2Wks Warm 2Wks Cold.........?

[WalesAles]

Hello Boys and Girls,
Where did this rule come from?
I had a bottle of my Geordie Yorkshire Bitter last night after being in the bottle for 12 days in the Front Room. It was Ab Fab!
Had another tonight just for Taste Test Procedures, and Lo and Behold, this is Fab as well!
I can understand the sediment dropping, CO2 in Beer etc, but this is Clear, Got a Head, good Hiss on opening.
Has anyone tried 1Wk warm, 1Wk Cold?
Does it really matter? I know people say it will taste `Young`, So what, It`s my Beer, It tastes Fab, so why wait any longer?
Yes, I know it is supposed to get better with age, but if It`s nice now.............?
Let the Opinions Flood In!!!!!

WA

[Exiled Bradfordian]

Wales, in my flat I don't have the luxury of hot/cold. It spends the whole time in the bottle at the temperature of the flat so there's none of this two weeks hot/two weeks cold business. It stays at a pretty much constant temp the whole time. I do try and leave it at least 4 weeks though.

[WalesAles]

I do try and leave it at least 4 weeks though.

EB,
4 Weeks, i`m Impressed!
By the time I `Taste Test` mine, there`s nothing left after 4 weeks!

WA

[Exiled Bradfordian]

I did say 'try'

[Monkeybrew]

I had a taster bottle of my Summit Golden Ale tonight at 9 days in the warm and 1 hour in the fridge.

It is clear, moderately carbonated, and tastes well balanced already.

I can't quite work out why some brews need 2 weeks and other's need 6-8 weeks, but it's all part of the mystery of home brewing.

Cheers

MB

[oldbloke]

It's only a rule of thumb, or a sort of average over all possible brews.
You want a bit of time warm enough for the yeast to do carbonation. Sometimes 3 days might be enough, other times it wants a month...
It's sometimes said the cold fortnight is for the CO2 to be absorbed into the beer. I think experiment has largely disproved this. It's mainly just a maturing the flavour thing, I think

[ArmChair]

I had a taster bottle of my Summit Golden Ale tonight at 9 days in the warm and 1 hour in the fridge.

It is clear, moderately carbonated, and tastes well balanced already.

I can't quite work out why some brews need 2 weeks and other's need 6-8 weeks, but it's all part of the mystery of home brewing.

Cheers

MB

This could be down to the abv, higher abv need a little longer on the bottle

[SquireKnott]

I usually test mine between week one and two. It's rare theyre not already drinkable.

Although, sods law, I ran out of home brew the other week as Mrs Knott has had me pissing about with wine & lo and behold my Milestone Shine On isn't quite right yet after nearly two weeks in the warm

[SquireKnott]

This thread has me thinking whether, it being Saturday, I should test the Wilko Real Ale I bottled on Tuesday

[Hopping_Mad]

It's rare that I wait 4 weeks but I can take 3 - 4 months to drink a batch as I tend not to drink on 'school nights'!

I never stick to '2 weeks warm, 2 weeks cold' rigidly. Some time at good fermenting temperature must help the remaining yeast start fermenting the priming sugar though? Then the cold must help the yeast settle and the CO2 get absorbed?

I guess it all boils down to how good you want your beer to be when you start drinking it?

I have plenty of stock now that is 2 - 3 months old, and it's better drinking than when relatively green.

[Exiled Bradfordian]

The beer in the bottles is in the same room as the beer in the FV. Stays in that room till I'm ready to drink it, then it goes in the fridge. Yes, I'm a heathen who likes it cold (though, strangely, only drink the bottled stuff fridge cold; in the pub from a cask I like it at cellar temp. No, I can't explain it either).

[dixonmike20]

[quote="oldbloke"]It's only a rule of thumb, or a sort of average over all possible brews.
You want a bit of time warm enough for the yeast to do carbonation. Sometimes 3 days might be enough, other times it wants a month...
It's sometimes said the cold fortnight is for the CO2 to be absorbed into the beer. I think experiment has largely disproved this. It's mainly just a maturing the flavour thing, I think[/quote] Exactly! It's a guide, not a rule. If you've found a process which yields beer you like, then that's all you need. It all boils down to the yeast strain and health. Some will indeed finish that quickly. Others won't. I had a Belgian once that took 2 months to condition and another 6 to taste good. Most of my brown ales finish pretty quickly....and my lagers take at least 4 months before they peak.