How long should I condition??

I have a Pale Ale that has been fermenting for about 9 days now, it has reached the intended FG and has been constant for a few readings now. I am planning on dry hoping for a week but I didn't know how long I should let it condition before I begin the week of dry-hopping. Can I start now or should I give it two weeks followed by a week of dry-hops? I know that beer needs to condition but I am planning on giving it 3 weeks to bottle condition.

Thanks guys!

corpsman619 said:

I have a Pale Ale that has been fermenting for about 9 days now, it has reached the intended FG and has been constant for a few readings now. I am planning on dry hoping for a week but I didn't know how long I should let it condition before I begin the week of dry-hopping. Can I start now or should I give it two weeks followed by a week of dry-hops? I know that beer needs to condition but I am planning on giving it 3 weeks to bottle condition.

Thanks guys!

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I'd say give it two weeks at minimum for the yeast to "clean" up your beer. Then say 5 days before you plan to bottle drop in the hops. Pretty simple. Bottle and condition at 70* for another 3 weeks.

Yeah,it's def a good thing to let the beer clean up & settle out clear or slightly misty before a week of dry hopping before packaging. You don't want all that yeast & trub in suspension when you dry hop. The hop oils would then coat the yeast & go to the bottom with them. so waiting for it to settle out well wil leave more hop oils in the beer.

+1 on what unionrdr said. With my house pale ale I let it sit for 2 weeks then dry hop for about 5 days or then bottle condition for 3 weeks. Comes out great every time!

Yeah, the only thing that is frustrating is that I have been using a swamp cooler to keep it under 72 and it is really a pain in the butt. I work all day and my wife refuses to help me outt by tossing a few ice bags in the fermenter tub from the freezer! So I leave leave in morning with my beer at about 65f and I get back with a beer at around 74-76f. I don't have any space to put a refrigerator, can't wait for it to cool down.

corpsman619 said:

Yeah, the only thing that is frustrating is that I have been using a swamp cooler to keep it under 72 and it is really a pain in the butt. I work all day and my wife refuses to help me outt by tossing a few ice bags in the fermenter tub from the freezer! So I leave leave in morning with my beer at about 65f and I get back with a beer at around 74-76f. I don't have any space to put a refrigerator, can't wait for it to cool down.

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After you have reached FG, controlling the temperature is not so important. I wouldn't want it to get really hot but room temperature is ok.

I would think that ending your dry hop at 3 weeks is fine. Then you will likely need three weeks for bottle conditioning.

corpsman619 said:

Yeah, the only thing that is frustrating is that I have been using a swamp cooler to keep it under 72 and it is really a pain in the butt. I work all day and my wife refuses to help me outt by tossing a few ice bags in the fermenter tub from the freezer! So I leave leave in morning with my beer at about 65f and I get back with a beer at around 74-76f. I don't have any space to put a refrigerator, can't wait for it to cool down.

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Temp isn't particularly critical after fermentation finishes. In fact, many allow the beer to rise to room temp after fermentation is over. After about five days, you should be fine to Lear it alone with no ice bottle swapping.

Wow that's a relief! The only thing is that the ambient temp during the afternoon is 82-86 then at night it drops to low 60's

corpsman619 said:

Wow that's a relief! The only thing is that the ambient temp during the afternoon is 82-86 then at night it drops to low 60's

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Leave it in the bucket of water you have been using to keep it cold. That will increase your thermal mass and the beer will probably only fluctuate a couple of degrees. Based on what you said, I would guess it would be down to about 71-72 by mid morning and up to 75 in the evening. It definitely will not keep up with changes in ambient temperature.

What also throws me off is that the temperature strip on my bucket is submerged so I don't know what the beer temp actually is. I don't want to risk infection by checking the temp with a thermometer throughout the day. I read that once the beer is no longer actively fermenting that it will usually be around the ambient temp.

I'd not leave it quite so long before dry-hop. Those fresh hop flavors from the boil are all diminishing, so as stated above, I'd do 3 weeks total in primary including your dry-hop.

Once I bottle is it a problem if the bottles sit around 74-76f? I really would love to not worry about the temp of the bottles! It should be cooling down here in San Diego soon. I hope

corpsman619 said:

Once I bottle is it a problem if the bottles sit around 74-76f? I really would love to not worry about the temp of the bottles! It should be cooling down here in San Diego soon. I hope

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No problem at all. In fact, that's pretty much where mine were at until the temps dropped. I'd say it's still 72º in the closet where I keep my bottled beer.

Also, 3 weeks after brewing I left a pumpkin ale in a bucket just sitting at room temp. The air was set to 76º all day/night but lucky for my electric bill, it was a cool week when I was gone.

corpsman619 said:

Once I bottle is it a problem if the bottles sit around 74-76f? I really would love to not worry about the temp of the bottles! It should be cooling down here in San Diego soon. I hope

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While you're carbonating, mid-70's is probably a great temperature, warm enough to keep the yeast lively and get your beer carbed up in a timely manner.

However, that's a bit warm to be storing finished beers. Do you have a basement, or at least a closet somewhere in the middle of your house where the sun doesn't beat down on one of the walls, that you could get down to the 50's or at least the 60's?

Otherwise, I think everybody is in vehement agreement, here -- leave it in primary for two weeks total, a.k.a. just a couple more days from now, which should be a good compromise between letting the yeast clean up and settle out and keeping the hop flavors fresh, then dry hop.

I agree with the above information. Here are two tips that I didn't see spelled out above that might be of help.

* Putting an old (or new...) 100% cotton t shirt over your carboy draped into the water will help stabilize the temp and can help keep a few degrees cooler than ambient even without ice.
* Keep tabs on what you feel the max temp that it's seen during fermentation as it will be a factor in the amount of sugar need to bottle condition assuming that's what you will be doing.

I don't have a basement or a/c in my house. The temp in my house is usually hotter than outside, I'd say about low 80's during the afternoons. Kind of wish I lived in the east coast... I keep everything in my laundry room, it gets to about 82-84 at its hottest. Hopefully it starts cooling down. Is it possible to have a fridge in my yard? What if it gets rained on?

I tried wicking but it didn't work very well with buckets =/ The most effective thing so far is just filling the rib up to about 3/4 the way up the side of the bucket and rotating out frozen Ziploc bags of ice

After the initial fermentation is over, temp control is not as important. This later stage of fermentation is when the yeast can clean up any off flavours from the vigorous stage of fermentation. So, don't worry about the ice additions to your swamp cooler. I wouldn't condition a dry hopped beer too long after it has carbed up because the aroma gained from the dry hopping quickly dissipates. Drink it fresh! Especially if it is a normal gravity beer.

I got too impatient today and ended up dry hopping after only 9 days of fermenting. I tasted it and it tastes good (a lot drier than the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale I'm used to, I think its because the FG somehow got down to 1009 and I was shooting for 1012) . This way I will hopefully be drinking this batch by Halloween. This may have been a rookie mistake and me just being impatient but I think after a week of dry hopping plus two weeks bottle conditioning they should be good. Plus I will pretty much be drinking this batch alone :| so by the time i get to the last six they will have plenty of time to condition.

corpsman619 said:

I got too impatient today and ended up dry hopping after only 9 days of fermenting. I tasted it and it tastes good (a lot drier than the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale I'm used to, I think its because the FG somehow got down to 1009 and I was shooting for 1012) . This way I will hopefully be drinking this batch by Halloween. This may have been a rookie mistake and me just being impatient but I think after a week of dry hopping plus two weeks bottle conditioning they should be good. Plus I will pretty much be drinking this batch alone :| so by the time i get to the last six they will have plenty of time to condition.

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LOL! If there is one person on the forum that hasn't hurried a batch or two Id be surprised. Have faith that as your pipeline fills, RHAHB becomes much easier!