Ferment time

[azfalcon]

So Sunday will be 1 week in the fermenting stage. Take most people's advice here I thought I would let it sit 2 - 3 weeks then bottle. Should I let is sit a minimum of 2-3 weeks in bottle as well?

 

[kapbrew13]

2 weeks try one. Few days try another until you like the carbonation. Once you like it, move bottles to fridge to stop the carbonation.

 

[zeg]

Not enough information.

Without knowing anything more, I would give you blanket advice to let it sit for a month total in the fermentor and then bottle it and wait 3 weeks before testing one. This fermentation time is fairly generous for most yeasts and styles; the bottle conditioning time is less so. Most beers are probably adequately carbonated by 3 weeks, but many will improve with additional time, and some will just barely be carbonated (my doppelbock is not yet fully carbonated after 6 weeks in bottles).

If you want specific advice, posting at least a recipe summary will help a lot. There are also many threads on this topic to be found by searching the forum. It's worth browsing those.

 

[azfalcon]

It's just an Irish stout kit I got from a lHBS. I was thinking in the primary til the 14th which is 3 weeks then bottling and trying my first one 2 weeks later on my birthday the 30th of April

 

[ChrisVZ]

-edited, misread your post. 2 weeks is common but I have had some take up to a month. Gotta test them to know. Some people will bottle one in a soda bottle so they can check by squeezing it.

 

[diS]

Depending on OG I keep it in primary minimum 2 weeks, longer for high gravity beers. As for bottle conditioning, 3 weeks is good rule of thumb but you can open few bottles earlier as well (depending on temperature).

 

[zeg]

Sounds like 3 weeks should be ok. If there's a special occasion, no reason not to try a couple a couple weeks after bottling. The worst that happens is you get some lightly carbonated beer.

But as a general rule, I'd be careful bottling after less than a 3 week primary. I'd definitely give it a check with the hydrometer a couple days apart before deciding that the fermentation was finished. You don't have to be very far off on fermentation time before bottle bombs become a danger.

 

[cluckk]

I always find myself dipping into the stash earlier--in the name of science, of course. It helps to learn what is happening to the beer at each point. However, you have to resist the fear that can come on if you notice some weird taste or harshness that wasn't there before. I had a batch a few years ago that after one week I cracked a bottle and it had a bad, harsh taste. I let the whole batch ride out the three weeks and it was a great batch. It may have been a bad bottle or something was happening at that stage of conditioning that I just caught at a bad time.