Average time to keep bottles in fridge before drinking

[Asylum88]

Hi Everyone,

What is the average time many of you keep your bottles in the fridge before drinking? I tend to not be patient with my homebrews and usually start drinking them within a day or two in the fridge.

I just want to see if there is any benefit in forcing myself to wait longer? These are IPAs by the way.

I keep my beers bottle conditioning for 3-4 weeks @68-70 degrees Fahrenheit before putting some in the fridge.

Thank you everyone in advance for your expertise!

 

[pshankstar]

One day is plenty for me to start drinking a beer after placing it in the fridge. That's assuming the beer is fully carbonated. Also, IPAs are meant to be consumed quickly or fresh, b/c the hop character will drop out over time. Heck, I'll put them in the fridge in the morning and crack them open mid afternoon or even around lunch time. Cheers!

 

[mirthfuldragon]

A couple of hours is enough to chill a beer. I think the bottle of RIS that has been in my beer fridge for two years would probably skewing up the average days in the fridge.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Generally, until it's cold or a couple days is enough. However, it seems the longer it stays the more compact the dregs become staying on the bottom as I pour. Just an observation.

 

[davidabcd]

I use 16oz flip-tops. Thirty minutes, undisturbed, in the freezer.

 

[thehaze]

15-30 minutes in freezer or a few hours in the fridge. If you keep them longer, it could also help it clear up.

 

[Metalhead_brewer]

When i have time i put them in the fridge for about 2-3 hours before drinking but when i can´t wait enough to taste the first of the batch i throw them in the freezer for around half hour.

 

[balrog]

Sometimes weeks.
Sometimes zero.
I'm a rebel. Cellar temp and all that. Burn-at-the-stake-time. Carry on.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I just want to see if there is any benefit in forcing myself to wait longer? These are IPAs by the way.

I keep my beers bottle conditioning for 3-4 weeks @68-70 degrees Fahrenheit before putting some in the fridge.

Generally they should be carbonated after 2 weeks at room temperature, then they need time to condition, ideally at cellar temperature (54-57F). What you really seem to be asking is how much conditioning they need - and that depends. In general higher ABV beers need more conditioning. Hop flavours start disappearing from the start, yeast flavours need a couple of weeks to clean up and sort out, malt flavours can take months to sort out. So a lot depends on the balance within a specific beer between the different kinds of flavours.

So some NEIPA fans would insist you drink NEIPAs which are all about the hops within days, but eg John Kimmich thinks Heady Topper can peak at 10 weeks, depending on mood. British homebrewers generally reckon that their brown bitters probably peak at 3-6 months, whereas vertical tastings of strong Belgian beers have had them peaking at 3 years and still drinking well at 10 years.

So it really depends, on the beer and on personal taste. But at least give yourself the opportunity to see what you like, and keep the odd bottle for tasting at 4/5/6 months.

 

[eadavis80]

When I don't have any cold, 34 minutes in my freezer gets them from room temp to serving temp. However, I usually just throw one (or 2) in the fridge before I leave for work so it's ready when I get home. I wish I had more fridge room though.