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When Can I Drink My Beer? |
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Tuesday, 15 July 2008 |
By Frosty
It is all done. You have finished your first home brew bottling session. All your equipment has been thoroughly cleaned and set aside for the next batch of home brew. As you look proudly at your perfectly filled bottles all standing in those neat rows - a single question inevitably comes to mind. When can I drink my beer??!!!!
Of all the waiting periods involved in the art of brewing your own beer at home it is the period after bottling that is, in my opinion, the hardest to endure. You know (intellectually) that the newly bottled home brew needs time to both properly carbonate and age to perfection. The problem is that you also know that it wasn't the intellect that waited for your brewing water to boil. It wasn't the intellect that waited for your boiled wort to cool in the fermentor so you could pitch your yeast. It wasn't the intellect that waited for the fermentation process to complete. It sure as heck ain't gonna be the intellect that will savor every sip of your finely crafted home brewed beer.
So how long should you wait before cracking one of those bubbling beauties open? Sadly, there is no set "rule" in the home brewing community that offers a definitive answer. I have even heard it said, "...it's your beer - drink it when you want to". This is not the best advice, especially if you are weak of will by nature. For those needing more specific guidance, my personal practice is to bravely wait (there's that word again) for one week after bottling to open my first bottle of home brewed beer from a batch. I do this (I tell my intellect) to see how the carbonation process is progressing. I repeat this ritual every week for the next three weeks. After four weeks all bets are off - the waiting is over - the enjoyment finally begins!
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