Large quantity brewing, "aging" time...

[bwarbiany]

Guys,

Maybe some of you (particularly Pat & Tyler) can answer this.

As homebrewers, we often have beers that we expect to age for a while to come together. For example, the IPA I just brewed is about 7% and 65 IBU, and has been in the fermenter for 4 weeks. After that, I think it may still meld together for 2-3 weeks in the keg before it gets as good as it should be.

That's 6-7 weeks from brew day until you have a really nice drinkable beer.

How is it, then, that brewpubs can stay afloat? I'm guessing they're not taking up fermenting capacity for 6-7 weeks before they're serving beer, and I'm hoping they're not serving beer before it's "ready".

So how is it done? Do they typically serve a beer within 2-3 weeks of brewing, and if so, is there some advantage to the aging in large quantities, or is there something else that they're doing to make the beer "ready" so quickly?

[PMR]

With proper yeast pitching rates and fermentation control, most ales of normal gravity (1.045 - 1.065) should be ready to be consumed around 3 weeks after they are brewed. Primary fermentation should take 3-5 days, the beer should settle for another few days at ambient temp (D rest, if necessary), and then crash cooled for 2-5 days. The beer can then be filtered or fined, which will reduce the time it takes until the beer is ready. There are several breweries who produce beer from "grain to glass" in only 4-5 days using a very attenuative / high floc. yeast strain and open fermentation (Shipyard comes to mind).

Generally, homebrewers do not pitch enough yeast (or oxygenate enough, or add enough nutrient), so fermentation takes longer than it does at most breweries. This causes a longer fermentation and increases the chance of flaws that would need to mellow out until the beer is at its best. Also, homebrewers often do not repitch, or repitch quick enough, and the yeast is at its best state after a few generations.

Brewpubs are also in the business of making money. A homebrewer doesn't expect anything from his beer except to drink it, so letting it age several weeks is not an issue. A brewery only makes money if beer is sold, so selling a beer that's a bit green is a frequent practice. Just my two cents.

[brahn]

Pat makes a lot of good points. I'd throw in that the only reason my beers tend to sit around is for lack of space in my keg fridge or lack of desire to bottle when I was still bottling. When I have the space most of my beers are kegged within 2-3 weeks. I'd say a beer like an IPA is going downhill from almost the minute it's done fermenting since those wonderful hop aromas aren't doing anything but dissipating. There are exceptions to this for really big beers (~1.100 OG) or a few beers that need extended cold conditioning like Alt/Kolsch/lagers.

Just my $.02...

[bwarbiany]

Well, my recent IPA was the first batch I've actually fermented under temp control, and I used 4 packages of properly-rehydrated S-05. I'm planning on kegging that on Saturday (4 weeks), and thus it should be drinkable by Sunday night at the earliest.

So we'll see if the fermentation temp might help it come together at the right pace, since that's been my most common flaw in my brewing so far...

[brahn]

I think you'll be very happy with the results from your temperature control.

Are you going to keg hop it? I'd recommend it, but the one time that I did it took about a week or so for the keg hops to taste right. At first they were VERY piney, but different hops may have a different effect.

[maltbarley]

... properly-rehydrated S-05.

Does the S-05 need rehydration? I thought it was pitchable dry.

[bwarbiany]

Are you going to keg hop it? I'd recommend it, but the one time that I did it took about a week or so for the keg hops to taste right. At first they were VERY piney, but different hops may have a different effect.

It's dry-hopped with 6 ounces of Columbus, so I think I'll have plenty of aroma

And I've made this recipe before, it gives heavy citrus aroma, not pine.

[brahn]

Does the S-05 need rehydration? I thought it was pitchable dry.

I've used it many, many times without rehydrating it and had good results. However, Tyler recently convinced me to try rehydrating my yeast and I have noticed that my fermentations start and finish faster. I also add some wort to the rehydrated yeast before pitching to help acclimate the yeast to it's new environment.

[bwarbiany]

... properly-rehydrated S-05.

Does the S-05 need rehydration? I thought it was pitchable dry.

I've heard conflicting reports on rehydrating dry yeast. For a long time, I haven't done it, because heating up some water, cooling it to 90-100 degrees, and then rehydrating seemed like extra steps that could just as easily introduce problems as enhancements.

But at the same time, I've been told that during the rehydrating process, the cell walls are too permeable, and thus you can reduce viability by trying to rehydrate them in wort.

So one of the guys on BA suggested taking room-temp bottled water, pouring out about half of it, and rehydrating in there about 15-20 minutes before pitching time. Very low risk of contamination, and once it rehydrates, you get a very nice slurry that's easy to pour.

The Fermentis web site, though, recommends rehydration in sterile water rather than wort. They do mention that you can sprinkle it into the wort, but recommend not agitating or aerating the wort for 30 minutes (making me think the rehydration process is more troublesome in the wort than in water).

[tylking]

You're not rehydrating the yeast in wort, you are adding wort after the rehydration process. You want to promote cell growth and vitality by getting your yeast used to it's future working conditions (same concept wine-makers use when pitching their dried yeast). You always want to rehydrate yeast in 20-30c degree water to help awake the yeast, it will improve viability and vitality.

Oh, and as for the topic, FILTER! It's amazing sampling a beer from the fermenter before going through the DE then sampling it again one minute later in the bright tank.

[bwarbiany]

Oh, and as for the topic, FILTER! It's amazing sampling a beer from the fermenter before going through the DE then sampling it again one minute later in the bright tank.

I guess I need to talk to Dustin... I was planning on getting a grain mill iwth my "economic stimulus check", but I just might need to ask him to buy a pump!

[bwarbiany]

Barring filtering, will some gelatin in the keg help until we get a pump & filter setup?

[tylking]

I'm not saying filtering is good, it just makes grain to glass a lot quicker. I usually prefer un-filtered beer and think that if you filter your home-brew you will be stripping a lot of great flavors out of your beer. I have never used any finings before and know nothing about them.

[BrewMasterBrad]

Barring filtering, will some gelatin in the keg help until we get a pump & filter setup?

I have started using gelatin to clear my beers. I have a corny keg that I have shortened the dip tube in that I use as a bright tank. After primary fermentation I rack my beer into the bright tank and put it in the fridge. After the beer has cooled to below 40F, I add 1/2 teaspoon of gelatin dissolved in warm water to the keg and shake the hell out of it after I purge it with CO2. I let it sit for a few days in the fridge then push it into a serving keg and carbonate. Works great, especially for lighter colored beers.

[dhempy]

Is that just regular, plain, unflavored, buy at the grocery store gelatin or something special?

Dan