which is more important, fermenting time or bottle conditioning?

[Tobyone]

So what is more important (as I know they both are), the fermentation of the beer or the bottling conditioning? I ask because I want to make several batches before Christmas so I can give some to friends and family. I’m trying to work out a time line so nothing turns out not good. I guess what I’m saying is if it were you would you let the beer sit in the fermenting bucket longer or condition in the bottles longer to get a better tasting beer?

 

[Tinga]

well if you bottle you'll need at least three weeks until the carbonation would be set.

 

[Bentpirate]

Don't rush the fermentation. Stick with the required schedule. At the very least, when you give the bottles surely your friends will not drink them all in one day. Just add a little note stating best served after <date>. I believe most friends cherish the idea of a gift made vs. a gift bought, so if they need to wait I am sure it will still be a well received gift

 

[Revvy]

The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer.

Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.

Temp and gravity are the two factors that contribute to the time it takes to carb beer. But if a beer's not ready yet, or seems low carbed, and you added the right amount of sugar to it, then it's not stalled, it's just not time yet.

They are equally important, but where you can decide how long you want to bulk age one, when you add the priming sugar you sort of lose control over how long that will take. So it's a good idea to factor that in.

Depending on the grav of the beer I would factor in 6-8 weeks in the bottle to gaurentee that it is carbed up and not green so if I wanted something ready for Christmas Day, I would aim for it being in the bottle by early November. And in a warm place. They should then be perfectly carbed by then. ANd you can check them a week or two before, and if they are ready then you can enjoy them then. But if they are not ready then you won't have to worry too much, you still would have a cushion for them.

If you factor that time in then you can bulk age it in secondary from about 10-14 days after yeast pitch til then. Or leave it in primary for a month then bottle it and know that it will be ready in plenty of time.

And all in all you should then have a nice beer.

More info can be found here.

Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning.

 

[Tobyone]

thanks all. I really like the idea of the little tag stating "best served after ??/??/????"

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Neither is more important than the other. Both are critical stages of the beers life that deserve equal patience and consideration for the best quality end product.

 

[logan3825]

Revvy has a nice template for bottle tags in the second post of this thread. It is in Word. I didn't use it because I don't know Word very well and lost one of the lines. I made one almost identical in Excel instead.

 

[Malticulous]

What is important is fermenting without flaws. Time might lessen some of them but it wont fix them.

IMO primary until it's a few days after FG, secondary until it's clear and bottle condition until it carbonated with a good carbonic bite. Then it is done. Some beers take less than three weeks total.

Anyone giving out a blanket statement is wrong.