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Author Topic: When is your beer ready? Poll  (Read 9091 times)

Offline malzig

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #15 on: April 11, 2011, 09:29:32 pm »
I'm surprised to hear extended lagering isn't beneficial.  I've only limited experience but it seems like 8-10 weeks was when my German pils hit its peak.
You don't find that a Pils is starting to loose hop character by 8-10 weeks?

Sure, the beer is perfectly fine at 10 weeks, but in my hands, the malt and hop flavors just don't seem to pop as well as they do earlier.  They all just start to blur together and get a little dull. 

Offline Pinski

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #16 on: April 11, 2011, 10:24:17 pm »
It really is interesting if not nerve racking to observe and learn how different yeast and ingredients work together.  Some seem to get down to it and wrap up their work in a couple weeks. Others like the honey beer I kegged last weekend, start fast and then settle in for a slow and steady five week fade. As long as the numbers are falling and the aromas are not off putting I'm able to fill a pint and ride along. 
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beveragebob

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #17 on: April 12, 2011, 04:35:00 am »
For Ales, "when their done"...see above.....for Lagers I adhere to the six month aging at close to freezing for a "sophisticated beer"
Unless of course if I screwed something up and it's a dumper but, most times it is elegant.

Offline oscarvan

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #18 on: April 12, 2011, 09:14:38 am »
My Dutch brewing forum friends say a week for every ten points..... Seems to be working for me. But, when you're out you're out and you grab the next one in the line....... ;D
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I brew WITH style..... not necessarily TO style.....

Offline micsager

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #19 on: April 12, 2011, 01:25:12 pm »
My beers are typically between 5% and 7%.  2 weeks in the primary and 1 week in the keg, drink.

+1

Offline malzig

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #20 on: April 12, 2011, 07:31:13 pm »
For Ales, "when their done"...see above.....for Lagers I adhere to the six month aging at close to freezing for a "sophisticated beer"
Unless of course if I screwed something up and it's a dumper but, most times it is elegant.
Six months! Damn!  I've been drinking a Dunkel this week that just passed 5 weeks.  It finished dropping brilliantly clear over the weekend and it's delicious.  I can't imagine that more time could make it any better.

I like to homebrew, in part, so I can get beers as fresh as the lagers I got in Germany growing up, which is difficult in the US.  If I wanted old beer I could buy the musty, bland imported stuff that's been sitting at my local pack-y collecting dust in the cold room.

Offline gmac

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #21 on: April 12, 2011, 07:53:43 pm »
It's never ready soon enough.  I'd say it's inversely proportional to how much you need beer.  Don't need it, it'll be ready soon.  Run out and you're gonna be waiting a while. 
I've been out of beer for a week now and my ESB is still bubbling away after 2 weeks.  It may get kegged tomorrow anyway.  I'm itching to brew and I only have 3 carboys and their all full.  It can finish up in the secondary keg for a week. 

Offline gsandel

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #22 on: April 12, 2011, 08:23:03 pm »
you have to watch and taste and brew, brew, brew to really know, but my experience with my brewery is two weeks in primary (usually done before then, but I work on beer on the weekends), and then it never tastes quite right until about 3-4 weeks....less for lighter beers, more for darker....and the when it has gone bad is the same....sooner for the wheat beer, over a year for the Porter.

My dark lagers have never gone bad, they have always run out before I got to their limit.

You wouldn't believe the things I've seen...

Offline skyler

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #23 on: April 13, 2011, 04:04:44 am »
I will say that I typically like my beers a bit more well-aged than most homebrewers - especially Belgians and high gravity beers. When I really want my beer ready fast, I find 1 week of cold conditioning and gelatin does as much for the beer as a month of cold alone.

Offline SpanishCastleAle

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #24 on: April 14, 2011, 08:29:43 am »
I agree with "it's done when it's done".  But to try and quantify it: generally for me, when it's dropped clear and fully carbonated...it's done.  There are exceptions.

Offline seajellie

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #25 on: April 14, 2011, 03:26:49 pm »
+1 to Skyler. I drink 'em fresh but usually bottle some to set aside, and I am truly astonished how incredible many of the homebrews taste after sitting in a dark cellar corner at 55 - 60 degrees for a year.

So my suggestion to the OP is as everyone has said; it's done when it's done. But if you can, set some aside of every batch for comparison's sake.

Some friends of mine found an amber ale (OG about 55) that I made over four years ago, sitting in their cellar. This beer traveled across the country in my trunk back then, in summer no less. They loved it so much that they decided that they had to take up homebrewing. Considering that they've been drinking beer for 30 years, I find that notable.

The aging of IPAs in particular interest me. It seems most homebrewers love them fresh; probably for the aroma. But if you consider the original of this style, they were anything BUT fresh. I like mine aged too, although yes, the aroma drops off.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2011, 03:32:03 pm by seajellie »

Offline weazletoe

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Re: When is your beer ready? Poll
« Reply #26 on: April 14, 2011, 04:58:24 pm »
 I let the beer tell me when it's ready. Normally for IPA, pale ales, wheat beer, I keg between 10 days and two weeks. At about the 7 day mark, I begin taking sample for "quality control", when it taste right, I keg it. For beer like porters and stouts, I secondary after two weeks, and let it sit another two or longer depending on the gravity, and yeast used. "quality control"begins at week three.
  On my house beers that I know, well, I just know when they are done, assuming all went to plan during fermentation, and I keg it by the calander.
A man works hard all week, so he doesn't have to wear pants all weekend.