i have a question!

[russellnyg745]

Ok so im at the stage where im ready to bottle how long should i sit and wait to try a bottle when all is said and done bottling ive heard a week at least any advice would help! Thanks guys!

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

2-3weeks for proper carbing of average gravity beers ~1.040. Higher alcohol = longer carb times.
Then refrigerate one for at least 24hrs before drinking to allow the co2 to be absorbed back into solution.

 

[funkadelicturkey]

Depends on style, temp, ABV...but 1 week is not enough time. For a 3-6% ABV beer, give it 3 weeks 65-70 F and then a few days in the fridge.

 

[Revvy]

The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer. Beers stored cooler than 70, take longer.

Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.


Temp and gravity are the two factors that contribute to the time it takes to carb beer. But if a beer's not ready yet, or seems low carbed, and you added the right amount of sugar to it, then it's not stalled, it's just not time yet.

Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found here Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience."

So if three weeks tends to be the MIMIMUM time it takes for a beer to be carbed, then the choice really becomes....Do I want to have 2 FULL cases of carbed and conditioned beer by waiting what tends to be the time it takes for this NATURAL PROCESS WHICH WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER tends to take.....or do I want to cheat and sample green, flat beer.

Me? I'd rather not waste any beer. New brewers tend to be impatient....You can do whatever you want, but don't expect anything, and DON'T start a panic thread asking us to hold your hand if you open them early and they taste funky or aren't carbed yet. We don't tell folks to wait to deprive you of your beer....but because that's how long it takes.

 

[BigFloyd]

Depends on style, temp, ABV...but 1 week is not enough time. For a 3-6% ABV beer, give it 3 weeks 65-70 F and then a few days in the fridge.

This ^^^.

You will be sadly disappointed if you try one a week after bottling. I know that's what Mr. Beer claims ("you can make beer in two weeks!!"), but that is pure and total marketing BS.

2-3 weeks to ferment (at the correct temp) followed by 3 weeks in the bottle at 70*F will give you a much better shot at a beer you'll be happy with.

 

[aiptasia]

It depends on the beer style, the carbonation sugar and how patient you are. Generally, for most ales it's going to take at least 3 weeks for the bottles to properly condition and carbonate. If you open them early, they're likely either not going to have much carbonation at all or they will gush out on you in a rush of foam and leave uncarbonated remains in your glass (most often the case with high gravity beers).

The easiest way to carbonate is to create a simple syrup by boiling a cup or two of water for ten minutes to sterilize it and adding your priming sugar to it. Once the sugar dissolves, this creates a uniform simple syrup that you can pour directly into the bottom of your bottling bucket. By racking onto the simple syrup in the bottling bucket, the beer will gently mix with the syrup and ensure an even, balanced amount of the syrup gets into each bottle. This is great for uniform carbonation and prevents under or over carbonating your beer which can happen if you use sugar in individual bottles.

 

[unionrdr]

Mine generally take 3 or 4 weeks at 70F or more to carb & condition. We're also waiting for flavors & aromas to meld as well. Then a week in the fridge to settle any chill haze,get co2 into solution well,& compact any trub on the bottom of the bottles.

 

[russellnyg745]

Thank you guys 3 weeks more of waiting which is fine with me id rather drink good beer than bad beer!

 

[unionrdr]

My sentiment as well. I'd rather save those beers for when they're really good & ready! Then a week in the fridge for a good quality brew...

 

[Revvy]

Thank you guys 3 weeks more of waiting which is fine with me id rather drink good beer than bad beer!

Wow, you wouldn't believe how rare your attitude is for a new brewer. :rockin:

 

[RM-MN]

My sentiment as well. I'd rather save those beers for when they're really good & ready! Then a week in the fridge for a good quality brew...

And then an hour or so sitting on the kitchen counter warming so you can taste all the flavors. I really like my dark beers a little warmer so I can see how the malts have added and what the hops bring too.:rockin:

 

[woozy]

Um... someone correct me if I'm missing something but....

As long as you are patient (which I'm *!not*!) why doesn't one simply wait forever? Theoretically beer eventually goes bad but that takes years. A beer might carbonate in 2 or 3 weeks but also take 3 weeks to god knows how many months to mature. So why not simply wait 3 months *always*? Then you *know* carbonation and maturing is done. You just don't know *when* it occured. The beer won't be harmed sitting in storage for 2 and 1/2 months longer than it needed to.

 

[gingerdawg]

Um So why not simply wait 3 months *always*? Then you *know* carbonation and maturing is done. You just don't know *when* it occured. The beer won't be harmed sitting in storage for 2 and 1/2 months longer than it needed to.

That would be too long for an IPA with a lot of flavor/dry hops and not nearly long enough for a RIS. Why not do it right, rather than some overgeneralized rule?

 

[Revvy]

That would be too long for an IPA with a lot of flavor/dry hops and not nearly long enough for a RIS. Why not do it right, rather than some overgeneralized rule?

'Dawg nailed it different beers different timeframes.

 

[woozy]

That would be too long for an IPA

What do you mean by too long? Does beer go bad if you don't drink/refrigerate by a certain date?

 

[RM-MN]

The hop aroma that make an IPA or APA so good diminish over time so if you don't drink them soon enough you lose the aroma. Other beers age just fine.

 

[Revvy]

But the "how long" is too long in an ipa is also going to vary, depending on how hoppy it was and what types of hops used. I've cracked open Ipas that were in the bottle for between 6 and 8 months and they were still surprisingly hoppy.

 

[rico567]

It has surprised some people when I mention that one of the things I enjoy about brewing is that it takes.....time. And it can't be processed, or made "instant," or speeded up. In fact, it can be argued that with beer, taking time = good.