Hey folks,
I went to bottle my red ale today, my third five gallon homebrew batch. I measured out 2/3 cup of sugar, or so I though, and boiled it in two cups of water, as per John Palmer's "How to Brew."
In any event, I usually go through filling a bottle, then leaving a loose, sanitized cap on each bottle, then going through and sealing each with a wing capper. As I was bottling I could begin to hear the bottles "burp," that is, the bottle would appear to build up pressure, and the cap would lift up slightly and release some gas. I think I may have used 1+2/3 cup, instead of 2/3 cup of sugar. I wouldn't put it past me to have just aimed for one of the lines on the side of the measuring cup that ended in 2/3.
In any event, I intend to leave the bottles unsealed, at least over night so they can continue burping themselves. Does anybody have any thoughts on how long I should leave the bottles unsealed, so they can achieve a safe, yet appropriate level of carbonation?
The possibly pertinent details - The recipe is the Irish Red out of "Brewing Classic Styles," it was an extract recipe with a full volume boil. I don't have a hydrometer yet, so I have no gravity readings, but I let if ferment for five weeks in a temperature controlled environment at 68 degrees, so I believe it had fermented out before bottling.
Thanks for the advice, beer pros.
I went to bottle my red ale today, my third five gallon homebrew batch. I measured out 2/3 cup of sugar, or so I though, and boiled it in two cups of water, as per John Palmer's "How to Brew."
In any event, I usually go through filling a bottle, then leaving a loose, sanitized cap on each bottle, then going through and sealing each with a wing capper. As I was bottling I could begin to hear the bottles "burp," that is, the bottle would appear to build up pressure, and the cap would lift up slightly and release some gas. I think I may have used 1+2/3 cup, instead of 2/3 cup of sugar. I wouldn't put it past me to have just aimed for one of the lines on the side of the measuring cup that ended in 2/3.
In any event, I intend to leave the bottles unsealed, at least over night so they can continue burping themselves. Does anybody have any thoughts on how long I should leave the bottles unsealed, so they can achieve a safe, yet appropriate level of carbonation?
The possibly pertinent details - The recipe is the Irish Red out of "Brewing Classic Styles," it was an extract recipe with a full volume boil. I don't have a hydrometer yet, so I have no gravity readings, but I let if ferment for five weeks in a temperature controlled environment at 68 degrees, so I believe it had fermented out before bottling.
Thanks for the advice, beer pros.
