Bottle conditioning times and temps

[whovous]

I am finally going to prime and bottle my third batch of APA today, and want to get the remaining conditions as right as possible.

I know that I should store the bottles in the dark. Beyond that:
1. Is there a preferred storage temp? My fermentation chamber is available for several weeks if it matters, or I can just stick the bottles in a closet that is likely to be in the low 70s most of the time.
2. How long should I bottle condition an APA? I did both a hopburst and a dry hop on this one. I want to condition as long as necessary, but not so long as to lose some of that Citra/Mosaic aromatic goodness. Timetable?
3. Once I bottle condtion, what about cold conditioning? How long and at what temp should I chill the bottles?

This batch is going to wind up on the small side (about 1.75 gallons), so I want to waste as little as possible.

Thanks!

 

[flars]

Low 70°F is ideal for bottle conditioning. After two weeks, chill one bottle for three days for your first taste test. May take three weeks to get that nice dense head of tiny bubbles.

Chill all your bottles when you feel the carbonation and head retention are right.

In my opinion you won't notice a major decrease in hop aromas for five to six weeks for most hops. Your first APA will be a test run for the ones following. Keep good notes.

 

[unionrdr]

I condition APA's & IPA's about 3 weeks at 70F or better. Then 5-7 days fridge time to give any chill haze a chance to form & settle out like a fog. You'll also get longer lasting carbonation & better head.

 

[whovous]

Thanks, this should work out perfectly, then. In the dark today, and when I get back from a future trip, they'll have been there exactly three weeks. I got the impression from my last batch that a little extra chill time tasted a little better as well, so I will try to give them a whole week in the fridge before I open the first one.

Not gonna be easy with nothing in the pipeline, but I may finally be able to work on priming the pipe when I get back.

 

[unionrdr]

You should be rewarded with a good beer in the end...

 

[whovous]

I hope so. I still have a lot of dialing in to do, and mistakes to avoid, but so far each of my APAs has been better than the last. This one hit my targets better than before, and fermentation temps have been controlled better than ever before, so I have high hopes for this one. I know I can do better still, but at the moment I really feel like I am moving in the right direction.

Someone else on this forum said it took about twenty brews before he really got his technique dialed in. If I can keep improving every time until I hit twenty, I will be a very happy brewer!

 

[C-Rider]

I am finally going to prime and bottle my third batch of APA today, and want to get the remaining conditions as right as possible.

I know that I should store the bottles in the dark. Beyond that:
1. Is there a preferred storage temp? My fermentation chamber is available for several weeks if it matters, or I can just stick the bottles in a closet that is likely to be in the low 70s most of the time.
2. How long should I bottle condition an APA? I did both a hopburst and a dry hop on this one. I want to condition as long as necessary, but not so long as to lose some of that Citra/Mosaic aromatic goodness. Timetable?
3. Once I bottle condtion, what about cold conditioning? How long and at what temp should I chill the bottles?

This batch is going to wind up on the small side (about 1.75 gallons), so I want to waste as little as possible.

Thanks!

That is often the batch size going into my bottling bucket. Should give you 3 six packs or maybe only 17 bottles if you fill all the way.

 

[whovous]

That is spot on. I got 17 and a bit. Would have been real close to 18, but the tube popped out of the bottling wand and several ounces found the floor. Cleaning up is always fun, but even more so with a sticky floor!

 

[bionut]

What do you do when you have several batches bottled and no available fridge space? Can bottled beer be stored at room temp until you want to drink it?

 

[whovous]

Yes.

I think the one thing to avoid is shifting back and forth between the two repeatedly.

 

[m00ps]

What do you do when you have several batches bottled and no available fridge space? Can bottled beer be stored at room temp until you want to drink it?

I store all my bottled and kegged beer at rooms temp before it goes into the fridge. I brew at least once per week so there is no possible way I could have enough fridge space. The bottles are fine at rooms temps as long as it doesnt get excessively hot.

 

[bionut]

Cool, i tought that bottle conditioning can be done only at colder temperatures. I brew beer from 2012, but this is the first time i have enough beer to worry about.

 

[whovous]

Cool, i tought that bottle conditioning can be done only at colder temperatures. I brew beer from 2012, but this is the first time i have enough beer to worry about.

Are you brewing lagers by any chance?

 

[unionrdr]

Cool, i tought that bottle conditioning can be done only at colder temperatures. I brew beer from 2012, but this is the first time i have enough beer to worry about.

Bottle conditioning is normally done at 70F or a bit more. when that's satisfactory, storing them in a cool basement or other extends their flavor lifespan.

 

[bionut]

I don't brew lagers, just ales. When i will have a fermentation fridge i will try lagers too.

 

[rbraun24]

I just bottled a Scottish Ale last week. Is there a noticeable benefit to letting it condition for an extended period of time? Say 2 months? Or am I just wasting my time waiting?

 

[unionrdr]

Some beers benefit from aging a bit to smooth out harsher flavors, like roastiness.

 

[whovous]

Frequently, the higher the ABV, the more the beer benefits from aging. But if you are making a hop bomb, like I did, then you need to find the sweet spot between opening while the beer is too green and opening after the hops have begun to fade.

 

[Kharnynb]

Usually, I do 2-3 weeks in the Fermenter, 2 weeks at room-temp, then to the cellar.