How long does beer take to carbonate?

TexasSpartan · 09-03-2009, 12:55 AM

Bottle and carbonate with corn sugar. My wife asked me how long it takes after bottling for the beer to be carbonated and ready to drink. I had no idea, so I turn to you all.

**marubozo** · 09-03-2009, 12:58 AM

It will depend on the gravity of the beer, temp, etc. But a general rule of thumb is 3 weeks at 70 degrees. As Revvy will point out, some bigger beers can take a few months. Some light beers will be ready in a week or two. There's no hard and fast answer, so give it a couple weeks and pop one open to see where it stands.

**Baldy_Beer_Brewery** · 09-03-2009, 12:59 AM

Usally two to three weeks. But your mileage may vary. There are factors other than carbonation that dictate how long you should wait.

TexasSpartan · 09-03-2009, 01:05 AM

Generally I pop one open after two week to see how it is, and then decide whether to put them in my drinking rotation or give them longer.

I should clarify why I asked. I had always read wait 2-3 weeks. I wasn't sure if it was ready after a couple days and you waited let the flavor develop more or something along those lines.

**marubozo** · 09-03-2009, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasSpartan

I should clarify why I asked. I had always read wait 2-3 weeks. I wasn't sure if it was ready after a couple days and you waited let the flavor develop more or something along those lines.

Well, that is part of it. Just because it has fully carbonated doesn't mean it's really done. The bottle conditioning phase can really help off flavors mellow out and bring out all of the qualities in your beer. In most cases, longer is going to be better. That doesn't mean you need to let the beer sit for six months or anything, but it never hurts to keep a few six packs at room temp for a while even after the beer is ready for drinking.

**Heineken** · 09-03-2009, 01:25 AM

Mine always seem to take three weeks. Not so much for carbonation but for taste, they are green.

**coryforsenate** · 09-03-2009, 05:12 PM

If it's not a big beer, I've noticed it carbonates within 3-5 days.

heiman5 · 09-03-2009, 06:07 PM

+1

I just did an amber and tested one after 3 days and it was fully carbonated.

im going to wait the full 2-3 weeks though to make sure the flavors are right

**Malticulous** · 09-03-2009, 10:17 PM

I drank Hefeweizen yesterday that was in the bottle less than three days. Oddly enough most of my beers are fully carbonated in less than a week, and very few get much better after that.

Arkador · 09-03-2009, 10:47 PM

A typical rule of thump is 2-3 weeks for the yeast in the bottle to convert the priming sugars into CO2, and for that CO2 to be fully absorbed. Many beers need to age aditional time for certain flavors to mellow out, and other flavors to fully develop.
I also find that 2 days in the fridge after carbonating means that the beer will hold the CO2 better, and the bottle will not foam over the second I open the cap.