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Conditioning and signs of carbonation

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When I bottle, I always fill at least one clear 16-oz PET bottle for every batch I make, to gauge the carbonation. Once you screw the cap on a plastic bottle, squeeze it to know what it feels like unpressurized. After a few days, the yeast will start to make CO2 and EtOH, and the pressure of the bottle can be easily felt. Additionally, the clear nature of the plastic makes it easy to spot the building amount of sediment at the bottom.

After a few weeks, the plastic bottle should feel pretty darned stiff, and there will be a half-cm of whiteish sediment at the bottom. At a minimum, your beer is now safe to drink. :)
 
Linked here from the newb forum...

Anyways, I'm doing my first ever brew, a 1 gallon Everday IPA from Brooklyn Brewshop. Per their instructions, I only need 2 weeks in the fermenter and 2 weeks for carbonation. However, everything I've read here calls for at least 3 weeks in bottles for full carbonation. I brewed on 2/20 in hopes of having this batch ready for 3/17, but I know that's really pushing my luck. I've got a ridiculous athletic event that weekend and my cousin's coming to town, so I really wanted it ready, but I'd rather have good beer!

What's everyone's opinion on my situation?
 
so I really wanted it ready, but I'd rather have good beer!

What's everyone's opinion on my situation?

I want twin redhead lasses with Irish accents to appear at my door in nothing but raincoats, stockings and garters, but if it's not meant to happen then it won't. ;)

We all want our beers to be carbed when we want them too, but unfrotunately usually the yeast have their own timeframes. We don't say "three weeks @ 70" to yank new brewer's chains, to prevent them from not getting what they want....We say it because, that's usually the minimum time it takes.

We're not in control of most of this process. The yeast are.
 
I'm going to try to resurrect this really old thread instead of starting a new one.

I have a fully-carbed pale that I bottled about 1.5 months ago, & the green apple taste is pretty strong, to the point that it's almost cider-y on the end. My sample at bottling time tasted amazing, & I have a pretty anal cleaning/sanitation regimen, so I'm not thinking it was an infection.

There are 2 variables that I think may have contributed:

1. My yield was only about 4 gallons, but I used almost a full whirlfloc tablet in the BK. Could the yeast in the bottle have fallen out of suspension too quickly, carbing but not cleaning that up?

2. I ran out of corn sugar & used a small amount of granulated sugar from the pantry to make up the difference. Not sure if this would even be a factor, but it is a deviation from my norm.

I just roused the yeast in the bottles I haven't put in the fridge yet & put them in a warmer area, so I'll try another bottle in a few days. Anyone experience anything like this before? Thanks in advance for the help! :mug:
 
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