I am going to bottle this Sunday after I bottle my brown ale where shoul I let my beer condition, a col dark place like when I was fermenting 64-68degrees? Any thoughts??? This is my very first batch of brew
64F is a bit too low for bottle conditioning. 70F or a lil more is better to get them carbed & conditioned in 3-4 weeks. Lower temp will take longer,& if it's too cold,the yeast will go dormant.
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.
Temp and gravity are the two most important factors as to how long it will take.
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.
And just because a beer is carbed doesn't mean it still doesn't taste like a$$ and need more time for the off flavors to condition out.
Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found hereOf Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience."
Carbonation is actually foolproof, you add sugar, the yeast eats it and farts co2 which carbs the beer. It's not a complex system, and there's very little that can go wrong...It just takes time.....
Agreed, a warm dark place would be better. I let my beers carb up on a top shelf in a storage closet inside the house. Room temperature for three weeks and you should be fine. Be sure once the beer has carbonated to let it sit in the fridge a full 24-48 hours before serving. Cold water based liquids can hold more CO2 than warm liquids.
At fridge time,I give them at least a week to settle any chill haze,& get decent carbonation & head. 2 weeks gives thicker head,& longer lasting,fine bubbled carbonation in the glass.