Bottled Beer Consumption Time?

[Captain 3 Droids]

I number of people are not quite sure when to start consuming their bottled brews particularly those just starting out. Most brews will mature well over time, some take longer than others, eg. some lagers can be enjoyed early whilst stouts and high alcohol brews are best left for a considerable time.

It is best to keep some basic notes so you know what your thoughts have been. They don’t need to be complex and can be as simple as gas noise on opening (soft, loud -to indicate carbonation level), aroma, head retention in the glass, bubble activity in the glass (big bubbles, small, carbonation good) appearance (clear, see through, cloudy,- for those other than stout etc) and of course taste, then you can rate it (score out of ten). The process in general :-

Now crack a bottle at 2 weeks when carbonation should be complete (you want to anyway)
then 1 at 3 weeks, say 2 at 4 weeks, and 5 weeks and 3 at 6weeks  and rest at 7 weeks and 8 weeks. (or hold for longer with stouts, high alcohol etc)
You will be surprised at the changes. At first it’s a bit of a pain but you do need to build stocks. Most of us would brew brew brew and drink purchase beers until stocks were able to keep up with consumption. You’ll read recommendations of 6 to 8 weeks as best for most consumption however I think it’s important to establish the best time period to suit yourself. I drink some lagers at early, like 3/4 weeks as that’s how I like them but I have done the test.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Captain 3 Droids
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[Rob Courtney]

I will give my indications on some of the bottle varieties tomorrow. I may even break it into hop pouches and dry hopping as well to give people an idea of the difference.

Think this is a good idea for a thread as I remember about 18 months ago when I started brewing, I didn't come from a home brewing background so it was only on Liams advice that I started tasting the bottles at intervals.

[J P]

just in case anyone is as impatient as I am, don’t bother opening the beer before 2 weeks.  it’s drinkable and carbonated at 8 days... BUT it tastes like someone added a spoonful of sugar.   oh wait.   I did that....

[Rob Courtney]

On 24/04/2020 at 2:15 PM, Captain 3 Droids said:

I number of people are not quite sure when to start consuming their bottled brews particularly those just starting out. Most brews will mature well over time, some take longer than others, eg. some lagers can be enjoyed early whilst stouts and high alcohol brews are best left for a considerable time.

It is best to keep some basic notes so you know what your thoughts have been. They don’t need to be complex and can be as simple as gas noise on opening (soft, loud -to indicate carbonation level), aroma, head retention in the glass, bubble activity in the glass (big bubbles, small, carbonation good) appearance (clear, see through, cloudy,- for those other than stout etc) and of course taste, then you can rate it (score out of ten). The process in general :-

Now crack a bottle at 2 weeks when carbonation should be complete (you want to anyone)
then 1 at 2 weeks, 3 weeks, say 2 at 4 weeks, and 5 weeks and 3 at 6weeks  and rest at 7 weeks and 8 weeks. (or hold for longer with stouts, high alcohol etc)
You will be surprised at the changes. At first it’s a bit of a pain but you do need to build stocks. Most of us would brew brew brew and drink purchase beers until stocks were able to keep up with consumption. You’ll read recommendations of 6 to 8 weeks as best for most consumption however I think it’s important to establish the best time period to suit yourself. I drink some lagers at early, like 3/4 weeks as that how I like them but I have done the test.

I must say your high alcohol beers point is valid. When I did the Belgian strong ale, I spent a bit of time ( if I remember rightly) sampling a bottle every second week from 4 weeks. Those beers definitely benefit from time as they do just have an alcohol taste to them early on which diminishes as time goes on.

With the lagers I find that depending on the brew and your secondary temps ( under 16 slows down the process), tere is a lot to like about the 3 -5 week stage of the lager/pilsners and that they do change characteristics as they mature ( once again, depending on the brew, some are sensational at 4 months, some are better drunk earlier than that...8-10 weeks).

It's all a game of experimentation and I guess personal taste when it comes to it though.

Fun experimentation

 

[Dustin Frothman]

On 24/04/2020 at 2:15 PM, Captain 3 Droids said:

At first it’s a bit of a pain but you do need to build stocks. Most of us would brew brew brew and drink purchase beers until stocks were able to keep up with consumption. You’ll read recommendations of 6 to 8 weeks as best for most consumption however I think it’s important to establish the best time period to suit yourself. I drink some lagers at early, like 3/4 weeks as that how I like them but I have done the test.

This is really sage advice.

For anyone starting out brewing there's the excitement factor and a compulsion to try and "save some money" drinking their own beer. I think if you can be patient and build up your stocks to the point where output exceeds consumption you'll end up with better results as you'll likely be drinking your creations at their best rather than when under done and being unnecessarily disappointed.

Perhaps the BeerDroid should be packaged with 4 cartons of Coopers beers to get you started so that you're not tempted to crack your own too early.

[Captain 3 Droids]

3 minutes ago, Dustin Frothman said:

Perhaps the BeerDroid should be packaged with 4 cartons of Coopers beers to get you started so that you're not tempted to crack your own too early.

Now that is a good idea.

[Robert the Brews]

It only takes me 20 minutes  to consume a beer.

[Captain 3 Droids]

13 minutes ago, Captain Canuck said:

It only takes me 20 minutes  to consume a beer.

Must be too cold in Vancouver? 20min? You need to come for an Aussie summer and heat wave, 40C (104F) plus. 5 to 10min tops 😂🥵🍻

[Eltham Brauhaus]

6 hours ago, Captain 3 Droids said:

Must be too cold in Vancouver? 20min? You need to come for an Aussie summer and heat wave, 40C (104F) plus. 5 to 10min tops 😂🥵🍻

5 to 10 minutes??? Is that for 750ml? Under 5 minutes for a 450ml bottle in my house & that's when I am not thirsty.

[Captain 3 Droids]

6 minutes ago, Eltham Brewing House said:

5 to 10 minutes??? Is that for 750ml? Under 5 minutes for a 450ml bottle in my house & that's when I am not thirsty.

Ha, not the bottle but the glass -“Have 2 of these “you guts” beauties. 750ml Luigi Bormioli Birrateque. Great to drink from, keeps the beer fresh.”

[Eltham Brauhaus]

58 minutes ago, Captain 3 Droids said:

Ha, not the bottle but the glass -“Have 2 of these “you guts” beauties. 750ml Luigi Bormioli Birrateque. Great to drink from, keeps the beer fresh.”

I have 2 of these magnificent beauties also and used one tonight for a 450ml of Coopers Special Stout. it got to only half full so I had to get another bottle to top it up to do the glass justice. Some things you have to do.

Edited March 23, 2021 by Eltham Brewing House

[Gillies Brewing]

On 23/03/2021 at 5:25 PM, Captain 3 Droids said:

Ha, not the bottle but the glass -“Have 2 of these “you guts” beauties. 750ml Luigi Bormioli Birrateque. Great to drink from, keeps the beer fresh.”

I also got 2 of these. Wonderful glasses, but just needs another 50 ml for a full bottle with head

Great aroma from them!

[Steve Gyldenvand]

Okay, so I understand that most brews will benefit from additional conditioning/storage time. My question is, how important is the temperature in the storage area to that further development? I've been conditioning after bottling in a spare room that runs 18-20C, but I've always cellared my commercial beers in a basement (where I have more room) that runs 10-15C, depending on time of year. Will moving my homebrews to the basement after 2 weeks affect the further conditioning? Thanks for any advice.

[Rob Courtney]

On 21/02/2023 at 3:54 AM, Steve Gyldenvand said:

Okay, so I understand that most brews will benefit from additional conditioning/storage time. My question is, how important is the temperature in the storage area to that further development? I've been conditioning after bottling in a spare room that runs 18-20C, but I've always cellared my commercial beers in a basement (where I have more room) that runs 10-15C, depending on time of year. Will moving my homebrews to the basement after 2 weeks affect the further conditioning? Thanks for any advice.

I believe it is big for the first two weeks when it comes to bottling.

During winter, when the temp is in barely double or just single figures, I will take my new brew bottles and bring them into the loungeroom and put them under the stairs so I can keep a somewhat regular temp. I actually keep them in there for a month as I will have 3 brews at a time there. It helps with the carbonation and flavour. After that time i can keep them in the brew room and the main part has gone on.

In saying that, it is always a slower process than through summer when the beers get to sit between 18-26 degree and just zoom along. There is nothing against having the beers in a colder temp, just the catrbonation and conditioning will take longer