Correct bottle conditioning

[fatslob]

I'm working on 5gallon belgian dark. Fermented for 2 weeks. I bottled today with priming sugar. So I bottled one in a little plastic coke bottle so I can use to reference when it's done carbonating. But what then?

You just refrigerate the bottles to stop it or what? And once you cool the beer how long before its ready? Also once you cool in the fridge, do they need to stay cold or risk carbonating further? My beer so far is really freaking good, I dont want something stupid to screw it up at this point.

 

[lowtones84]

Some people cold condition the entire batch once it's ready. I've never found that necessary. Perhaps if it's a very hoppy style or something that needs to be consumed fresh it's helpful, but I've typically kept all but a 6 pack or so at room temp. As long as you don't have an infection or brett, and fermentation was actually complete, it shouldn't carbonate past what it does once all of the bottle priming is consumed.

 

[fatslob]

Some people cold condition the entire batch once it's ready. I've never found that necessary. Perhaps if it's a very hoppy style or something that needs to be consumed fresh it's helpful, but I've typically kept all but a 6 pack or so at room temp. As long as you don't have an infection or brett, and fermentation was actually complete, it shouldn't carbonate past what it does once all of the bottle priming is consumed.

Fg was 1010 no bubbling

 

[RM-MN]

When your beer is done fermenting there is no sugars left that the yeast can digest. You then add a calculated amount of sugar and bottle. That amount of sugar will allow the yeast to produce just the right amount of carbonation when they run out of sugar to eat and go dormant. I leave my finished beer in the bottles at room temp for anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 years, refrigerating just what amount I want to drink. Make sure to refrigerate them for at least 24 hour to get them properly chilled and let any suspended protein to settle out.

 

[Deadalus]

I hold mine up to the light and look to see if the yeast has settled down to the bottom and the beer is clear. I try to give it about 14 days but I might pop one in the fridge sooner if it's clear before then.

I keep most at room temperature in the basement and throw whatever I intend to drink soon in the fridge. The more you put in the fridge the faster it's likely to be consumed in my experience.

 

[Bilsch]

The more you put in the fridge the faster it's likely to be consumed.

I believe that's Maytag's razor.

 

[bucketnative]

Rely on a tried and true priming sugar calculator to determine the correct amount of priming sugar. That way, when it's, it's done: http://www.northernbrewer.com/pages/priming-sugar-calculator

 

[fatslob]

Rely on a tried and true priming sugar calculator to determine the correct amount of priming sugar. That way, when it's, it's done: http://www.northernbrewer.com/pages/priming-sugar-calculator

I calculated it and went on the low end 1 cup of sugar for my 5 gallons. The taste is hands down best beer I've ever had. Carbonation is bad though its nearly flat. How can I adjust it so the next batch is so carbonated that when you pop one open it explodes out the bottle like champagne

 

[bucketnative]

I calculated it and went on the low end 1 cup of sugar for my 5 gallons. The taste is hands down best beer I've ever had. Carbonation is bad though its nearly flat. How can I adjust it so the next batch is so carbonated that when you pop one open it explodes out the bottle like champagne

How long had the bottle been conditioning? At what temperature did you condition?

 

[Jag75]

I calculated it and went on the low end 1 cup of sugar for my 5 gallons. The taste is hands down best beer I've ever had. Carbonation is bad though its nearly flat. How can I adjust it so the next batch is so carbonated that when you pop one open it explodes out the bottle like champagne

Maybe I'm missing something here. You used 1 cup of priming sugar for bottling? That's a lot of sugar . The most I've ever used was 5oz . You used 8 oz and it was still flat??

 

[mattdee1]

If you use anything more than a half cup of sugar for 5gal, store the bottles near room temperature, and still end up with flat beer, then something is amiss. The most obvious answer would be that your bottles aren't holding pressure. I had this problem once with brown 500ml PET bottles with screw-on caps. Every one of them was flat, but all glass bottles with crimp-on caps from the same batch were fine.

As for putting them in the fridge or leaving them in a closet, doesn't really matter very much, but there are benefits to keeping all bottles in the fridge, even if you won't be drinking them for a long time. Back when I was bottling, I started by putting 6 packs at a time in the kitchen fridge. It worked fine. But eventually I got a dedicated, full-sized "homebrew fridge" from the local classifieds which enabled me to chill entire batches at a time. The really nice thing about working this way is you end up with much clearer beer. You can take a 6 pack out of your closet, chill it over night, and it will taste fine the next day. But if that same 6 pack had been at the back of your fridge for a few weeks instead of in a dark closet, the beers will look a lot better in the glass, guaranteed. Lots of people don't care about that, but it's worth mentioning.

 

[fatslob]

I had bottles conditioning for a week at 65-75 deg F in a dark cupboard. the bottles used were regular brown glass beer bottles. After a week I put all n fridge. I'm drinking one to three every night so far no difference at least to me

 

[bucketnative]

One week may not have been enough to be fully carbonated.

 

[balrog]

21 days
72 degrees

Repeat that mantra.

 

[fatslob]

21 days
72 degrees

Repeat that mantra.

Lol k but I was too excited it was my first successful all grain. I think I might have not stirred in the priming sugar syrup solution well enough too I just realized. I'll know if I get to the one bottle that got it all. POP!!!

 

[ike8228]

Lol k but I was too excited it was my first successful all grain. I think I might have not stirred in the priming sugar syrup solution well enough too I just realized. I'll know if I get to the one bottle that got it all. POP!!!

Haha that literally made me laugh out loud. Surprise!

 

[tellyho]

Let it sit for as long as you can wait. At least 2 weeks at 70°, longer if cooler. A cup is a lot of sugar, unless it's a 10 gallon batch.

 

[tellyho]

I had bottles conditioning for a week at 65-75 deg F in a dark cupboard. the bottles used were regular brown glass beer bottles. After a week I put all n fridge. I'm drinking one to three every night so far no difference at least to me

Ha! Leave some for later or you'll kick yourself in 4 months when it tastes best.

 

[ncbrewer]

If the sugar was stirred in enough, and they go ahead and carb up with 8 oz of sugar, they might explode. Be very careful.​

 

[Saunassa]

The most I use is 5 oz bottle n a 5 gallon batch and that was the warm fermented Kveik beer. Most get 4.1-4.4 oz dextrose (corn sugar) by weight.

 

[Saunassa]

Do an experiment, do you have a 1 wk bottle still in fridge? Mark it with a 1, put another in at 2 weeks and Mark with a 2 and then put one in at 3 weeks with a three, leave them all for at least another 3 days. Pull and pour each into separate glass. You will see difference in carb levels and sweetness from yeast converting your priming sugar. You will be amazed at the changes.

 

[Saunassa]

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