Patience: An Essential Homebrew Ingredient
by Tim Kreitz

For me, one of the funnest aspects of being a veteran Basin Brewer is helping new people learn the art and science of crafting beer at home. Beer is food, after all, and my philosophy has long been that just as everyone should know how to cook, so should everyone know how to brew. Beer makes the world a better place. So in the interest of realizing my dream of a homebrew nation, I'm always willing to answer questions, offer advice, and share my own
experiences with new brewers when they ask.
Along the way, however, I have noticed that one of the primary common denominators shared by noobs throughout the entirety of the crafting process is an almost universal lack of patience and tendency to want to rush things along. Granted, this is understandable because brewing is always exciting, and the anticipation of drinking a batch of delicious homemade beer can get the best of even the most seasoned homebrewer. But the bottom line is that from milling grain to sipping a finished creation, you must be willing to invest the appropriate amount of time in each step. The payoff is always better and satisfaction is thereby increased.
A dear friend and fellow brewer, Stan Moore, once told me long ago, "One of the most important things a beer needs for it to be really good is time." Mark this down as an irrefutable truth. In fact, there are several stages in beermaking where time and patience are the secret ingredients. Here's a partial list applicable to most styles:
1. Don't cut mash times short.

2. Leave it on the cake a while. An aspect of traditional brewing that, as of recent years, has been shown to be somewhat of a misconception is the idea that a beer should be racked off of its yeast cake as soon as possible after fermentation "completes". AHA Nationals Ninkasi award winner Jamil Zainasheff claims his beers improved dramatically when he stopped using a secondary on most of his low- to mid-gravity beers. He primaries for up to four weeks and argues that removing the beer from the large mass of yeast too quickly substantially prolongs the conditioning process. Starting six or seven years ago, I began adopting this same practice for most of my beers and immediately noticed an improvement, especially with pale ales and lagers. It's now a standard practice for me to leave a beer in primary for at least three weeks since it has become widely accepted that residual yeast at constant fermentation temperatures perform a "clean-up" effect on the beer, making it generally smoother sooner. This has been my experience, and I always recommend it.
So there you have it. I encourage you to try one or more of these practices and experience the difference for yourself. You will not be disappointed. In the meantime, cheers and happy brewing.
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