How Long Do I Wait

[Rik]

Hey guy's,
Sorry for this really silly question, But how long after the beer has been bottled should i wait before cracking one open.
Ive been reading 2 weeks but my trustworthy local homebrew shop told me 2-3 months???
I'm sure I cant wait that long before I sink one...
Can you please shed light on the amount of time>>
Thanks

 

[Pollux]

Most are carbed up within 1-2 weeks, dependant upon storage temperature.

I've found some of mine tasted great after only 6 days in the bottle, while others have improved greatly from being left for a few more weeks or months.

Provided they are carbed up (PETs come in handy as an estimation tool for this) there's no harm in chilling one and trying it. Just keep in mind it may not be at it's peak so don't be too disappointed.

 

[Paleman]

Hey guy's,
Sorry for this really silly question, But how long after the beer has been bottled should i wait before cracking one open.
Ive been reading 2 weeks but my trustworthy local homebrew shop told me 2-3 months???
I'm sure I cant wait that long before I sink one...
Can you please shed light on the amount of time>>
Thanks

Depends on what you want it to taste like. Two weeks it will be carbonated enough, and drinkable. But three months it would have matured and will be much better.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Try one at 2 weeks

Try another at 3 weeks etc

Beer while will be drinkable at 2 weeks but will improve given time

Once you build up a stash of various batches storing the beers for 2 - 3 months won't be a problem

Cheers

Edit: Much gooder english.

 

[chappo1970]

Hey guy's,
Sorry for this really silly question, But how long after the beer has been bottled should i wait before cracking one open.
Ive been reading 2 weeks but my trustworthy local homebrew shop told me 2-3 months???
I'm sure I cant wait that long before I sink one...
Can you please shed light on the amount of time>>
Thanks

2 weeks min. Remember it may still be a little green at that stage. I could never wait so I would crack one after a week just to see how it was going. Generally I found about 4 weeks was when most brews hit thier mark. Depends of style of course.

Cheers

Chappo

 

[discoloop]

I found about 4 weeks was when most brews hit thier mark

+1

 

[Rik]

Thanks for all your advise, You make it sound simple

 

[devo]

Most are carbed up within 1-2 weeks, dependant upon storage temperature.

I've found some of mine tasted great after only 6 days in the bottle, while others have improved greatly from being left for a few more weeks or months.

Provided they are carbed up (PETs come in handy as an estimation tool for this) there's no harm in chilling one and trying it. Just keep in mind it may not be at it's peak so don't be too disappointed.

mmm a little green for my liking. I never touch a bottle less than 4 weeks old.

 

[muckey]

True older is usually better but if its a first brew who can wait 4 weeks :icon_drunk:

It'll need 2 weeks for reasonable cabonation but longer is better

 

[Renegade]

Unless its a wheat beer you brew. Our house has a strict rule that no wheat beer should age for more than four weeks.

Well, that's the rule we created because we drink it so quickly.

 

[Pollux]

mmm a little green for my liking. I never touch a bottle less than 4 weeks old.

Depends on the style... I grabbed one of the few remaining bottles of my first AG the other day, it was dry hopped and when I first tried it (roughly 7 days in the bottle) it was great and full of flavour. It's rather bland now, no prominent malt or hop flavours, just tastes like ummmm, beer.

 

[j1gsaw]

The only time i will drink one at 2 weeks is just to make sure it turned out ok, but otherwise i wouldnt even look at them until a month minimum.
As stated above... gets far better with age.... like Nikki Webster! hahaha

 

[mckenry]

Hey guy's,
Sorry for this really silly question, But how long after the beer has been bottled should i wait before cracking one open.
Ive been reading 2 weeks but my trustworthy local homebrew shop told me 2-3 months???
I'm sure I cant wait that long before I sink one...
Can you please shed light on the amount of time>>
Thanks

When you move to kegs, it'll be a matter of days

 

[Nick JD]

0 days, 0 hours, 45 seconds.

...I always have half a glass of the stuff while I'm bottling. :beerbang: I taste at each and every step of the way. It's important to become one with the beer.

 

[daemon]

As most have already stated, 2 weeks is the minimum but two months things really start to settle down and balance out. However, there's no harm drinking them as soon as they're carbed (usually 1 week) and it can be a good thing if you're new to it all. Write down how it tastes and think about any standout flavours. Compare it again each week and you'll get an idea of why it's recommended to wait for a bit. To me understanding why is important, and it's also an excuse to try a few early

 

[Carboy]

Hi, I always try my bottled beer on the 21st day after bottling. Like Chappo and others, I have found some beers to be very nice at the 3 week mark, and others just get better as the weeks and months pass by.

My observations have found that head retention and green beer taste to be the most notable issues that you will come across when you drink early.

If you are relevantly new to home brewing like me, you need to developed your palate for home brew and work on understanding what your beer should taste like when it comes out of a bottle or keg i.e. the difference between lagers, bitters, ales, etc. I have taken a few beers to my LHBS owner (at Kambah) thinking that they were not up to scratch, only to be told that they were spot-on and I should be proud of them.

We all have different taste buds so don't be put off by family and friends having a different opinion of how your brew tastes.

I always cellar 6 bottles out of each brew (114 in the cellar now), I keep these to try at the 6 month mark after bottling, and if they're okay I will hold them longer just to get an idea how the beer changes over the course of a year. (I've only tossed one batch (6 bottles) in 7 months.

Have fun

Cheers
Carboy :icon_cheers:

 

[loikar]

2 weeks and I'm into them.

I drink roughly about a carton a week, the last 6 always taste the best.
I'm "trying" to build my stocks up, to leave them longer, but you know, supply and demand :icon_drunk:

 

[woodmac66]

I am also new to brewing and couldn't wait and went straight to kegs for that reason...
I still have bottled some though !!!!
Kegs are awesome!

 

[KGB]

Kegging is definitely the way to go.
Having said that, I've just started a toucan using coopers stout, coopers dark ale and 500g brown sugar. This one will be bottled and stored since it will only be an occasional drinker. Bottles will also allow me to take a bottle or 3 to share with friends etc. Being a pretty heavy beer (OG ~1090) I'm expecting it to take a while to mature - maybe 2-3 months minimum. What do you guys reckon?

 

[Muggus]

Having said that, I've just started a toucan using coopers stout, coopers dark ale and 500g brown sugar. This one will be bottled and stored since it will only be an occasional drinker. Bottles will also allow me to take a bottle or 3 to share with friends etc. Being a pretty heavy beer (OG ~1090) I'm expecting it to take a while to mature - maybe 2-3 months minimum. What do you guys reckon?

Yeah, best of leaving strong beers for longer. Not just to ferment, but to mature.
At least a couple of months for a stronger, darker beer. You might find that such a beer will hits its prime after 6 months in the bottle, if you're willing to wait that long!