We just bottled some Oketober fest last weekend(JAN30) and I was biting at the chomp to try this batch. The wife says I need to let it sit for atleast two wks before I can drink any? So how soon after its bottled will it be ready?
Your wife has it right. If you were to open a bottle after only one week, you'd likely find it a little bit flat. The flavor wouldn't be quite right either. It won't be terrible, but if you wait a little while it will be better. The heavier the beer, the longer it seems to improve with age. The longer it sits, the better the yeast sticks to the bottom of the bottle, I think. That makes it easier to pour a clear glass-full. Cheers!
Karl S.
Your wife is right. For an oktoberfest, it might even take longer, maybe a month or more to carbonate, but you can try one after two weeks to see how it's doing. If you leave it at warm temperatures (65 to 70 F) it will carbonate much faster than if you put it in the refrigerator or your cellar, so that may be something to keep in mind. When you think you might be ready to try it, just put a couple bottles in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, and away you go.
Dang I knew it :-) Its resting at 68f 24/7 and after the first batch she made of wheat beer I can`t wait to try this beer. We also have a russian stout and another wheat in the secondary`s , with the wheat getting bottled this weekend. We went thur the first batch so fast we decided to do back to back batchs, can`t be without beer! I have to say at first I was leary about making our own beer but now we`re hooked as theres nothing better than good fresh beer, even our friends really liked it. With the first batch she added blueberry flavor to 1 gallon- a major mistake as it was great and went too fast, this time we`ll make more blueberry than plain wheat. Also everybody noticed that the `buzz was very potent, is this from the hops? I mean we`ve been to Europe and tried 100`s of beer but the homebrew has an extra kick! Much more so than 4%-6% alcohol by volume should do alone. Anyway thanks for the info and what a great hobby.
On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 04:58:35 GMT, "B0B" said in alt.beer.home-brewing:
At my brewing height I was making 5 gallons every other weekend, and some weeks 5 gallons every weekend. And my wife hardly drinks beer.
You're supplying friends too? At least 5 gallons of a light ale every week, then, probably, in addition to anything else you make. A simple
3%-4% lawnmower beer (unless you have a different favorite), just so you can't run completely out.After a few months of drinking a couple of pints a night, you won't notice that any more. Don't let that get you into trouble though. Whether you feel it or not, your reflexes are slowed, so don't drive after drinking, please.
Patience is the hardest part of homebrewing. It seems that each batch reaches it's peak in flavor about the time you pour the last bottle. Back to back batches for a while will get you far enough ahead that they can age properly. I have 6 5 gallon batches in various stages right now. 2 on tap, 1 ready to keg, 1 lagering, and 2 ready to start lagering. The 3 lagers won't be ready until about the first part of April. The other 3 will get me through until about the middle of March. This means I need to brew some sort of session ale (around 1.050 OG) soon to cover the gap before the lagers are ready.
Wayne
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