Aging Home Brewed Beer

Perhaps the most common mistake that those who are new to home beer making is that they drink it too quickly. When you are too impatient and don't let your brew age long enough you are often disappointed with the results. Based on the recipe you used, the majority of home brew beers require that, following the fermentation process, you allow the beer to age for a period of at the least two and as much as six weeks. Take note that these are the minimum advisable times. Should you let your home brew beer alone longer periods you will get better results.

Although it appears nothing is happening throughout this period nothing could be more wrong. During the aging process the yeast continues to ferment using the sugars that remain in the beer after the bottling process. This naturally enhances the carbonation of your brew. It’s this that gives your beer bubbles. The other thing that's going on is the yeast will begin to settle out from the brew itself. This helps the taste to become smoother and further enhances the flavors of the recipe you decided on to start with.

This aging process will vary widely depending on recipe brewed. The cause of this is the fact that flavor ingredients in each recipe vary and require different amounts of time to mature. You can easily find some beers recipes that will be ready to drink within two weeks and others that are recommended to age for four months.

Once you have bottled your beers, preferably in brown or amber colored glass bottles to protect the beer from Uv radiation, you'll need a secure, undisturbed spot to stash them while they age. Your new home brew beer should really be kept in a cool, dark place where they will not get moved about and the temperature never goes higher than the limitation suitable for the recipe you used. Different yeasts require different temperatures. This is usually 72 to 74 degrees and is never greater than 76 degrees.

Once your brand-new brew has aged and you are ready for that first sample, be sure you record just how long you let the batch age before sampling. The fact is, good documentation as to what happens with each batch you brew is a very good idea. Whenever you try various things and find different results, you are developing a written record of the techniques that work best for you and your home brewery. These records should help stop you from repeating mistakes and they are also a great resource for further ideas on what to try on the next brewing adventure.


Read more about home brewing beer at  homebrew supplies