Bottle conditioning experiment

kendrid · 01-29-2009, 02:08 AM

While this is an "I told you so" type of story, here it is few the new guys.

I brewed the MW extract Autumn Amber Ale kit on 1/2 and bottled it two weeks later on 1/17.

One case of beer went into my daughter's bedroom closet which is in the low 70s (probably 70) while the other was in my basement which is 60.

Tonight I had my first two homebrews ever. The first was from the closet and it was really good. I know it isn't done by any means but I was anxious to try it. It was very nicely carbonated, had a smooth taste and nice smell. I was happy.

The second beer from the basement would have been a huge disappointment if I didn't know what was going on. While it was carbonated it is very sweet and clearly a "green" beer.

So listen up new guys, the temperature at which you bottle condition matters a lot. I am putting both cases into the closet until 2/7 where they will then be three weeks old. At that time I will pull out 8 or so that have always been in the closet and chill them and try again. At that point I figure they should be great since they are good now.

ChickenSoop · 01-29-2009, 03:23 AM

Absolutley. From now on, I am not touching my beer until 4 weeks after bottling. It's ok after 3, but I can taste a hint of green. I'll try to hold out until 4 weeks, maybe longer once I have a few more batches completed. The anticipation is tough on your first batch.

kendrid · 01-29-2009, 05:17 AM

I do have a follow up question: how long do I need to keep the bottles at 70 degrees? I have a pale ale that I'm letting sit on the primary for 3-4 weeks which puts me at bottling in two weeks. I can't take up all of the closet space in the house...

After the pale ale is bottled I will be getting batch three going. While I don't drink that much I want to have a decent supply "well done" so I won't want to break into young beer.

JMSetzler · 01-29-2009, 05:50 AM

Time is probably more of a factor than a 10 degree temperature variation. Most bottle conditioning gets even better after 5-8 weeks in the bottle. The temperature difference wouldn't be that significant over the longer period of time...

kendrid · 01-29-2009, 04:20 PM

I'd think if the ten degrees made a difference for the first two weeks it would continue to for a while.

snailsongs · 01-29-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChickenSoop

The anticipation is tough on your first batch.

Actually, I'm on my 9th and 10th batches, and the anticipation is just as tough....
.....all-hail pipe-lining....

JMSetzler · 01-29-2009, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kendrid

I'd think if the ten degrees made a difference for the first two weeks it would continue to for a while.

It won't in terms of carbonation. The flavor of the beer will continue to develop.

**Grinder12000** · 01-29-2009, 06:29 PM

I have an unfinished basement with an unfinished bathroom. I put a blanket over the door and purchased a heater with a thermostat set at 70.

My last 7 batches that I have put in there are fully carbed in 1 week. Yea - green but I no longer worry about carbonation.

After 3 weeks they are transferred to the rest of the 55 degree basement for further aging/drinking.

all-hail pipe-lining.

SeamusMac · 01-29-2009, 06:59 PM

I live in an apartment and for better or worse my apartment is on the south side of the building. Even during the winter there isn't a single place in my apartment that is below 72*F if the thermostat for the apartment is set at 72*F, which is kind of inconvenient because once I've conditioned my beer to my satisfaction I don't have a nice cool basement to store it in.

Here's a n00b question, should I be concerned about letting my beer condition past perhaps 2 months in such conditions?

Dennis1979 · 01-29-2009, 07:23 PM

kendrid,

4 weeks from brew to drinking is awful fast. I'm still very much a noob but I have learned that it pays to wait. My first batch I did everything too fast and the beer quality suffered. I am now leaving the beer in the primary for 3 -4 weeks. I am not even checking the gravity before 3 weeks. I'm using a secondary for cleaning up so I don't bottle until 4 or 5 weeks after brew day. Then bottle and in the closet for 6 weeks. I recently did a brown ale and a dutch style ale (Heinekin/Grolsch sort of). At 6 weeks both were good but the brown ale was a little sweet. So I waited 2 more weeks on it. At 8 weeks I tried the brown ale again and it was fantastic. Those 2 weeks, from 6 to 8, made a huge difference. I am only taking a few bottles out of the closet at a time and I notice that every week the flavor improves. So the point is, give it time. I know it is hard but it really pays off. If you test your beer too early you get disappointed and start thinking you did something wrong. Keep your brew schedule going and at some point in the future you can start drinking your beer and as long as the pipeline stays full you won't have any problem waiting for the beer to fully mature.

Dennis