On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 13:34:07 -0500, Steph wrote:
[color=blue]
> just bottled my first batch of beer.how long should it age.[/color]

I'm no expert, but here's my two cents worth: The higher the original
specific gravity of your beer, the longer it seems to improve with age.
Your milage may vary...

I've only made a half-dozen batches so far, all were extract-kit ales, and
every one fermented out at a different speed. Even two kits from the same
seller, with the same ingredients, behaved a little differently. Beer
seems slightly unpredictable.
That said, I personally wouldn't expect a beer to be at it's best after
only one week in the bottle. After two weeks, it might be getting there.
Depending on how you want your beer to taste, you might find it continues
to improve for several months. Mine's never lasted that long...

Karl S.

--
I'm still waiting for someone to WTFM!