How do you decide the conditioning period...?

[beam beat]

when you've invented the recipe yourself. I'm doing an extract brew and its been sitting in the barrel three weeks now and I keep wanting to try it even though it's meant to be for Christmas...

Also, with a pressure barrel, is it going to affect its ability to keep if I do run off a few pints before it is ready? I was thinking it might introduce air into the barrel.

[Zatoichi]

I usually rack from first fermentation to my pressure barrel after 2 weeks then leave it at least another 2 weeks before drinking. In answer to your other questions, No it wont effect the beer if you pull a few crafty tasters here and there before xmas. Air being sucked in through the tap only usually happens towards the end of a barrel or when it needs a blast of Co2 and i have never experienced any poor tastes as a result of this................................ but then again my barrels never last more than 2 weeks each

[beam beat]

Hmm, two weeks hasn't been enough with previous beers I've made. Perhaps because I have to keep it in a room at normal room temperature.

[badgerdan]

Mine spend 2 weeks in room temp then sit in about 7-10c until I put them in the fridge ready to drink, usually start drinking them after 2 weeks of being in the cold but taste better the more they condition; usually about a month but are ok to drink after 3.

[mysterio]

It's not going to let air in unless you're using gravity to draw off beer and you're allowing air to bubble up through the tap.

Pour yourself a small measure every couple of days and you'll answer your own question, theres no set answer it depends on the beer, the yeast etc.

[beam beat]

cheers, I guess I'll have my first taste later today.

[trucker5774]

The hard part is starting off and the desire to try what you have brewed. After 6 months of brewing every week or two, you will have enough beers at different stages to stop you being too enthusiastic to get it down your neck . You will soon kow which brew tastes best at which stage.........................once you have a good stock, don't fall into the trap of thinking yo have a life time supply, or you will run low and it will be like starting all over again.............keep at it