Homebrewed beer has natural yeast in the bottle - this yeast continues to work after bottling, adding a smoothness and richness to the beer.
Most beers peak at around three months, while strong beers can take six months.
Use a Wort Chiller - After boiling, cool your wort as fast as possible. The sooner the beer is cool, and the sooner the yeast gets going the better the beer will be. Another reason is that quick cooled beer is clearer and cleaner than slow cooled beer. Wort chillers can be easily made from a 30 foot length of copper tubing. Use liquid yeast - Brewers have a choice of liquid or dried yeast.