Bottle Conditioning for 7.5% IPA

[TwoHeart]

I know that 3 weeks minimum is the time you should generally wait for lower ABV brews to condition properly. I was wondering about a 7.5% brew. Is a month a safe bet? Or longer in your experiences?

 

[m3n00b]

Does it have any dry hops and did you an aroma steep? If so, these flavors and smells will be lost with time. I usually start drinking 1 after the first week....if its good I keep drinking them while they're fresh.

 

[Soup4you2]

I always go by this model which has worked pretty well for me.


OG:.......................Bottle Condition Time
Less Than 1.040......2 Weeks
1.040 - 1.055..........4 Weeks
1.055 - 1.080..........6-8 Weeks

 

[lebucheron]

depends on the temp you're conditioning at. My 8%DIPA carbed up nice in 2 weeks (house is hot in the summer) but my 4% stout took 4-5 weeks in the winter (it's so cold then). Since you're ipa is best when fresh I recommend what an earlier poster said about trying one after a week, then if not enough, 2 etc.

 

[m3n00b]

I always go by this model which has worked pretty well for me.


OG:.......................Bottle Condition Time
Less Than 1.040......2 Weeks
1.040 - 1.055..........4 Weeks
1.055 - 1.080..........6-8 Weeks

This really doesn't apply to IPAs where the intense hop flavor can mask the greenness of a fresh beer if done right. They're pretty much ready when carbed.

 

[Yooper]

It doesn't generally need to "condition", but it needs to carb up. It can take from about 10-21 days for a 7.5% ABV beer to carb up, depending on yeast strain, yeast viability, and temperature. It only takes as long as it takes.

 

[TyTanium]

Does it have any dry hops and did you an aroma steep? If so, these flavors and smells will be lost with time. I usually start drinking 1 after the first week....if its good I keep drinking them while they're fresh.

Agreed. If you wait a month you've missed it.

Last night I enjoyed a 10-day-bottled 9% DIPA and it was carbed just fine.

 

[m3n00b]

Agreed. If you wait a month you've missed it.

Last night I enjoyed a 10-day-bottled 9% DIPA and it was carbed just fine.

I just bottled a DIPA (only 8%)on Friday.....going to crack one open tonight!

 

[Yooper]

This really doesn't apply to IPAs where the intense hop flavor can mask the greenness of a fresh beer if done right. They're pretty much ready when carbed.

Or any other beer.

I have a 1.040 stout that simply needs some time to come together nicely, so it takes longer to condition than my 1.075 IPA.

Knowing the OG of the beer may help explain why some high ABV beers may be slow to carb, but it doesn't really explain "conditioning" at all.

In general, many beers taste great right after they are carbed up and there is no advantage to aging them. They only get, well, older. Some beers have complex flavors and ingredients (roasted malt, oak), or a super high ABV (Belgian Quad) and may need a bit of time. But OG isn't really a very helpful part of the picture.

If a brewer is finding that a beer takes weeks and weeks to taste good, they should fix the flaws in the brewing process that are causing the problem and not just planning on using extended aging as a cure-all.

Sure, a few beers do get better with age. Most do not.

 

[m3n00b]

Very interesting! My 15% barleywine has been in secondary for 2 months. I think it tastes really good. Should I bottle it now? What advantages are there to bulk aging it? I was planning on 6+ months.

 

[Yooper]

Very interesting! My 15% barleywine has been in secondary for 2 months. I think it tastes really good. Should I bottle it now? What advantages are there to bulk aging it? I was planning on 6+ months.

If it's clear, I can't think of any real advantage to keeping it in a carboy vs in a bottle unless it helps keep you from trying to drink it!

 

[m3n00b]

If it's clear, I can't think of any real advantage to keeping it in a carboy vs in a bottle unless it helps keep you from trying to drink it!

Yeah...not drinking it will be tough! Should I add yeast at bottling after 3 months total primary/secondary? Started with wlp002 yeast cake and added wlp099 to finish it off when it stalled at 1.050 3 weeks later. Also...should I add priming sugar?


Sorry to hijack.

 

[TwoHeart]

I appreciate all the feedback. It's good news for me. I bottled yesterday. So I'll probably be cracking one open for the weekend in about 11-12 days.

Cheers

 

[jmccraney]

In general, many beers taste great right after they are carbed up and there is no advantage to aging them. They only get, well, older.

I've been curious about this. My last couple beers (ipas and nice hoppy wheat beers) have come out of the fermenter pretty harsh. I bottled at 3 weeks, but it has taken some time for that hot rubbery alcohol flavor/smell to subside. I have my fermentation temperature under control, but what else might I have done wrong that makes it so slow to condition?

 

[m3n00b]

I've been curious about this. My last couple beers (ipas and nice hoppy wheat beers) have come out of the fermenter pretty harsh. I bottled at 3 weeks, but it has taken some time for that hot rubbery alcohol flavor/smell to subside. I have my fermentation temperature under control, but what else might I have done wrong that makes it so slow to condition?

Hot rubbery alcohol? Are you fermenting at the high end of the yeasts range and leaving them on yeast cake for intended periods? Rubber could be autolysis.

 

[jmccraney]

Hot rubbery alcohol? Are you fermenting at the high end of the yeasts range and leaving them on yeast cake for intended periods? Rubber could be autolysis.

No, 64 for the first two days, then up to 68 for the remainder. Two to three weeks on the yeast before it's off to bottles. I might have pitched at 70-75 though before I got them in the temp controlled fridge.

 

[Yooper]

No, 64 for the first two days, then up to 68 for the remainder. Two to three weeks on the yeast before it's off to bottles. I might have pitched at 70-75 though before I got them in the temp controlled fridge.

It sounds like pitching too warm is an issue, and/or underpitching as well. If you pitch the proper amount of yeast at 62ish, and let it rise up to 64-65 for fermentation and then raise the temperature for the last couple of days, it should totally avoid any harshness.

 

[TwoHeart]

I've had a temp of right around 66 for my pale ale. But I did notice it was at 70 when I woke up this morning, but it is back down to 65-66.

 

[Beerbeque]

I really don't understand some of the long conditioning times that some of you guys think is required.
My latest IPA ~7.2% was ready to bottle after 15 days of primary ( and dry hopped too). After bottling it sat in the bedroom @ ~ 78f for two weeks and was then perfectly carbed ( I tried a couple so I know). I then began refrigerating some of the bottles and they were very good @ 5 days cold but 3 weeks of refrigeration produced an exceptionally clear and delicious beer.
I really don't understand the long primaries, secondaries or long warm conditioning times that some of you guys are talkin about ( at least for basic OG 4.5 -7.5% ales).

 

[Yooper]

I
I really don't understand the long primaries, secondaries or long warm conditioning times that some of you guys are talkin about ( at least for basic OG 4.5 -7.5% ales).

No, me neither.

Many of my beers are gone long before the 6+ week window that many talk about, that's for sure!

Remember that the late, great Michael Jackson said, "If you see a beer, do it a favor, and drink it. Beer was not meant to age."

 

[jmccraney]

It sounds like pitching too warm is an issue, and/or underpitching as well. If you pitch the proper amount of yeast at 62ish, and let it rise up to 64-65 for fermentation and then raise the temperature for the last couple of days, it should totally avoid any harshness.

I pitched a good, healthy starter, but I could be underestimating how quickly the yeast get to work on fusel production. Good, not being lazy about pitch temp is easy to fix. Also noticed a comment at the bottom of this article that mentions over-oxygenation can increase fusel production. Another thing I need to watch.