Question about first bottles

I bottled my first batch four days ago it was a golden ale extract kit. my question is should i be seing anything going on in the bottles? They are clearing up. They aren't as cloudy as they were when I first bottled them. There is some sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Should I be seing the beer carbing? Just not sure what I should I should be seing if anything.

 

Ive noticed areas around the bottle with activity seems to fade after a few weeks.It clears more and you wont see much.After a few weeks refrigerate one for a few days to check carbonation/taste. you wont really see much but them start to become more clear. I guess you will see more sedimentation at the bottem though.

 

You won't see the carbonation until you pop the cap. You will most likely see a small amount of yeast drop to the bottom of the bottle. Since it's your first batch, I would recommend opening one after a week, another after 2 weeks and one at 3 weeks. This way you will know what the beer tastes like at different stages of bottle conditioning and give you better understanding of when it's ready. Just make sure to keep your bottles at 70 degrees for 3 weeks or until fully carbed. Then refridgerate

 

There is really no way to determine visually carbonation. SOmetimes folks see krausens on top but most of the time not...the only way to insure carbonation, is to give the beer enough time to carbonate. That's it...If you added sugar, you beer will carb when it's time.

The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, 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.

Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found here Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience."

 

Thanks for the replies.. That answers some of my questions. Guess the real answer is "WAIT". Is it just me or is the hardest thing about Homebrewing the wait. Does the wait get any easier the more you brew or is it always going to SUCK. lol

 

drink new craft brew while waiting read more learn more brew more. Smaller vessels maybe your going to want to brew a few inbetween,although its the same amout of time to brew more often/smaller its somewhat less money and more choice depending how much you share or give away and finances you have. I do less and experiment so im not stuck with so many i dont like.So when i find a winner beer ill get a bigger carboy and maybe brew more bulk.
Getting your mind off the waiting and building a pipeline and learning how to make better beer and drinking new craft beer keeps my mind at ease.

 

Consider it market research!!

I end up having to wait about 4 weeks for most of mine to carb up because my storage space -read behind furnace area- is in the mid 60s. For the first few batches I've taken out one bottle a week to see how it's carbing. Also to see how it changes over time and what to expect in future beers.

 

I agree i cant find a spot that stays above 70 so i have to wait longer.In the mean time its gonna be a darkhorse brewery coffee dopelbock.

 

So when you say gravity of 1.090 do you refer to the og or the fg?

 

Og....The one of the ways we referr to our beers is by it's starting gravity. It infers how strong a beer is. All beers tend to finish at roughly the same final gravity regardless of the OG, so saying my 1.008 stout means really nothing, but a 1.070 stout implys it's pretty strong.

 

Ooo ok that makes sense!