priming sugar for 1 bottle

I'm racking to secondary this weekend and the wait is killing me, I'm thinking about bottling 1 bottle and try it in a week. Is there any reason to not do this? I know it won't taste perfect but I really want to see what it tastes like. Since I will already have some out for the hydrometer I figure why not throw it in a bottle.

How much priming sugar should I use for just 1 bottle? Since I'm only a week into fermentation do I even need the sugar? I brewed on Saturday and it has slowed way down already, I figure it will be done by this Saturday..

Todd

Patience, grasshopper. The beer won't taste very good, and after only a week in the bottle will very likely have little, if any, carbonation (usually takes about two weeks to get some carbonation, three for full). Probably won't have any more fizz than the sample you will inevitably steal from the secondary before you bottle

the_bird said:

Patience, grasshopper. The beer won't taste very good, and after only a week in the bottle will very likely have little, if any, carbonation (usually takes about two weeks to get some carbonation, three for full). Probably won't have any more fizz than the sample you will inevitably steal from the secondary before you bottle

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yeah I know, this is my first brew and it is so hard to see it everyday.

take er easy... get ingredients for another batch, put this beer in the secondary this weekend and taste some then, flat. Make up another batch, ASAP cause you'll go through that one in like 4 days

sirsloop said:

take er easy... get ingredients for another batch, put this beer in the secondary this weekend and taste some then, flat. Make up another batch, ASAP cause you'll go through that one in like 4 days

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That is what I'm thinking. My buddy is brewing a pumpkin oatmeal stout this weekend, that should also be nice and tasty. I'm thinking about a raspberry hefe-weizen next.

I will be tasting, I've tasted everything but the yeast as I was making it. I have to say even the chilled wort was pretty good. OG was 1.083.

Once you get a "cellar," with 2-3 (or more) batches near their prime to choose from, then you won't feel that intense pressure to want to drink the latest batch before its time. I always taste after about 10-14 days in the bottle, but kindof almost forget about it for a while after that while I drink other batches.

Brewing more beer (and planning to brew even more) is a great way to get your mind off the stuff that's already conditioning. Maybe that's why I spend so much time on this site, it keeps me from becoming a drunk!

That's a pretty big beer, what is it? Don't be surprised if it needs a little more than a week in the primary, better to let it finish fermenting there before you rack it.

cweston said:

Once you get a "cellar," with 2-3 (or more) batches near their prime to choose from, then you won't feel that intense pressure to want to drink the latest batch before its time. I always taste after about 10-14 days in the bottle, but kindof almost forget about it for a while after that while I drink other batches.

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I can understand that, this being the first is just driving me crazy, it is like waiting for christmas morning as a kid. Or maybe Prom night as a Teen.

Quick question, I was right at 5 gallons in the primary, I have a feeling I'll be a bit under in the secondary, should I add some water to hit the 5 gallon mark? This is going to be a strong beer so I'm not too worried about watering it down. I can't see it taking more than half gallon to fill.

the_bird said:

That's a pretty big beer, what is it? Don't be surprised if it needs a little more than a week in the primary, better to let it finish fermenting there before you rack it.

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It is a strong scotch ale. It is based off of a belhaven clone. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=11477

I was thinking about this, how do you tell when it is ready to rack? The bubbling has slowed way down, it bubbles about twice per minute now. Was every second the first 24 hours. I'm planning to rack Saturday and use the yeast for the next batch which we are brewing Saturday.

Todd said:

Quick question, I was right at 5 gallons in the primary, I have a feeling I'll be a bit under in the secondary, should I add some water to hit the 5 gallon mark? This is going to be a strong beer so I'm not too worried about watering it down. I can't see it taking more than half gallon to fill.

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Generally, no. Five gallons in the primary fermenter will always yield less than 5 gallons at bottling time--it's normal.

If you have a large enough primary fermenter (a 6+ gallon carboy, or a bucket--not a 5 gal carboy), you can adjust your batch size to 5.5 gallons. If you lose a quart at racking and a quart at bottling, you'll be right at 5 gallons in the bottles. And a 5 gal carboy used for secondary will hold more than 5 gallons. (It's OK for the carboy to be very full in secondary, because you don't get active fermentation like you do in the primary.) I suspect most people here do this.

I honestly don't think it matters. You probably won't be able to taste much of a difference if you do top it off. There's a slight chance of infection when you add water (you might want to boil the water first). I would probably leave it be, but that's just me; I'd rather have a bigger beer than more of a smaller one.

the_bird said:

I honestly don't think it matters. You probably won't be able to taste much of a difference if you do top it off. There's a slight chance of infection when you add water (you might want to boil the water first). I would probably leave it be, but that's just me; I'd rather have a bigger beer than more of a smaller one.

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Well it is already suppose to be about 8% ABV so it will be plenty big.