bottle carbonation ?

Is there a way to tell if the bottle are carbing up without opening one? My first batch has been in the bottle for close to a week now and I was just wondering if I could tell if things were going good without popping one open. Thanks

Nope, gotta open one. Just consider it research

Not really unless you bottle in plastic bottles. You will start to see yeast sediment on the bottom of bottles which is an indication that something is happening, but no guarantee that a beer is properly carbonated.

If the priming sugar was mixed evenly and you didnt wait a year to bottle, they are carbonating for sure!

Dont be afraid to crack one open and try it out. It will give you a good idea of how the beer conditions over time.

you did brew this beer to drink right?

patience is a virtue...but knowing what green beer tastes like is an educational experience.

everyone does it.

I mixed good so I am not worried about that, I did brew to drink of course. I am not a fan of ****ty tasting beer though so I'm trying my best to be patient. Guess I will just hold off until next week unless they start exploding which I also dont expect to happen.

There was a suggestion in the latest Zymurgy issue which made good sense.

Use a PET plastic soda bottle (avail at your brew store) and fill it then squeeze the air out of it so there is no head space, fill the rest of your bottles. When you see that plastic bottle expand and pop out and eventually get hard (not as hard as a pop they're carbonated more). You can feel the hardness of the plastic bottle when its at a consistent hardness your beer is carbonated.

ed

Note that soda is carbonated higher than beer so it will not get as as a pop.

My capper puts a dent in the top of the lids. If I poke the dent and it easily moves, they're not carbed yet. If the dent turns itself inside out, or it is really hard to press, they're ready to go.