Bottling

Ok so I planned on leaving my beer in the first fermentation bucket for another week or two longer because I do not have a carboy and I read that this usually works just as well. Now what if I bottled them and left them in the bottle for a few extra weeks before moving them to the fridge? Does this work the same way or does the priming sugar affect something.

Leave it in the primary for 3 to 4 weeks and bottle. Then leave them in the bottle for at least another 2 to 3 weeks around 70 out of the sun and light. Then put in the fridge for a couple days and enjoy.

You want to keep your bottles at room temperature (around 70F) for around 3 weeks, minimum, to get adequate and complete carbonation.

By putting the beer in the fridge, you are essentially putting the yeast to sleep and causing them to go dormant due to the decreased temperature. This halts (for the most part) carbonation.

As long as fermentation has finished you are free to bottle. It may be a little better to age in a secondary or have a longer time in the primary but if it means you free up the space for your next batch I say go for it.

awesome thank you. My fermentation has been going for eight days now. It seems like its coming to a halt. When it does I'm gonna bottle to get goin on my next batch. Thanks guys.

jonbomb said:

awesome thank you. My fermentation has been going for eight days now. It seems like its coming to a halt. When it does I'm gonna bottle to get goin on my next batch. Thanks guys.

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Make sure you are using a hydrometer to gauge the progress of your fermentation, and not the airlock.

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

And even carbonation doesn't mean that they will not still be green and need more time to condition before chilling..

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