amen!

 

[RmikeVT]

Also, not sure if you've seen this sticky:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=84005

 

[ANewrBrewr]

For me it's not a matter of ramping up production of beer rather I'm just anxious to drink it! So I slowly started kegging beer earlier and earlier with every batch and found the flavor was getting better not worse. So now I just wait till gravity is terminal (usually 4-6 days) and then rack into secondary for just a few days to help clear it up. Even when I dry hop I use whole cones and feel that if they sit on the beer for longer than a few days I start to get faint hints of an oxidized and/or vegetable flavor, pellets may be different.

 

[Rhumbline]

Ok, let me make it simpler.

Why does it bother you how long some random person on the Internet lets his or her beer age?

How is your enjoyment of life diminished by me leaving a Saison to age for one week longer than you have determined is appropriate?

 

[ANewrBrewr]

Also, not sure if you've seen this sticky:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=84005

Fantastic!

 

[ANewrBrewr]

Ok, let me make it simpler.

Why does it bother you how long some random person on the Internet lets his or her beer age?

How is your enjoyment of life diminished by me leaving a Saison to age for one week longer than you have determined is appropriate?

I'm not bothered by anything people do. I was just seeing if there was a secret key to success that people gained by leaving beer to age longer, and the consensus says there is not. So age on!

 

[bobbytuck]

The real question -- and this goes back to the OP -- is why in the world are you using a secondary? No one does that anymore -- and if you do, you're just risking infection -- and you're wasting effort and time.

7-10 days in the temp-controlled primary max. Crash for 24 hours. Keg w/finings. Lager. 1-2 weeks, drink.

Boom.

 

[ANewrBrewr]

The real question -- and this goes back to the OP -- is why in the world are you using a secondary? No one does that anymore -- and if you do, you're just risking infection -- and you're wasting effort and time.

7-10 days in the primary max. Crash for 24 hours. Keg w/finings. Lager.

I've thought a lot about this, because not only do I risk infection when racking, but it's just another step requiring work and cleaning!! lol However I've found that as soon as I rack into secondary I get a pretty quick clearing of the beer that I wouldn't get if I left it in primary (I did a side by side of a ten gallon batch that I split). However I'd love to get away from using a secondary.

 

[Rhumbline]

I'm not bothered by anything people do. I was just seeing if there was a secret key to success that people gained by leaving beer to age longer, and the consensus says there is not. So age on!

The consensus of what, five people?

Keep drinking the weak stuff that tastes like pine cones and lawn clippings.

 

[Yooper]

The consensus of what, five people?

Keep drinking the weak stuff that tastes like pine cones and lawn clippings.

Really, that's not helpful. Remember what your momma (and me) always said, "If you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all". Or, more like my saying, "If you can't be helpful, consider refraining from posting anything because our forum rule is 'don't be a dick'". Either way, not bad advise there that more people should take to heart.

Anyway.........I'm one of those who believe that a well made beer doesn't need aging much. If you don't set up conditions to create off flavors in the first place, the beer doesn't need time to age some of those flavors out. (Some never go away).

There are exceptions. Beers with a high ABV, complex ingredients and flavors, lots of roasted flavors, etc- those will benefit from aging.

But I've never understood the whole "a month in the primary" movement myself. If the beer is done, and clear, it's not going to get any doner.

 

[user 204491]

Interesting thread and definitely something that I've been thinking about lately. I'll be the first to admit I'm still pretty much a noob here, but I spent quite a bit of time researching and talking with friends about how to make really great beer right out of the gate. For me that means...

- Always pitching very healthy starters when they are at their peak
- Aerating with pure oxygen for each batch when I pitch the yeast
- Dual stage temperature control to keep fermentation temp spot on the entire time
- Not futzing with the beer once it's in the fermenter and just let it do its thing
- Only using a secondary when it is absolutely required
- Purging with CO2 after each sample, dry hop addition, transfer, etc. Basically any time you open the fermenter up for some reason

With those methods, for all grain, I generally turn around batches in 2-3 weeks. I do not keg, so that 2-3 weeks is time to the bottle, not time to the glass. Bottle conditioning generally adds another 2-3 weeks for me.

If the beer is not dry hopped, I simply leave it for 14 days, take a gravity reading, and if it's what I think it should be, I cold crash for 2-3 days and then bottle. I generally do almost all of my brewing activity on the weekend, so sometimes that 2-3 days turns into 6 or 7, but that's really just to fit my schedule.

If the beer is dry hopped, then I still leave it for 14 days, take a gravity reading, and provided it's where it needs to be, I dry hop for about 5 days, cold crash for about 2, and then bottle at +21 days from brew day.

With my last batch I started adding clearing with gelatin to my techniques, but that didn't add any extra time overall. I just waited until the cold crash was under 50 degrees, added the gelatin and continued with my cold crash.

I honestly don't see how I could shorten that schedule all that much, but I am looking forward to when I start kegging so then it's 2-3 weeks grain to glass instead of grain to bottle.

 

[ANewrBrewr]

The consensus of what, five people?

Keep drinking the weak stuff that tastes like pine cones and lawn clippings.

To each their own. However I think brewing light beers is actually more challenging, you can't hide any off flavors in such a simple beer. On the other hand when it comes to some 12%+, barrel-aged, coffee, Belgium ester, specialty grain induced beers you can dunk a dead cat into the fermenter and the flavor would get lost...

 

[The_Bishop]

Bah. If you keg, it's as easy as using whirlfloc @ 15 min and fining with Gelatin after 2 days burst carbing. Clear beer in 24-48 hrs after the gelatin hits it.

Try the whirlfloc at 5 minutes. It's crazy how much more effective it is. 15 minutes of boiling denatures most of it.

My process: Brew, pitch and ferment for usually 10 days. Cold crash primary down to near freezing. Hit with gelatin as soon as near freezing, give it 2-3 days until crystal clear. Rack to keg, carb away.

I prefer to put clear beer in the keg; that's just me.

 

[Yooper]

I'm drinking a beer right now that is 13 days old.

It was brewed, fermented out by day 8, and dryhopped on day 8. On day 11, it was kegged.

It's a fairly low OG beer (1.048), hoppy, and enough yeast was pitched at the proper fermentation temperature. I don't use gelatin (just in case a friend is vegetarian) but the beer is clear and carbed up by day 13.

It's actually very good. Now, you have to take my word for that but I am a certified BJCP judge and have some experience so maybe you could trust me on that.

One of the things about a longer primary is that there is some yeast character imparted by the length of time on the trub. The interesting thing is that about 1/2 of the brewers like that, and about half prefer the lesser time.

An interesting listen is a podcast by Basic Brewing Radio. They did an experiment of what we are talking about- a short primary, and a long primary. Then there was a taste test. Preferences were about evenly divided on which was better.

So my suggestion is to try it yourself. See which YOU prefer. Whatever your preference is is the correct amount of time in the fermenter for YOUR beer. My preference is less yeast character and shorter time- yours may be the same. Or not.

Don't let anybody tell you what YOUR preference is!

 

[Natdavis777]

The consensus of what, five people?

Keep drinking the weak stuff that tastes like pine cones and lawn clippings.

Why are you letting the OPs original question bother you so much? Its a valid question, that the OP would just like some insight on. As stated, if you are not going to contribute anything useful, abstain from posting... No need for attacks.

I think this would be a good time for you to RDWHAHB

 

[Bobby_M]

I think this would be a good time for you to RDWHAHB

In 3-4 weeks.


My reaction to the question was immediately, "why is everyone in such a hurry?". Sure, I know big parties come up and not everyone has 20 kegs on deck but I do feel like some people treat grain to glass as a personal challenge.

If I borderline on overpitching to blast through primary at ideal temps and use some kind of finings during a cold crash, I can get decent beer into the keg in 10 days. No matter, the beer still gets better after about 2 weeks in the keg in the cold. I suspect a lot has to do with even more yeast falling out of suspension and I could rush that by filtering but I don't want to. I'm fine with brewing a batch and waiting a month to start drinking it because I have 5 other beers that came before it.

 

[ol-hazza]

Most commercial brewers thrive on freshness and usually see turn around from brew to glass in around 2 weeks.

One thing (some) commercial (and some fancy schmancy home) breweries have on their side is pressurised fermentation, which lowers the creation of certain off flavours and allows them to ferment at higher temps and complete fermentation quicker. Just don't ask me any more questions about it because thats all I know and might not even be right.

'don't be a dick'.

lol, reminds me off the time

 

[lowtones84]

I only bottle condition (and polypin condition), and if your processes are good and you have a relatively low OG beer, you can certainly have a really nice beer in around 20 days as a bottler. I've made several bitters that never tasted better than they did after 10 days in the bottle (8 days room temp, 2 in fridge.)

This forum is a truly awesome resource, but sometimes certain information gets spread as homebrew law when it shouldn't be. As Yoop said, try some things for yourself and draw your own conclusions. And don't think you can't be drinking good beer in 3 weeks just because you bottle condition!

 

[chisena]

All depends on the beer. Many styles like Brown Ales, Stouts, and Strong Ales take time to come into their own. For those, the best beer I get always seems to be the last one I pull from the keg! Others like wheats, IPAs, and Pales can be turned relatively quickly. Although I never had great results force carbing so I always gotta factor in some time for achieving a quality carbonation.

PS. There are off flavors that can result from serving to early... Again, depending on the style.

 

[C-Rider]

12 days?? ****...i bottle mine after 2 and start drinkin em 2 days after that!

lol

 

[chisena]

lol

Just drink the wort.

 

[ol-hazza]

Just drink the wort.

Just eat the barley

 

[SlimsBeard]

My brewing process has slowly evolved over the last year and fermentation/conditioning time depends a lot on beer style, but taking my Blonde Ale as an example, it can go from grain to glass in <14 days, but my average is probably 21 days (2 week primary, 1 week carbonating) for most beers depending on my free time and if I cold crash it before I keg.

 

[Rhumbline]

Harsh, sure. But let's take a glance back at the original post...

My only thoughts are they either just get lazy and can't find the time to transfer/keg or they brew bad beer that requires time to mellow out harsh flavors/aromas.

It didn't strike me as an innocent quest for knowledge.

 

[oljimmy]

For most "new" Brewers though they aren't going to be kegging right out the gates. As well new brewers need to learn patience. Starting right away going full bored trying to do a grain to glass in 14 days as a new brewer is a quick way to make bad beer (or beer you have to wait forever for it to lose its green flavor).

Oh, sorry, I didn't mean so suggest that new brewers should be shooting for 14 days grain to glass! The point is that they can do primary in 14 days. If they bottle and that takes another 14, great, that's beer in a month. But they lose two weeks for basically nothing when they let the beer sit in primary/secondary for 31 days, that's beer in a month and a half. (of course this excludes beers that need conditioning and high-gravity beers)