I've got Austin Homebrew's Our Special Holiday Ale in my primary right now. It's been there three weeks at 68F, and I had been planning on bottling this weekend so it would have 5+ weeks in the bottle before Christmas. I'd like to be able to give a few six-packs out without saying, "don't drink this yet."
The SG has been at 1.020 for over a week now, so I'm assuming it's done, but there's still a very small amount of foamy trub on top (I hesitate to call it kraeusen, because while there's very slight positive pressure in the bucket, the gravity hasn't changed in ages). Hydro sample on Wednesday tasted good once it was cold, but was cloudy (then again, so was my mild when I bottled it, and it's dang-near crystal clear in the glass).
In any case, the question is, for those who have done spiced beers: would it benefit more from the extra week in primary, or from the extra week in the bottle? Obviously, if I have to tell recipients to wait a week or two to avoid green beer, I will, but it'd be nice not to have to. Thanks.
The SG has been at 1.020 for over a week now, so I'm assuming it's done, but there's still a very small amount of foamy trub on top (I hesitate to call it kraeusen, because while there's very slight positive pressure in the bucket, the gravity hasn't changed in ages). Hydro sample on Wednesday tasted good once it was cold, but was cloudy (then again, so was my mild when I bottled it, and it's dang-near crystal clear in the glass).
In any case, the question is, for those who have done spiced beers: would it benefit more from the extra week in primary, or from the extra week in the bottle? Obviously, if I have to tell recipients to wait a week or two to avoid green beer, I will, but it'd be nice not to have to. Thanks.