This is hardly a revelation for any homebrewer; Time makes beer better. More time in the primary, more time in the secondary, more time in the bottles; It really makes a difference in the final product. Patience is of the utmost importance when creating beer.

For what it’s worth I have always known this as truth, but rarely ever practiced extended bottle conditioning. I would compare it to Christmas mornings of my youth where I would wake up as early as possible to open my gifts, even before the rest of my family. It was nice getting my gifts early, but I missed out on opening presents with the rest of the family later in the day.

It seems opening my beers early has a similar outcome. As for extended bottle conditioning of my beers, the longest I have done was one month for my Indian Pale Ale I created last summer. That said I placed aside a single pint which I finally cracked open last night and I have to say I regret not doing this for the entire batch.

The difference in flavours from then and now are like night and day, reminding me of Whistlers Classic Pale Ale, a beer a enjoyed thoroughly. All the bland, uninspiring flavours from my IPA have really evolved into something worthy of initial effort invested in its creation. Even the appearance of the beer had noticeably improved, showing greater clarity and colour to the point I almost second guessed it as my own.

I had also set aside one of my molasses porters several months ago. Back then I found it to have somewhat overwhelming molasses flavours, though it was still enjoyable. Tonight I plan to crack it open and take some tasting notes on it. If time worked its magic on this brew I am sure I will be in for a treat.