12 replies to this topic

[ncbeerbrewer]

So I brewed a Weizenbock that came in at 1.072 and is sitting in secondary and is 7.1%. This is the first Weizenbock I have ever brewed. I went with Wheat Malt, Munich, Spec B, Choc and fermented with Weinheinstephan 3068. My quick and easy question is whats an appropriate amount of time to age a beer such as this? As you can tell this beer is now 4 months old. I have not tasted it in the last couple of months even though it tasted good out of primary. I can work it into my rotation and don't need to drink this right away but just wanted to know whats appropriate aging for this style? Wheat not as long, bock age it? I appreciate the advice as always. Cheers.

[3rd party JKor]

I remember hearing an interview with the guy who had his weizenbock in the Sam Adams Long Shot 6-pack. He said he drinks it in a few weeks.

[ncbeerbrewer]

I remember hearing an interview with the guy who had his weizenbock in the Sam Adams Long Shot 6-pack. He said he drinks it in a few weeks.

Great. Thats definitely not in the cards anymore. We will see though. Thanks JK for the advice. We might see how this one goes aged.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Great. Thats definitely not in the cards anymore. We will see though. Thanks JK for the advice. We might see how this one goes aged.

IMO the only reason to drink beers like this young is to enjoy the yeast that is still in suspension. That's why I bottle mine up fairly young and then whenever I drink one I rouse the yeast in the bottle. I have a dunkelweizen that's been around for almost a year now and it still tastes awesome.

[ncbeerbrewer]

IMO the only reason to drink beers like this young is to enjoy the yeast that is still in suspension. That's why I bottle mine up fairly young and then whenever I drink one I rouse the yeast in the bottle. I have a dunkelweizen that's been around for almost a year now and it still tastes awesome.

That sounds good to me. I can't argue with that. I figure I will keg, carb and drink this one unless it taste terrible but its just sitting quietly in secondary. I brewed a Roggenbier back in Sept that I put on tap end of Dec and you can still taste the Bananna from the 3068 so I figure this beer should still have some good flavor to it as well. I was just not sure based on style what is traditional for aging this beer. I figure the alcohol % would allow it to hold up over time as well.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

That sounds good to me. I can't argue with that. I figure I will keg, carb and drink this one unless it taste terrible but its just sitting quietly in secondary. I brewed a Roggenbier back in Sept that I put on tap end of Dec and you can still taste the Bananna from the 3068 so I figure this beer should still have some good flavor to it as well. I was just not sure based on style what is traditional for aging this beer. I figure the alcohol % would allow it to hold up over time as well.

Worst case it just won't have a lot of 3068 character.

[Salsgebom]

With the exception of some beers >12%, I have seen very few cases both homebrewed and commercial where extra aging benefited a beer. Drink it fresh. Even extremely high alcohol beers lose good fresh character with age, but the alcohol mellows out making it a little more drinkable. In most cases I'd prefer a little alcohol heat and fresh beer character over stale flavors and mellowed alcohol.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

With the exception of some beers >12%, I have seen very few cases both homebrewed and commercial where extra aging benefited a beer. Drink it fresh. Even extremely high alcohol beers lose good fresh character with age, but the alcohol mellows out making it a little more drinkable. In most cases I'd prefer a little alcohol heat and fresh beer character over stale flavors and mellowed alcohol.

I guess you are going to have to define "extra" b/c my experience is that aging will only make a beer better up to some point where sanitation or oxidation comes into play and starts to hurt the beer.

[Salsgebom]

I guess you are going to have to define "extra" b/c my experience is that aging will only make a beer better up to some point where sanitation or oxidation comes into play and starts to hurt the beer.

In my experience, most styles are best the moment they are crystal clear and carbonated. Some styles with higher ABV and/or a high % of roasted grains benefit from 2-4 weeks age after fermentation. There may be certain beers that benefit from 6+ weeks but these are big ass beers we're talking about.Of course this is preference. I just do not like the transition into faded hop character/increased malt presence combined with ever increasing oxidation. My beer that is still in bright tanks has a certain 'wow' character that fades by the time it's been sitting in the bar for a few weeks. It's not just my beer, either. I've compared packaged beer vs. bright tank beer from many micros and I will drink bright tank beer exclusively for the rest of my life if I can.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

In my experience, most styles are best the moment they are crystal clear and carbonated. Some styles with higher ABV and/or a high % of roasted grains benefit from 2-4 weeks age after fermentation. There may be certain beers that benefit from 6+ weeks but these are big ass beers we're talking about.Of course this is preference. I just do not like the transition into faded hop character/increased malt presence combined with ever increasing oxidation. My beer that is still in bright tanks has a certain 'wow' character that fades by the time it's been sitting in the bar for a few weeks. It's not just my beer, either. I've compared packaged beer vs. bright tank beer from many micros and I will drink bright tank beer exclusively for the rest of my life if I can.

Clearing homebrew takes time and cold temperatures. You must be using gelatin or something???ETA: I'd be curious to hear what average brew day to drinking time is around here. With a lot of people having 10+ kegs I can't imagine they are drinking their beers at 6 weeks. I'd say for an average ale I usually start serving it around 2 months but it may not be kicked until 3 or 4 months.

[Salsgebom]

Clearing homebrew takes time and cold temperatures. You must be using gelatin or something???ETA: I'd be curious to hear what average brew day to drinking time is around here. With a lot of people having 10+ kegs I can't imagine they are drinking their beers at 6 weeks. I'd say for an average ale I usually start serving it around 2 months but it may not be kicked until 3 or 4 months.

Yep, big fan of gelatin. I still make 11 gallon batches at least every other week. I crash cool and add gelatin as soon as fermentation is finished, and try to keg it within 3 days. Once again, I think it tastes better in the first few weeks.10+ keg line-up preventing you from tapping beers for 2 months? You need to invite over some drinkers!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Yep, big fan of gelatin. I still make 11 gallon batches at least every other week. I crash cool and add gelatin as soon as fermentation is finished, and try to keg it within 3 days. Once again, I think it tastes better in the first few weeks.10+ keg line-up preventing you from tapping beers for 2 months? You need to invite over some drinkers!

I only have 5 kegs :rolf:Since I don't use gelatin it usually take a couple of months to get the beer to really clear up nice.oh yeah - check out my poll...

[ncbeerbrewer]

With the exception of some beers >12%, I have seen very few cases both homebrewed and commercial where extra aging benefited a beer. Drink it fresh. Even extremely high alcohol beers lose good fresh character with age, but the alcohol mellows out making it a little more drinkable. In most cases I'd prefer a little alcohol heat and fresh beer character over stale flavors and mellowed alcohol.

I understand what you mean about the aging and character factor. When I brewed this I thought it was one more to age than brew and drink. I expect the flavor to be muted being 4 months old now but when I get it carbed up and drinking it I will report back on my observations. Appreciate the feedback Salsgebom. Keep brewing em good like you guys are doing. Mike