Also curious....the gushers you mentioned..how many weeks were those sitting for and how many volumes did you prime for? Also how do you know the difference between a bad 'gusher' (as a sign of infection) and a normal, healthy carbonation/overflow when you open a bottle?
Sorry to digress...I'm really interested in the floating cranberries! If you could point me to another thread if you have more info up would be great!
AH man....thanks a lot for offering to help a fish out...I'm sorry..I feel like this is a hijack of your thread!I’ll look back and see if I created a thread on that. What are you interested in just in case I can’t find anything?
I generally ferment all of my <8% beers for 3 weeks and condition them for another 3 weeks. I can’t say for sure how long it took them to seriously gush, but I’d venture to guess maybe another 3 weeks at best. I’m talking pop the top and within seconds it’s beginning to reach the mouth of the bottle.
This was to be a Christmas IPA so it would have been the typical 2.4 volumes.
I’ve never had a bottle overflow that wasn’t an issue. They should spew. However I never used to pop the top and allow it time to possibly gush. Now I’ve been watching for a couple of seconds to see what happens. A normal beer shouldn’t do much more than produce a little ring of bubbles at best from what I understand.
AH man....thanks a lot for offering to help a fish out...I'm sorry..I feel like this is a hijack of your thread!
Well basically two things:
1) With gushers - From what you described a healthy carbonation should be...as long as the bottles weren't vigorously agitated, then if they gush, they are probably infected? Cos I was wondering how you'd know the difference but then, if you KNOW your beers have been sitting still in your cupboard with no way to be agitated, and if they still gush then...infection?
2) I live in a really hot climate....like 45 C at the peak of summer...It's about 35C now. So,other local homebrewers told me to just leave the bottles to carbonate for a mere 3-4 days...and it's worked so far (this is purely for carbonation purposes.....not taking into consideration flavour development etc) What are your thoughts on this? Is is fine or should I still leave it for 3 weeks regardless of the climate?
now i'm wondering.....is this normal? poured out of a keg at 8 PSI, with 12' of 1/4" beer line.......
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and damn, i wouldn't be worried about bubbles, that glass looks really clear to be in that much light! you trying to make heinekien?
Thanks a lot that helps a lot. I guess I should at least factor some reduction in carbonation time because of the hot climate. I guess beyond that it will have a lot to do with the style, as you mentioned. Whatever little brewing I've done so far has been ready sooner than whatever I've been told...again probably the climate. But then again, I have no reference to judge whether it would have been BETTER if I had let it ferment and/or bottle condition longer. Thanks a lot anyway. And hope your beer turns out infection free!I’m not too concerned about any hijacking
Yes, my understanding is that if they are gushing it’s likely an infection unless they’re just way over carbonated.
Your second question is one I can’t say I know the answer to, but what I do know is that the warmer it is the faster things develop. It’s why I put the rest of my beer in the fridge hoping it would slow the progress down, assuming these are indeed infected.
Most people don’t use the timeframes I do. But I’ve had an IPA taste very much like a common one for the first week and some, but then completely changed. And I’ve tried 2 beers to see if I could make something lower gravity and simple ready within 31 days for those times you’re told there’ll be family coming. What I found was one was good enough but not quite mature and the other, a honey wheat, was not so good and needed more time. These were simple recipes and I’ve all too often read of people claiming a beer like that should be ready sooner than that. I’ve not observed this. I’d rather have my first beer ideal and ready, especially if I might be sharing it. I say that and yet this next beer will be given just 31 days...
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