2nd brew in the carboy, time to bottle first brew?

Just brewed my second beer Monday. BB Witbier and the airlock has been going great! I was having a little trouble keeping the temp constant at 150 for the steep to convert stage (wind picked up as a storm moved in) but it looks nice and ugly and smells great.
My English brown ale has been in primary now for 2 1/2 weeks and I will have a chance to bottle it this evening. FG is at 1.008 ABV is about 4.5%
How long should I let it bottle condition before I sample the Brown?
Guess I have to RDWDA"C"B since I don't have a home brew ready yet

2 weeks is the general rule for carbonation, after that the longer you can wait the better it will be.

Myself, I often sample a few before the 2 week stage, purely in the name of "science"

I'm all for "science" and "quality control" sampling

man, my english brown (biermuncher's newcastle clone with some tweaks) is in bottles and the wait is killing me. i tasted it at bottling and warm and flat it was one of the most delicious beers i've had. a week from tomorrow marks three weeks in the bottle. it's killing me! fortunately, my english ipa is ready and is also delicious, so that will help see me through this trying time

go buy three or four six packs of beers you've been wanting to try. you gotta have something to hold you over

My first brew was a IIPA and I had it in the bottles one week before sampling one. It was already carbonated and delicious but I'm choosing to let them ride until I get back from vacation to see how much better they are after 4-5 weeks of conditioning...

I'm bottling my 2nd and 3rd batches this week and they'll have 3 weeks in them as well by the time I get back from vacation so I should have lots of beer waiting for me upon my return home... :rockin:

grem135 said:

Guess I have to RDWDA"C"B since I don't have a home brew ready yet

Click to expand...

Me too. Delicious craft beer.. for the sake of science and research.

Don't tell some of veteran posters around here, but sometimes I shake a bottle that's been carbing for a week or so. If a little head forms, and I can bubbles running up the side, I'll throw it in the fridge and drink it once cool. This only really works when the closet I carb in is really warm, so May through October or so.

Most of the bottles I try to let sit for a few weeks, I just figure one or two can't hurt. And, I have to admit, the ones that condition longer are always better.

I always include 2 plastic PET bottles when I am at that stage. I get a good judge of how carbonation is coming along just from giving them a little squeeze every few days. I can also see how the sediment is forming and compacting as well as how the beer is clearing up.

bosco

Bottled the Wit Tuesday, tossed a bottle of the english brown ale (14 days in bottle) in the fridge for "quality control testing" I hope it tastes as good as the Newcastle I'm drinking now., that would be awesome