Bottled & Conditioning

[tsimo33]

I bottled my first batch last night after 3 weeks in the primary. I have to say I was surprised it went so well. Did not take as long as I had planned and I feel like I have accomplished something. My plan is to let them condition for 3 weeks to carbonate. I have a plan of throwing one in the fridge after 7, 14, and 21 days to just taste the difference in length of time carbonating since it is my first batch. I do have a couple of questions though.

First, when I siphoned from primary to the bottling bucket I was extremely careful to try and not get any sediment transferred, and I feel I did a good job. So much so that the beer was extremely clear and clean looking. If it looks like that, is there still sufficient yeast to eat the priming sugar and carbonate?

Second, is there any sign that the bottle is carbonating, i.e. bubbles that I should be seeing to let me know that it is carbonating? I know it's only been 12 hours but I checked this morning and they looked the same as last night.

Thanks for any help on these questions.

 

[J187]

Hi. I am by no means an expert having just bottled my first batch on Sunday as well. My understanding is that this is sort of the idiot-proof part of the process... if you used priming sugar and your bottles are capped tight, it will work. Providing you don't make any grave errors in temperature or in priming. You may face other problems like off-flavors and potentially exploding bottles, but as far as the danger of the beer sitting in bottles with priming sugar for 3 weeks and staying flat, I don't think that's one of your concerns. Besides, I don't really see what you could do differently at this point. One thing you can do if you desire to track the carbonation is to fill one plastic bottle at bottling time. The plastic will allow you to feel the firmness of the bottle and tell when the carbonizing process is occurring.

 

[Revvy]

First, when I siphoned from primary to the bottling bucket I was extremely careful to try and not get any sediment transferred, and I feel I did a good job. So much so that the beer was extremely clear and clean looking. If it looks like that, is there still sufficient yeast to eat the priming sugar and carbonate?

Yes, no matter what you really do short of using a plate filter to strip the yeast of the beer there is ALWAYS sufficient yeast to do the job- that includes crash cooling the beer. There are billions of cells in there, so it really is impossible to remove all of them.

Second, is there any sign that the bottle is carbonating, i.e. bubbles that I should be seeing to let me know that it is carbonating? I know it's only been 12 hours but I checked this morning and they looked the same as last night.

Thanks for any help on these questions.

Nope, there aren't really any signs that a beer is carbing. Just wait a minimum three weeks, and check them.

If a beer isn't carbed by "x number of weeks" you just have to give them more time. If you added your sugar, then the beer will carb up eventually, it's really a foolroof process. All beers will carb up eventually. A lot of new brewers think they have to "troubleshoot" a bottling issue, when there really is none, the beer knows how to carb itself. In fact if you run beersmiths carbing calculator, some lower grav beers don't even require additional sugar to reach their minimum level of carbonation. Just time.

I've carbed hundreds of gallons of beer, and never had a beer that wasn't carbed, or under carbed or anything of the sort (Except for a batch where I accidently mixed up lactose or Maltodextrine for priming sugar). Some took awhile, (as I said up to six months) but they ALL eventually carbed.

 

[tsimo33]

Thanks for the replies. One more question. My last bottle was only filled halfway with the rest of the brew that I had left. I was going to just drink but decided to cap anyway. Will this bottle take a longer, shorter or same time to carb? And will it taste any different than the other bottles that were filled full?

 

[Revvy]

Thanks for the replies. One more question. My last bottle was only filled halfway with the rest of the brew that I had left. I was going to just drink but decided to cap anyway. Will this bottle take a longer, shorter or same time to carb? And will it taste any different than the other bottles that were filled full?

You have thepotential for a bottle bomb with that much headspace. I've never had it happen (But if it's half a bottle I just drink it), but plenty of folks on here have had that happen with half filled bottles.

 

[AdamPag]

Yup, you cant get all the yeast out even with a perfect siphon, its impossible.

You cant see carbonation happening at all, you'll only know when you pop the cap and it hisses. You SHOULD have decent carbing at only 7 days. basically, lower FG, less time, higher FG, more time.

as far as bombs, if your FG was stable for a few days, and you didnt put MORE sugar in than it called for, no worries, but as stated, just drink the half bottle, its still tastey and has delicious magical alcohol in it

 

[tsimo33]

Glad I asked. I will drink the half bottle when I get home tonight. My FG was stable at 2 weeks and I let it go another week to clean up and it was still the same when I went to bottle so I think I am good there. Thanks again.

 

[Mase]

Good questions tsimo33. Answered a few I was going to ask later on anyway. Good to see the heartland brewing (I'm an Omaha native). Cheers!

 

[Taypo]

I do love the magical "half bottle". Best part of bottling day in my house.