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Piperbrew

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having only made canned kit beers so far which have been great apart from my most recent. I have learnt that leaving the beer , normally 4 weeks, that it greatly improves with this time.

My question is , what is the maximum you can leave a beer and what is the best time to leave most beers for improved taste?

I suppose from my past thinking, beer would not keep for anything over 8 weeks as not enough alcohol content , I have no doubt this is wrong.
 
Hi!
I was reading a comment on a US forum about ageing. The guy had brewed a "big" Imperial stout at 10% and had left it in the Corny in his keezer for a year.
 
The Brewferm Christmas kit I made and bottled last Christmas is bloody amazing now. It needed this long. That is up there alcohol content wise though. The pale ale I made is better now in the bottle (8 months on) then it was 6 months ago and that is middle of the road alcohol content wise. It depends on how you keep it, temperature you keep it at and how patient you are.
 
They all vary. Try a bottle every couple of weeks and see how they change. My youngs aipa was brewed months ago. I don't drink many as they're 6.5% but had one last night and it was really good ...rumours are the hops can fade but this seems OK for now. I've found stouts ok young but they do get better. Gunge is the king conditioner I believe...he works in days rather than months....
 
Piperbrew said:
having only made canned kit beers so far which have been great apart from my most recent. I have learnt that leaving the beer , normally 4 weeks, that it greatly improves with this time.

My question is , what is the maximum you can leave a beer and what is the best time to leave most beers for improved taste?

I suppose from my past thinking, beer would not keep for anything over 8 weeks as not enough alcohol content , I have no doubt this is wrong.
Click to expand...

Very interesting question. For my many kit beers, the answer was around 3-4 months from pitching the yeast would be good marker for its best.

Unfortunately, the whole initial point of doing kit beers is to get something quaff-able in about 3-4 weeks, max, which means that kit beers get a very bad press on the forum.

The length of time is, to a large extent, driven by the ABV of the beer.

As a last observation, 8 weeks is not a long time to keep any beer, of any strength.
 
Slid said:
Very interesting question. For my many kit beers, the answer was around 3-4 months from pitching the yeast would be good marker for its best.

Unfortunately, the whole initial point of doing kit beers is to get something quaff-able in about 3-4 weeks, max, which means that kit beers get a very bad press on the forum.

The length of time is, to a large extent, driven by the ABV of the beer.

As a last observation, 8 weeks is not a long time to keep any beer, of any strength.
Click to expand...


I think from the replies it is clear I can wait a fair bit longer till I sample my beers. I also forgot to say I keg my beers apart from the off one which might be bottled and be in the name 'Roo Brew' after my dog :thumb:
 
It’s more about the living things in the beer. That’s where time is not on our side. Some of the issues are that there isn’t a single strain of yeast in there but other yeasts and some can become aggressive when their numbers get large enough. If you pasteurize your beer it can last longer.
 
My general rule of thumb is high ABV and dark beers benefit from long conditioning times. And lower ABV and lighter beers can be drunk earlier.

Wheat beers can be drunk within a week or two of bottling. They are the ultimate 'quick beer'. My IPAs lose their hoppiness after 3/4 months, but are still decent drinks after this time.
 
In my experience until you have made a particular beer at least once you don't really know exactly how long it takes until it comes good, which you establish by trying it every two weeks or so after carbonation. The background to this are rules of thumb similar to those Martybhoy has said above.
In the end homebrewed beer conditioning/maturing time is like most things, and apart from the beer itself, is down to personal circumstances what you do, with individual's patience, brewing experience, taste expectations, and storage conditions and also capacity all entering into the equation. So what fits well with one brewer might not suit someone else.
 
terrym said:
In my experience until you have made a particular beer at least once you don't really know exactly how long it takes until it comes good, which you establish by trying it every two weeks or so after carbonation. ..............
Click to expand...

You know the beer has come good because the last bottle is sat on the shelf daring you to drink it. :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
For `normal' strength beers I've heard it said that bottled they'll last for up to a year, in a pressure barrel or keg it's 6 months. Best before dates on microbrewery bottles seem to confirm the former.
However... beer changes continually. It starts out pretty raw then after a few weeks conditioning it noticeably improves. Thereafter it continues to change, hops lose their flavour and bitterness, malt flavours keep on blending together. All this time from freshly bottled to getting a bit old it's all perfectly drinkable - but there is certainly a peak time.
 
I haven't been home brewing for long and I am also learning about bottling time - and patience being a virtue for the home brewer.
I brewed a Brewferm "Oud Vlaams Bruin" last year and it was superb so opened another can last Christmas to make it again.
I like the Belgian honey beers so decided to experiment and have a go using only honey for the sugar content. I tried a bottle in May and, to be honest, it was quite horrible so didn't open another bottle.
I have just been having a reorganisation of my home brew stuff and found the crate, opened a bottle (I was going to pour them down the sink and reuse the bottles) but decided to remind myself just how bad it was and can't believe how good it is after another 4 months doing its thing - almost identical to a Biekens honey beer.
I have just started a Brewferm Christmas and, having read the comments, this will now be bottled and put aside for Christmas 2019.
It is great to read the comments from the much more experienced home brewers, your knowledge and advice is very much appreciated.
I haven't made a Wheat beer yet but have a can (another Brewferm) so, from what people say, that could be ready for Christmas this year.
 

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