2+2+2

[pvt_ak]

So... my new found AG brewing voyage continues ..and ...


12 months ago I read about the whole 2+2+2 thing but no doubt like any noob Brewer I continually pushed for 2+1 and a bit ...

It’s only now that I’ve grown patience that I’ve realised time is one of the secret ingredients and the above is sound advice.

I brewed my Xmas drink 4 weeks before Xmas ... and it was good.

But just sinking into a few tonight and they’ve become marvellous !!

Time is the secret ingredient me thinks !

 

[Drunkula]

In that equation I think the earlier twos can be reduced more than the later twos once you know what you're doing. That very last two is the demon.

Unless you're making a wheat beer then it's 6+6+0. Serereesly, and that's bottle carbing. Wheat beers are filthy, needy, groaning wall-bangers!



Oooh, didn't realise that video had... nips. Sigh... my ex used to do the banging on the wall with her hand as a comedy come-hither. I genuinely didn't realise until about the 5th time it happens. Now any time I hear something clunk I'm like 60 meercats on FULL ALERT!

 

[Zephyr259]

Unless you're making a wheat beer then it's 6+6+0. Serereesly, and that's bottle carbing. Wheat beers are filthy, needy, groaning wall-bangers!

6+6? I just brewed my first wheat and it got 3 weeks fermenting as it was sharing the fridge with a stronger beer and I was away so my wife was bottling so she did both at the same time. Tastes fine but it's not carbing very well, even after 2 weeks warm and another 2 at cool room temp it's like a cask ale. Is this why you have a 6 for conditioning?

 

[MickDundee]

Unless you're making a wheat beer then it's 6+6+0. Serereesly, and that's bottle carbing. Wheat beers are filthy, needy, groaning wall-bangers!

I did 1+1+0 with my wheat beer and it was marvellous!

Other than that I always do 2+2+2 where I can

 

[Mavroz]

Usually I stick to 2+2+X.

X is usually a minimum of 4 weeks, usually much longer.

I have a sample after 2 and 3 weeks but have always found the longer I leave the bottles in the colder conditions the better they taste.

All my brews are partial mashes, some started conditioning around june/July last year and have only improved over 6 months or so, with seemingly no loss of flavour.

 

[pvt_ak]

In that equation I think the earlier twos can be reduced more than the later twos once you know what you're doing. That very last two is the demon.

Unless you're making a wheat beer then it's 6+6+0. Serereesly, and that's bottle carbing. Wheat beers are filthy, needy, groaning wall-bangers!



Oooh, didn't realise that video had... nips. Sigh... my ex used to do the banging on the wall with her hand as a comedy come-hither. I genuinely didn't realise until about the 5th time it happens. Now any time I hear something clunk I'm like 60 meercats on FULL ALERT!

Nice video !

 

[Harbey]

It certainly gets easier to be more patient once you've got a fair few brews stocked up tho. Those first few brews were like waiting for Christmas when you were a kid.

Having said that, I do find that the majority of my IPAs are good to go after 2+2. More than that and they certainly clear a little but I wouldn't say they improve much taste wise. I did a grapefruit infused IPA which was perfect after 2+2 but lost its grapefruit flavour very quickly after that.

 

[Drunkula]

Is this why you have a 6 for conditioning?

Oh - I meant 6 days brewing + 6 days conditioning, so drinking after 12. Mine carb like maniacs to 3.3 vols in that time.

 

[MickDundee]

Oh - I meant 6 days brewing + 6 days conditioning, so drinking after 12. Mine carb like maniacs to 3.3 vols in that time.

I thought you meant weeks (as in 6+6+0 rather than 2+2+2), was thinking it was rather excessive!

 

[Ajhutch]

I’m becoming more and more patient as I brew more and generally speaking being rewarded for it. I don’t have any science for it but I’m a believer in bulk conditioning (ie that it’s better for beer to be in the FV than bottles) and am often pushing the first step to 3 weeks as a result. I find you can happily cold crash for a week and still comfortably bottle condition an ale, and it’ll be clearer too.

Really hoppy beers can be an exception to this when you want the hop flavour to be fresh and not faded, so I’ll often bottle them quickly, 7-10 days after pitching.

 

[Zephyr259]

Oh - I meant 6 days brewing + 6 days conditioning, so drinking after 12. Mine carb like maniacs to 3.3 vols in that time.

Oh right, that is more in line with other folks' experience. Going to have to do a quick batch next time.

What bottles do you use for a 3.3 vol carb?

 

[Drunkula]

What bottles do you use for a 3.3 vol carb?

Anything. Even the horrible, thin, green Koppaberg bottles are ok for it.

 

[Zephyr259]

Anything. Even the horrible, thin, green Koppaberg bottles are ok for it.

Oh wow, I'd always been cautious of going over 2.5 vol in anything that wasn't designed for belgian beers. Thanks for the tip.

 

[marshbrewer]

I have found, since moving to all grain, is like this for me;

Fermentation+Cold_Crash+Carbing_Up+Conditioning

And the times for each step can vary, but are usually between (in weeks);

(2-4) + (0-3)+(1-2)+(2+ up to however long required)

A lot of the longer times are for lagers brewed at low temperatures, a fairly standard bitter would be;

(2) + (a couple of days) + (2) + (4)

 

[the_quick]

Just to test my friend's way I left beer in fermnter for 4 weeks and than bottled. One of the clearest beers I have ever made. 2 weeks to carb in bottles. Moved few days ago into the shed. Tried one and it tastes pretty good, even though it was very simply recipe - pale grain + cascade hops.
Wheat beer 10 days in fermenter and after week in bottles it is bit sweet, so going to leave for another week in a bottles and see if the sugar would be used by yeast.
But all ales, from now on I'm going to leave for at least 3 weeks in the fermenter.

One thing another to try is to use Graham Wheeler rules for maturation, 1 week for every 10 of OG, ie
OG 1.040 - leave for 4 weeks to mature in cold

 

[DethApostle]

Usually I stick to 2+2+X.

X is usually a minimum of 4 weeks, usually much longer.

I have a sample after 2 and 3 weeks but have always found the longer I leave the bottles in the colder conditions the better they taste.

This is exactly what I do.
2 weeks in the FV, 2 weeks in the warm, at least 4 weeks in the cold.
I also have kegs which are a more 2+2+2 routine which helps the 'X' weeks for the bottles to pass in cold conditioning without too much interference from me!

Cheers
DA

 

[Covrich]

Just to test my friend's way I left beer in fermnter for 4 weeks and than bottled. One of the clearest beers I have ever made. 2 weeks to carb in bottles. Moved few days ago into the shed. Tried one and it tastes pretty good, even though it was very simply recipe - pale grain + cascade hops.
Wheat beer 10 days in fermenter and after week in bottles it is bit sweet, so going to leave for another week in a bottles and see if the sugar would be used by yeast.
But all ales, from now on I'm going to leave for at least 3 weeks in the fermenter.

One thing another to try is to use Graham Wheeler rules for maturation, 1 week for every 10 of OG, ie
OG 1.040 - leave for 4 weeks to mature in cold

I agree

When I have the patience and right schedule to do so, 3 weeks in the FV is better than 2 I find.

 

[phildo79]

Each to their own, I suppose. Personally, I rack as soon as the gravity reaches a point that I am content with. This is often around the 4 day mark. Then I would normally wait 2 weeks before drinking but I have popped a few after just 1 week. Did this with my last IPA (7.5% Citra) and it tasted fantastic. Obviously this is not suitable for all beer styles.

 

[DethApostle]

Each to their own, I suppose. Personally, I rack as soon as the gravity reaches a point that I am content with. This is often around the 4 day mark. Then I would normally wait 2 weeks before drinking but I have popped a few after just 1 week. Did this with my last IPA (7.5% Citra) and it tasted fantastic. Obviously this is not suitable for all beer styles.

The potential problem with this is that you don't give the yeast time to clean up after themselves and can 'lock in' off tastes as a result. Equally if you're going straight to warm conditioning then you run the risk of bottle bombs or at least over-carbing the beer as the yeast may not have finished converting sugars yet.

 

[HarryFlatters]

I've only done two brews so far, so far from the most experienced on here. The first, a dunkel weiss took 4 weeks to ferment out. The second is a festbier which I'm planning to leave for 4 weeks, then lager for a further 4-6 weeks in a corny keg in the fridge.

2+2+2 is a good guide, but it isn't a golden rule.