jlietzow
Well-Known Member
I need some practical advice for priming and bottle conditioning my beer. Here's what I've done so far...
My first batch was a pale ale and it went well. I added priming solution to the bottling bucket, racked, and bottled. I had a good head and a was very drinkable first beer within only 6 days after bottling.
My second batch was a less successful IPA. I had racked to a secondary Big Mouth Bubbler that was "siphonless". When it was time to bottle I decided not to use the bottling bucket to take advantage of the spigot on my BMB. However I still needed to mix my priming solution. Foolishly I added the priming solution directly into the BMB and attempted to stir gently. Needless to say my beautiful, clear IPA became a cloudy mess very quickly. I bottled anyway and the result was lots of sediment in each bottle and a nasty bite to the beer (which has slowly been getting better with time).
For my third batch, an oatmeal stout, I vowed not to repeat that mistake so I used the bottling bucket. I opened a bottle one week after bottling and was disappointed to find no carbonation in the beer at all. There was some fizz upon opening the bottle but none in the beer itself.
Now I know that one week is not enough time so I'll try again 2 weeks after bottling and hope for better results then. Nonetheless since I'll be bottling again in a few days I was hoping to fix whatever I can if I'm doing something wrong. Here are my specific questions:
1) Does a stout generally take more time to carbonate? I know that it's a much heavier beer (even though the ABV of this kit will be under 5%). If so, how long should I expect?
2) Is there any special technique I should use when transferring to the bottling bucket to ensure that I properly mix the priming solution?
Thanks in advance for the sage guidance!
My first batch was a pale ale and it went well. I added priming solution to the bottling bucket, racked, and bottled. I had a good head and a was very drinkable first beer within only 6 days after bottling.
My second batch was a less successful IPA. I had racked to a secondary Big Mouth Bubbler that was "siphonless". When it was time to bottle I decided not to use the bottling bucket to take advantage of the spigot on my BMB. However I still needed to mix my priming solution. Foolishly I added the priming solution directly into the BMB and attempted to stir gently. Needless to say my beautiful, clear IPA became a cloudy mess very quickly. I bottled anyway and the result was lots of sediment in each bottle and a nasty bite to the beer (which has slowly been getting better with time).
For my third batch, an oatmeal stout, I vowed not to repeat that mistake so I used the bottling bucket. I opened a bottle one week after bottling and was disappointed to find no carbonation in the beer at all. There was some fizz upon opening the bottle but none in the beer itself.
Now I know that one week is not enough time so I'll try again 2 weeks after bottling and hope for better results then. Nonetheless since I'll be bottling again in a few days I was hoping to fix whatever I can if I'm doing something wrong. Here are my specific questions:
1) Does a stout generally take more time to carbonate? I know that it's a much heavier beer (even though the ABV of this kit will be under 5%). If so, how long should I expect?
2) Is there any special technique I should use when transferring to the bottling bucket to ensure that I properly mix the priming solution?
Thanks in advance for the sage guidance!