Pipeline IS the key to brewing patience
  • jlwjlw
    Posts: 16,454
    When you first start brewing it's really hard to not let that beer you just brewed properly aged through all stages of the process. Trust me, we have all been there. But I can say with a lot of certainty that when you have an adequate pipeline going you can let that double chocolate oatmeal stout age until perfection.

    So relax, let your beers age even if it means buying commercial for a bit longer (hey you can probably use the bottles) and keep brewing more beer to get that pipeline going.
  • FuzzyFuzzy
    Posts: 49,777
    i've had to learn this lesson over and over. beer need time to reach it's peak. you can drink it green and have mediocre beer now, or wait until it's ready and have great beer in the future.

    do yourself a favor and wait it out. it's worth it.
    The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,651
    I've found the best way do really do this is by being set up for your drinking needs.
    That is to say; brew big batches if you drink a lot, and many fermenters.
    Also getting into a brewing every other week (or some set amount of time) pattern is very helpful too.
    You may end up drinking the first few green, but if you are brewing slightly more than you drink; you will end up with some proper aging.

    That said, I need some more fermenters and I'm drinking a green beer right now. But I know it's green.
    image
  • jlwjlw
    Posts: 16,454
    Yep. I try to brew once a month. I like to get long age beers going and get stuff going that will be ready to drink quickly.

    I also think brewing for the seasons helps/ I have three beers bulk aging for winter 2012 (this post is April 2012). I also brewed a summer saison back in January. I will fill in there with heffe's and IPA's and another saison.
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 88,972
    This is huge. Most of the beers I have had have been their best when the keg blew or I drank the last bottle.
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • ThymThym
    Posts: 122,582
    Food for thought: If the last beer of a batch was the best one of the lot then you dont actually know how good that batch ever could have been.

    If the last was best, then it means you never reached the optimum peak maturity.

    You only know how good a beer could be if you tasted it a peak maturity, and you really only can tell that you reached that point if the flavor starts to slightly degrade after some point.. if you can hang onto it that long.
    The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 88,972
    Lakewood said:

    Food for thought: If the last beer of a batch was the best one of the lot then you dont actually know how good that batch ever could have been.

    If the last was best, then it means you never reached the optimum peak maturity.

    You only know how good a beer could be if you tasted it a peak maturity, and you really only can tell that you reached that point if the flavor starts to slightly degrade after some point.. if you can hang onto it that long.



    You are such an engineer.

    More to this point, I think patience is only part of it. The big commercial beer companies put so much emphasis on the freshness of their product that we are programmed to think younger means fresher and fresher means better. In reality most of what we brew as home brewers are considerably bigger more complex beers than BMC, they just take longer to reach full maturity. Homebrew is much more shelf stable than most give it credit. We may blame patience because it is constantly on our mind, but this is probably in the back of our minds.
    I don't know, maybe I shouldn't have my fermenters next to my tv where I share at them constantly.
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • ThymThym
    Posts: 122,582
    chandlerbang said:

    Lakewood said:

    Food for thought: If the last beer of a batch was the best one of the lot then you dont actually know how good that batch ever could have been.

    If the last was best, then it means you never reached the optimum peak maturity.

    You only know how good a beer could be if you tasted it a peak maturity, and you really only can tell that you reached that point if the flavor starts to slightly degrade after some point.. if you can hang onto it that long.



    You are such an engineer.

    More to this point, I think patience is only part of it. The big commercial beer companies put so much emphasis on the freshness of their product that we are programmed to think younger means fresher and fresher means better. In reality most of what we brew as home brewers are considerably bigger more complex beers than BMC, they just take longer to reach full maturity. Homebrew is much more shelf stable than most give it credit. We may blame patience because it is constantly on our mind, but this is probably in the back of our minds.
    I don't know, maybe I shouldn't have my fermenters next to my tv where I share at them constantly.


    thanks ;)

    and yes out of sight, out of mind helps a lot.
    The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
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