Conditioned bottles done?

[Thazo79]

OK. I finished my first brew, an Irish Dry Stout, a while back.
It has been bottled with the appropriate sugar and has been sitting in a fridge at 70*F for the last two weeks.
Should I go ahead and drop the temp of the fridge to 45*F, or should I wait a little longer to make sure the bottles carb up completely.
If I do the latter, is there a possibility of over carbonating?
Or is the carbonation done at two weeks no matter what, due to the sugars completely being used up?
I used Wyeast 1084.

 

[Velnerj]

If you've used the appropriate amount of sugars there is no worry about over-carbonation no matter how long you store the bottles at room temp.

I would say that two weeks is just a rule of thumb for bottle conditioning. I find that most of my batches will carb up in about two weeks but they start tasting better after three weeks and even better after 4.

Cool one of your bottles and give it a try. If you like where it's at you can cool the whole batch, if it's not quite right let them stay for another week or two.

Another idea is to cool your batch of beer in six packs. A six pack a week and see if you can notice a difference between batches and then note down how long it took to reach the peak of your batch to condition in the bottle.

Patience is one of the most important ingredients in beer and for most of us brewers it's in short supply. I know your struggle but patience will pay off big time if used correctly.

 

[Thazo79]

If you've used the appropriate amount of sugars there is no worry about over-carbonation no matter how long you store the bottles at room temp.

I would say that two weeks is just a rule of thumb for bottle conditioning. I find that most of my batches will carb up in about two weeks but they start tasting better after three weeks and even better after 4.

Cool one of your bottles and give it a try. If you like where it's at you can cool the whole batch, if it's not quite right let them stay for another week or two.

Another idea is to cool your batch of beer in six packs. A six pack a week and see if you can notice a difference between batches and then note down how long it took to reach the peak of your batch to condition in the bottle.

Patience is one of the most important ingredients in beer and for most of us brewers it's in short supply. I know your struggle but patience will pay off big time if used correctly.

Thank you! I will put one bottle in my regular grocery fridge tonight and try it later. And then I plan another set to chill the following week etc. I appreciate your tip!

 

[Teufelhunde]

Thank you! I will put one bottle in my regular grocery fridge tonight and try it later. And then I plan another set to chill the following week etc. I appreciate your tip!

I think you will likely find, especially with a stout, that it may be a bit harsh at first, but that will mellow with time, and likely the stout will be the best with a couple of months conditioning.

YMMV

Lon

 

[hotbeer]

Beer taste and character changes with time. So there is more at stake than just carbonation.

As you get more experience with what you brew you'll know if that is going to be right when they are fully carb'd at two weeks or if that'll be weeks or months later.

Till then, just put a few in the fridge to sample every day or so. Then when they seem about what you want, put most all in colder storage which usually slows way down the evolving tastes of beer.

Personally I think 45°F is too cold a serving temp for most beer and especially a stout. But for storage, it's a good temp.

 

[Thazo79]

I took one from the conditioning fridge and put it in the kitchen fridge for most of the day yesterday. I drank it last night. Taste is pretty good. It is a little more bitey than I normally like but it was still enjoyable. I split it with another person and they liked it more than me. But, I'm going to let the others condition another week and try another bottle next sunday.

 

[ncbrewer]

It is a little more bitey than I normally like but it was still enjoyable.

It's personal taste. I brew a Baltic Porter that tastes a little in-your-face at 3 weeks. After another few weeks it mellows. I'm pretty sure the mellow flavor is what most would prefer, but I actually like the in-your-face flavor better.