Primary and Secondary Time when Bottling

[beerandguitars]

Hello All,

I have a batch going right now that I'm thinking about bottling for the first time. It spent 8 days in primary and was then racked to secondary (currently on day 11).

My question is this: when bottling beer, how soon should you or long can you wait to add the priming sugar and still ensure that carbonation will take place? Can you go 4-5 weeks after brew day and still reactivate the yeast?

 

[dkeller12]

Hello All,

I have a batch going right now that I'm thinking about bottling for the first time. It spent 8 days in primary and was then racked to secondary (currently on day 11).

My question is this: when bottling beer, how soon should you or long can you wait to add the priming sugar and still ensure that carbonation will take place? Can you go 4-5 weeks after brew day and still reactivate the yeast?

From what I have heard, you can leave the beer in the fermenter for as long as you want and you will still have enough yeast in suspension to carbonate the beer. The longest I have gone is 7 weeks in primary and bottled after that and I had no issues with carbing that beer.

 

[Wingnutt73]

So I do this everytime I brew a batch. I use both Primary and a secondary. I tend to leave mine in the Primary for 1-2 weeks and rack to a secondary for again 1-2 weeks. I have never had a problem with Carbonation when bottling my brew unless you try and rink it to early after bottling. For me I have found 2-3 weeks after bottling give the perfect amount (anything after is fine as well) but atleast 2-3 weeks. So thats my input on it longer won't hurt you. RDWHAHB!!

 

[Revvy]

Unless it's a big beer, you're fine up to six months...some have bottled successfully after longer, but it often takes longer.