2 weeks in bottles.. OK to drink..??

[anthonyb15fd]

My beer has been in the bottles for 2 weeks tomorrow.. Can I sneak one tonight while I am watching Nascar or should I just wait until tomorrow when its officially 2 weeks..??

AB

 

[Revvy]

I wouldn't expect a NORMAL grav beer to be carbed at only 2 weeks in the bottle, so for me that would be an automatic waste of a beer....But it's your beer so you can do what you want.

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."

Just remember if it tastes like crap, because it is green, or is flat as a Kansas pancake, don't think there's something wrong and start an "why is my beer not carbed yet" thread. Because there's nothing wrong.

 

[kh54s10]

Sneak one, but be prepared for a beer that is not ready. 2 weeks is often enough but not always. Tomorrow might not do it either, they will be done when they want to be. (If everything was done correctly.)

 

[Butter]

Just try it and see. They're either ready or they're not.

 

[cullen]

My beer has been in the bottles for 2 weeks tomorrow.. Can I sneak one tonight while I am watching Nascar or should I just wait until tomorrow when its officially 2 weeks..??

AB

Why are you asking for permission to sample your own beer?

 

[Calder]

There are lots of variables that affect how long it takes to carb a beer. Under ideal circumstances, it can be ready in a week. I often open bottles after 1 or 2 weeks and rarely find one that is not carb'd. Now the cold weather is coming, I'll probably leave the bottles longer because at the low to mid 60s temperature in my basement, it usually takes longer.

 

[jonmohno]

The only waste of beer i had was when it was still flat. Maybe prepare for disapointment maybe not.Waiting 2 months which is were i like mine,and not trying any inbetween then would be a waste of time waiting, i enjoy see them evolve into better beers, that being said i get a lot of meh up until that point. I have also noticed how head seems to evolve more with it well over 3 weeks that is if your recipe you make gives the beer a good head in the first place,but there is a lot of good beer that has little to no head so just because yours doesnt doesnt mean there is something wrong-just something you need to learn to create it when you make them.Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesnt.

 

[drainbamage]

NO!! Under no circumstances may you sample your beer!

*Shrugs* It won't kill you, but it might still be taste green or be a little flat. As long as you can accept that it may not taste as good as it will in a few more days/weeks, why not?

 

[Bulldog21]

I started a similar thread today but I am only at 1 week :-(

I am going to open at least one today to see what it tastes like at 1 week and then again in a couple more weeks to see how they taste along the process. I figure it can only help me to be educated for future batches...

 

[ajf]

When I started brewing, it took me almost 2 years to realize that the best bottle of each batch was always the last one. That's when I almost gave up drinking homebrew, but not brewing; and bought enough commercial beers to collect enough bottles to build up a pipe-line. I still sampled one or two before they were ready and convinced myself that this was necessary for quality control purposes, but the beers were much better when they were mature.

-a.

 

[jmprdood]

While conditioning more than a couple of weeks almost always improves your end product - contrary to what some will tell you here, the Beer Fairy isn't going to swoop in and revoke your brewing rights if you crack one open at a week to see how it is coming.

If you want to watch the Chase Final with your brew in hand - have at it!

Cheers!

 

[CAustin919]

I wouldn't expect a NORMAL grav beer to be carbed at only 2 weeks in the bottle, so for me that would be an automatic waste of a beer....But it's your beer so you can do what you want.

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."

Just remember if it tastes like crap, because it is green, or is flat as a Kansas pancake, don't think there's something wrong and start an "why is my beer not carbed yet" thread. Because there's nothing wrong.

Point...

I started a similar thread today but I am only at 1 week :-(

I am going to open at least one today to see what it tastes like at 1 week and then again in a couple more weeks to see how they taste along the process. I figure it can only help me to be educated for future batches...

Counterpoint...

Sample away... IMHO it will only help give you tips as to what happens during the process. I seriously doubt it will taste like "crap" unless there are other underlying factors at work... but it may give you some insight to how your "environment" is affecting the beer.

Also being "green" and not fully carbed are two different topics...

 

[Revvy]

Also being "green" and not fully carbed are two different topics...

Actually carbing and conditioning are both aspects of time and temperature factors in which I discuss quite thoroughly in the blog and throughout here. In the bottle much of the final flavor and even mouthfeel is a result of co2, which lifts flavors, aromas and removes the "watery-ness" that many new brewers who start panic threads when they prematurely opened their bottles or tasted it in primary/secondary, they worry that the beer tastes watery.

Then they report back in a couple a weeks after I post what I post and report that the beer is fine...so Carbonation and conditioning are not really two seperate topics, they are intrinsically connected and dependent on each other for the finished product.

An as to whatever point you're tying to make with your "point counterpoint" I did say in my initial post TO BOTH THREADS, that it is their beer and they can do what the heck they wanted to....But I think tasting prematurely is a waste of beer.

I just never had gleaned anything substantive from that. Despite the rationalization that many new brewer say is for 'educational purposes' I find there's very little to be gleaned tasting a beer at 1 week, and again at 2....that to me just means there 2 less beers that are actually tasting good and are ready at the end. I don't buy budweiser because I don't like to taste "bad" beer. So why would I drink my own beer when it was "bad" especially since I know it's going to be delicious a few weeks later.

It's a great rationalization, and I hear it every time I make my assertion. But the thing to remember is that since every beer is different that 5 day old Ipa you may have decided to crack open is not going to taste anything like that 5 day old brown ale you opened early in your next batch. They're two different animals. There are so many tiny variations in things like ambient temp at fermentation and carbonation, pitch count phases of the moon, that even if you brewed your same batch again and cracked a bottle at the exact same early time on the previous batch, the beer, if you could remember how it tasted, more than likely wouldn't taste the same at that phase....Heck even in the same batch if you had grabbed a different bottle it may seem carbed or tasting differently at that point.

A tiny difference in temps between bottles in storage can affect the yeasties, speed them up or slow them down. Like if you store them in a closet against a warm wall, the beers closest to the heat source may be a tad warmer than those further way, so thy may carb/condition at slightly different rates. I usually store a batch in 2 seperate locations in my loft 1 case in my bedroom which is a little warmer, and the other in the closet in the lving room, which being in a larger space is a tad cooler, at least according to the thermostat next to that closet. It can be 5-10 degrees warmer in my bedroom. So I usually start with that case at three weeks. Giving the other half a little more time. Each one is it's own little microcosm, and although generally the should come up at the same time, it's not an automatic switch, and they all pop on. They are all going to come to tempo when their time is right...not a minute before, and then at some point they all will be done.

So you're not, to me learning anything special from it. But It's your beer, but there's not gonna be anything right or wrong at that point, except that you're out a beer that 2-3 weeks later you're gonna post something like"Sigh, they always say that last beer of the batch is the best, now if only I hadn't "sampled for educational purposes" all those weeks back I could be having another on of these delicious beers."
My only concern is that they freak out if their beer isn't carbed or if it tastes like a$$...which it often is...

*shrug*

 

[midfielder5]

My only concern is that they freak out if their beer isn't carbed or if it tastes like a$$...which it often is

IMO this is the takeaway. Drink one. BFD!!
It is natural to want to sample it. I usually have plenty of beer & wine to drink, but I want to try my new creation.

Just don't come here complaining about it!

 

[beergolf]

Taste one to see how it is. After you taste several beers at two weeks you will come to realize that they get better after three, even better at 4-5. Some bigger beers even require a lot more time. Tasting early can be a good learning experience.

Get a good pipeline going and it will be easy to just let them sit.

 

[jmprdood]

beergolf is right - once you get the bug and have several brews at different stages it gets easy. I've got 2 in primary right now and 3 at various stages conditioning in the bottles at about 70F, and some in the 'fridge.

Your beer - your learning experience. Papazian said, "Don't worry, have a homebrew!" This ain't rocket surgery - tho' it can be if that is what floats your boat. That's the great thing about the hobby, you get to decide what level you want to be at and there are plenty of really smart people here who will help get you there.

Cheers!

 

[anthonyb15fd]

Thanks for all the insight.. I tried one and it was good.. Color, carbination, taste.. I know it will only get better in another couple weeks. It was great having one of my beers while watching Tony WIN the championship...!!!

Thanks again
AB

 

[phatspade]

congrats! now don't be like me...can't help myself but to test them all before they're actually done. I can never make it 3-4 weeks for the conditioning to be done, but I can honestly say it's the kid in me.:cross:

 

[kh54s10]

while watching Tony WIN the championship...!!!

That made me want more beer - to drown my sorrows!

 

[Stauffbier]

On my first batch, anticipation was driving me insane! So, in spite of all of the warnings to not do it I drank one after only one week. To my surprise it was very well carbed and tasted amazing! As everyone above has said, though... the longer it conditioned - the better it tasted! I say sneek one! What the heck!?