The taste of premature homebrew?

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Date: 07 Aug 2006 08:45:36
From:
Subject: The taste of premature homebrew?

I've found that a lot of my beers don't taste great until they've aged
a good 6-12 months. Indeed I've read how a lot of beers that are
"freshly brewed" really don't taste right and that they need to mellow.

So exactly what tastes/aroma/etc characterize a beer that still needs
more time?

Also is it correct that pale ales age to perfection in only a matter of
weeks?

Tim

Date: 07 Aug 2006 12:05:04
From: The Artist Formerly Known as Kap'n Salty
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

hodyoaten@gmail.com wrote:
> I've found that a lot of my beers don't taste great until they've aged
> a good 6-12 months. Indeed I've read how a lot of beers that are
> "freshly brewed" really don't taste right and that they need to mellow.
>
> So exactly what tastes/aroma/etc characterize a beer that still needs
> more time?
>
> Also is it correct that pale ales age to perfection in only a matter of
> weeks?
>
> Tim
>

There's no hard and fast rule here. Very big beers usually want more
aging, but there are many exceptions.

In my case, my moderate grav pale ales seem to be tasty a couple of
weeks after pitching. My doppelbocks, on the other hand, usually want 5
or 6 months of aging at least. But then I have a particluar doppelbock
recipe that is pretty good after 6-8 weeks or so of lagering, but
improves with age.

My really big beers (over 1.100) always need many months. Moderate grav
lagers (< 1.058) usually only need a couple of months at the most.

--
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Date: 07 Aug 2006 09:53:48
From: Denny Conn
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

hodyoaten@gmail.com wrote:

> Also is it correct that pale ales age to perfection in only a matter of
> weeks?

There's just no way to generalize about aging beers. Depending on your
tastes, the style, and the ingredients, ANY beer could be ready to drink
in a a week or 2, or could take months or yeasr to be ready.

-------- >Denny

--
Life begins at 60...1.060, that is.

Date: 07 Aug 2006 16:08:24
From: Duke
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

<hodyoaten@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:1154965536.793441.146470@n13g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> I've found that a lot of my beers don't taste great until they've aged
> a good 6-12 months. Indeed I've read how a lot of beers that are
> "freshly brewed" really don't taste right and that they need to mellow.
>
> So exactly what tastes/aroma/etc characterize a beer that still needs
> more time?
>
> Also is it correct that pale ales age to perfection in only a matter of
> weeks?
>
> Tim
>

I don't think there is going to be a right or wrong answer as to what beers
need what amount of time. The correct time to drink a beer, at least for
me, is when it tastes best. Then again I think all of my beers taste best
during their entire life cycle. :) I brew 10 gallon batches and then
keg. The beer is constantly changing in flavors. The longer it takes me to
finish off the 10 gallons the more flavor changes the beer seems to go
through. For my beers, at least, the early stages seem to exhibit the most
hop flavor while the latter stages seem to exhibit the most malt flavor.
Brews will change taste over time, when it is best to drink I think can only
be decided by yourself.

Just my thoughts,

Duke

Date: 07 Aug 2006 23:27:06
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

Date: 08 Aug 2006 17:10:09
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

On Mon, 07 Aug 2006 23:27:06 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net > wrote:
> I'm kegging my beers, and I've found that no matter how long they condition
> in the keg they don't get better until I start in on them. My guess is that
> there isn't enough head room in the keg to force carbonate. Once I get a
> gallon into a fresh batch it starts to develope a head and the carbonated bite.

If you just hit it with pressure and then turn off the gas, the headspace
is only going to contain a really small amount of CO2. In that case, yeah,
it'll probably take forever to carbonate a keg that way. If you connect the
gas, turn it on and leave it on, then it should not matter how big/small the
headspace is.

John.

Date: 08 Aug 2006 22:06:37
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:

> On Mon, 07 Aug 2006 23:27:06 -0400, <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>I'm kegging my beers, and I've found that no matter how long they condition
>>in the keg they don't get better until I start in on them. My guess is that
>>there isn't enough head room in the keg to force carbonate. Once I get a
>>gallon into a fresh batch it starts to develope a head and the carbonated bite.
>
>
> If you just hit it with pressure and then turn off the gas, the headspace
> is only going to contain a really small amount of CO2. In that case, yeah,
> it'll probably take forever to carbonate a keg that way. If you connect the
> gas, turn it on and leave it on, then it should not matter how big/small the
> headspace is.

No, I leave it on for weeks.. I have it at 15 PSI. When I put the keg in the
fridge, it serves with no head and not really conditioned. After a week or so
of hitting it, I notice a considerable change.

--
Dan

Date:
From:
Subject:

Date: 07 Aug 2006 12:45:46
From: Larry Bristol
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

hodyoaten@gmail.com wrote:

> I've found that a lot of my beers don't taste great until they've aged
> a good 6-12 months. Indeed I've read how a lot of beers that are
> "freshly brewed" really don't taste right and that they need to mellow.
>
> So exactly what tastes/aroma/etc characterize a beer that still needs
> more time?
>
> Also is it correct that pale ales age to perfection in only a matter of
> weeks?

The previous answers you have received are very good (IMHO). There is no
hard and fast rule for how long a beer should "age" before it is ready. It
seems to vary by a lot of factors, including the style, specific
ingredients used, how it is conditioned, stored, its temperature, and so
forth and so on.

The sign of a beer that still needs to "age" (to my tastes) is a perception
that the various flavors present are sharp and distinct. A little aging
rounds off the corners, making the flavors blend together more, and to
compliment each other, rather than fighting among each other in an attempt
to capture your attention. It's not really that easy to describe, but we
all know it when we taste it!

It has long been my opinion that paler beers tend to "age" sooner than
darker beers. I have no explanation.

--
Larry Bristol --- The Double Luck
http://www.doubleluck.com

Date: 07 Aug 2006 17:40:41
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

On 7 Aug 2006 08:45:36 -0700, <hodyoaten@gmail.com > wrote:
> I've found that a lot of my beers don't taste great until they've aged
> a good 6-12 months. Indeed I've read how a lot of beers that are
> "freshly brewed" really don't taste right and that they need to mellow.
>
> So exactly what tastes/aroma/etc characterize a beer that still needs
> more time?

A lot of it depends on the style, as well as personal preference. Over time
the yeast will work to remove left over by-products from fermentation and
blend/mellow flavors, as well as the hops mellowing.

> Also is it correct that pale ales age to perfection in only a matter of
> weeks?

There is no such thing as the "correct" amount of time for aging any beer.
It really comes down to when you personally think it tastes best. Two
different beer drinkers may think that the same beer tastes "best" at two
completely different levels of aging.

In general, I would think that a pale ale would age more quickly than
something like a barleywine.

John.

Date: 08 Aug 2006 10:34:12
From: Gerard Eberlein
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

<hodyoaten@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:1154965536.793441.146470@n13g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> I've found that a lot of my beers don't taste great until they've aged
> a good 6-12 months. Indeed I've read how a lot of beers that are
> "freshly brewed" really don't taste right and that they need to mellow.
>
> So exactly what tastes/aroma/etc characterize a beer that still needs
> more time?
>
> Also is it correct that pale ales age to perfection in only a matter of
> weeks?
>
> Tim
>

I'll never know if my beer will get better with age. I tend to start
drinking them after one week bottled, if they have a decent carbonation, and
finish it up when it seems to be perfect. especially my hefe I found
actually better at 2 weeks bottled vs. 4 weeks. The only exception to my way
is an RIS I made for my first brew which may sit till christmas. It tastes
like blood and pennies at my last tasting. Figure it can't hurt to see if it
will mellow with age.

Gerard

Date: 10 Aug 2006 10:37:00
From: Lee
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

That's like saying you always find something in the last place you
look.

Well, no kiddin'.

The beer is always best when you get to the last one!

I should write that down....

I only WISH I could have a beer that was 6 or more months old.

Lee

Gerard Eberlein wrote:
> <hodyoaten@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1154965536.793441.146470@n13g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> > I've found that a lot of my beers don't taste great until they've aged
> > a good 6-12 months. Indeed I've read how a lot of beers that are
> > "freshly brewed" really don't taste right and that they need to mellow.
> >
> > So exactly what tastes/aroma/etc characterize a beer that still needs
> > more time?
> >
> > Also is it correct that pale ales age to perfection in only a matter of
> > weeks?
> >
> > Tim
> >
>
> I'll never know if my beer will get better with age. I tend to start
> drinking them after one week bottled, if they have a decent carbonation, and
> finish it up when it seems to be perfect. especially my hefe I found
> actually better at 2 weeks bottled vs. 4 weeks. The only exception to my way
> is an RIS I made for my first brew which may sit till christmas. It tastes
> like blood and pennies at my last tasting. Figure it can't hurt to see if it
> will mellow with age.
>
> Gerard

Date: 10 Aug 2006 17:57:09
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

On 10 Aug 2006 10:37:00 -0700, <ukchay.eelyay@gmail.com > wrote:
> That's like saying you always find something in the last place you
> look.
>
> Well, no kiddin'.
>
> The beer is always best when you get to the last one!
>
> I should write that down....

There is such a thing as too old though. It's true that beer gets better
with age, but eventually you'll reach a peak and it will start to decline.
Most people never wait that long though. ;)

John.

Date: 11 Aug 2006 11:55:22
From: Larry Bristol
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:

> There is such a thing as too old though. It's true that beer gets better
> with age, but eventually you'll reach a peak and it will start to decline.
> Most people never wait that long though. ;)

I think that must be because one is supposed to *DRINK* beer. Unlike wine,
which is apparently supposed to be put into nice racks where one can show
off the fancy bottles collecting all that dust, and talk about how one owns
the last three bottles in the known world of that particular winery's
vintage, and how each one is now world 40 grazillion dollars! <VBG >

OK, so I have some nice bottles of wine I sometimes think of in those sort
of terms. OTOH, I also make my own wine (nothing special - I just use
those boxed wine kits), and don't give it a second thought when I pull the
cork on the last bottle of any given batch.

--
Larry Bristol --- The Double Luck
http://www.doubleluck.com

Date: 11 Aug 2006 17:27:07
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

On Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:55:22 -0500, <larry.remove@remove.doubleluck.com > wrote:
> John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
>
>> There is such a thing as too old though. It's true that beer gets better
>> with age, but eventually you'll reach a peak and it will start to decline.
>> Most people never wait that long though. ;)
>
> I think that must be because one is supposed to *DRINK* beer. Unlike wine,
> which is apparently supposed to be put into nice racks where one can show
> off the fancy bottles collecting all that dust, and talk about how one owns
> the last three bottles in the known world of that particular winery's
> vintage, and how each one is now world 40 grazillion dollars! <VBG>

The longest I've let something age was a raspberry mead for around 5 years.
It was *really* good when I finally opened it.

John.

Date: 11 Aug 2006 13:16:30
From: Larry Bristol
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:

> The longest I've let something age was a raspberry mead for around 5
> years. It was *really* good when I finally opened it.

I'd bet it was! I had a couple of bottles of a light sparkling mead that
got "lost" in the back of a storage area under the stairs in my old house
that we discovered while doing some preliminary packing to move. They were
over 10 years old! We celebrated closing the sale of the old house by
popping one. It was ambrosia! The day construction was completed on our
new house and we moved in, we celebrated by popping the other. It was
crap! [They were in those old Groslsch-type bottles with the porcelain
stopper and a rubber washer. Apparently the seal was less than perfect on
the second bottle.] <G >

--
Larry Bristol --- The Double Luck
http://www.doubleluck.com

Date: 11 Aug 2006 13:41:38
From: Don Levey
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

John 'Shaggy' Kolesar <spam@shagg.net > writes:

> On Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:55:22 -0500, <larry.remove@remove.doubleluck.com> wrote:
> >
> > I think that must be because one is supposed to *DRINK* beer. Unlike wine,
> > which is apparently supposed to be put into nice racks where one can show
> > off the fancy bottles collecting all that dust, and talk about how one owns
> > the last three bottles in the known world of that particular winery's
> > vintage, and how each one is now world 40 grazillion dollars! <VBG>
>
> The longest I've let something age was a raspberry mead for around 5 years.
> It was *really* good when I finally opened it.
>
I've still got one last bottle of a cherry mead I did for a wedding.
It's 13.5 years and counting...
--
Don Levey $ cd /pub
Framingham, MA $ more beer
NOTE: email server uses spam filters; mail sent to salearn@the-leveys.us
will be used to tune the blocking lists.

Date: 11 Aug 2006 13:17:56
From: Larry Bristol
Subject: Re: The taste of premature homebrew?

Don Levey wrote:

> I've still got one last bottle of a cherry mead I did for a wedding.
> It's 13.5 years and counting...

If you're having some sort of hesitation about drinking the last of its
kind, send it to me. I don't have any such hangups! <VBG >

--
Larry Bristol --- The Double Luck
http://www.doubleluck.com