How to Make Beer

Step 13 Aging

Bottle-conditioned beers must be aged in the bottle at least 7 days to allow the fermentation that takes place in the bottle to carbonate the beer. Place your bottled beer in a cool dark place for 7-10 days and try to avoid the temptation to open a bottle early. Don't put the bottled beer in the fridge yet or the yeast will not be able to do its job on the priming sugars. The beer will also begin to clear during this time as suspended yeast settles to the bottom of the bottle.

Comments

[curiousthemonkey]

is there any way to not have that layer of misery (suspended yeast) at the bottom of the bottle?

[rickharris]

Only by filtering the beer. Then you loose the fizz it collects in the bottle and have to artificially carbonate the bottles.

Storing your beer in a Barrel allows the fizz to develop AND the sediment to fall to the bottom leaving nice clear beer to draw off.

For a truly complete solution a pressured beer barrel is the answer so you don't have to open the top to let the bees and Carbon dioxide out.

[hossweightlifter]

I know how don';t be cheap and buy your own beer.......

[pyrosparker]

Before bottling, pour the beer in a sanitized flexible container (Thin plastic bottle) and place in the freezer to help get it cold. After cooling, (try not to freeze it, nothing can settle if the whole thing is solid) place in fridge and wait for yeast to settle. Once it's all settled, bottle it. (The beer may not become completely clear if there are unfermented sugar particles. To get every last bit of yeast to settle, wait 1 - 2 weeks before bottling.

[IBreakHeavyStuff]

Instead of racking (syphoning) into the priming bucket at step 12 rack into another fermentation bottle instead and leave it another week or so and wait for some more settling of the yeast. This will lessen the yeast in the bottom of the bottles, but you will still get some. The yeast in the bottles is what carbs them - you don't want to get rid of all of it otherwise you'd have flat beer =(.

[organic mechanic]

I have developed a beer clearing technique that imitates a large brewery process. I simply cool the finished beer in a sealed bottle (Iuse a 2 liter pop bottle. Cooling beer allows the gas CO2 to dissolve in the beer. Then I carefully decant the beer into another bottle. I leave the sediment behind. If the bottle overflows from foam do not stop the gentle pouring, use another container. because as soon as you tip the sediment containing bottle upright the the sediment will mix.. wait for the foam to subside then fill up. remember air make beer go stale. co2 gas imitates sugar to our tounge that is why ITS ALL ABOUT THE HEAD. btw I use beer kits and a plastic bucket with a lid.... no air lock...... my beer is drinkable 7 days after brewing.....
good luck to alll I my opinion alcohol is a hormone to mammals as ethylene is a hormone to plants. But i'm weird

[teufel.dan]

If you have another container to transfer your beer into, there is a process called secondary fermentation. When transferring the beer over you want to siphon it and try to keep most of the yeast out of secondary. Keep you beer in secondary for another 7 days, this process add some waiting time but its all worth it.

[IBreakHeavyStuff]

Oops - sorry dan. Looks like you answered already.

[BeerBellyJoe]

You can always use Clarifying aids such as; Irish Moss, Gelatin and Isinglass. You add one of these about 20min left in the boil and they act as a magnet attracting the suspended yeast and having it settle at the bottom of the fermenter. This will considerably lower the amount of yeast settlement at the bottom of the bottle, unless you filter the beer (Which you don't want to do as it takes all the Goodness out of it!).

[imarunner2]

If you age long enough...a couple of weeks or more, most yeast will settle pretty firmly at the bottom. Just pour carefully and you shouldn't get too much yeast in your glass. Bottle conditioned beers will always have some yeast settle to the bottom. There are methods of carbonating filtered beer before bottling but that goes well beyond the intent of this instructable.

[el kabong]

I find that the last bottle in any given batch of homebrew is the best. While its damned tempting to open that beer early, patience is surely a virtue. I might even wait three-four weeks before starting to drink in earnest. I guarantee that the beer will improve with time.

[Flash635]

The trick is to get another batch fermenting as soon as you rack off your brew, that way you're hopefully making it faster than you can drink it though that's unlikely ;-))

I have a mate in Colorado who has a shed full of fermenters waiting until the time they are kegged and carbonised.
He's had brews conditioning for years.

[phill wall]

my beer taste really bitter and sour what should i do m8

[netmasta10bt]

bitterness could be too much hops... but this recipe is only 1 oz. granted this is not budweiser... it could also be that you crushed the grain too much which results in excess tannins which leads to over bitterness. sour flavor is most likely caused by contamination. sorry mate. it won't hurt ya though. some beers like lambic actually encourage sourness... but this style should not be sour.