If I could spend time in the bottle

[robertus]

I brewed a dry stout on Saturday. The recipe (hnya) calls for ~7 days in the Primary and two weeks of bottle conditioning. Following the directions to the letter, it'll be "ready" on December 10th. I'd like to have the beer ready for drinking on December 17th (the Christmas party), so I've got a little extra time to play with. Am I better off with:

2 weeks in the primary, 2 weeks in the bottle
*or*
1 week in the primary, 3 weeks in the bottle

I'm leaning toward the latter, provided the fermentation is finished (bubbles have stopped, but it's still a bit early to start taking readings). What say you?

 

[thood6]

You will probably want at least 2 weeks in the primary. Preferably more. Kits always rush the timeline.

 

[Double_D]

I'd say 2 and 2. The extra time on the yeast will give it time to clean up off flavors. (depending on fermentation temp, yeast strain, blah blah and all that). But if you did have more time, I would still say at least 2 weeks before bottling and then minimum two weeks. The dark beers usually do better with a little age anyway but I'd say you have the right idea for a minimum turn around.

 

[lowtones84]

One week in the primary is pretty short, but if it has been done fermenting for a few days after a week, might as well go to bottle I feel. A lot of people like 3-4 weeks in primary. I recently bottled a stout after two weeks in primary, tastes good after two weeks in the bottle, though still obviously young. It's carbonated and not "green" in my opinion, but the flavors aren't blended particularly well.

 

[ABrewingApe]

More time in the primary. Unless this is a big beer that needs to age, and it doesn't sound like it is, more time in the bottle past the time it takes for the yeast to carbonate it won't be a big deal. One week is really unlikely to make a difference. More time in the primary will give you more complete fermentation--since you're going for a dry stout, that's important.

(it's also traditional to sing the Bubbling Means Nothing chorus at this point. Your airlock isn't a very good indicator of whether fermentation is ongoing, that's all. Don't use it as a reliable meter.)

 

[robertus]

(it's also traditional to sing the Bubbling Means Nothing chorus at this point. Your airlock isn't a very good indicator of whether fermentation is ongoing, that's all. Don't use it as a reliable meter.)

Oh, no doubt. I was singing it quietly to myself even as I typed "the bubbling has stopped." :rockin:

Sounds like 2 and 2 is the way to go. Thanks folks!

 

[Revvy]

You can't control how long a beer needs to carb and condition...throw out those instructions....Yeast can't read calendars or recipes, so they're useless in the real world of brewing.

I wouldn't expect a NORMAL grav beer to be carbed or conditioned at only 2 weeks in the bottle.

The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer.

Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.


Temp and gravity are the two factors that contribute to the time it takes to carb beer. But if a beer's not ready yet, or seems low carbed, and you added the right amount of sugar to it, then it's not stalled, it's just not time yet.

Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found here Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience."

 

[solbes]

I would try and wait it out for the majority of the batch. It will taste better given another 2-4 weeks in bottle. But if you really want to drink some at December 17th, I would 2 + 2.

Make sure your bottle condition temps are 70 at least, maybe shoot for closer to mid 70's. Also you will need ~ 2-3 days in the fridge for the CO2 to be absorbed into solution. Don't forget that step or they will be mostly flat with a lot of CO2 in the head space.

 

[unionrdr]

Not to mention that couple days fridge time will also give the chill haze time to settle.

 

[daksin]

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that more time in the bottle would be preferable, to make sure they're all carbed properly. Conditioning can happen just as well in the bottle as the secondary. Still though, you're rushing this brew- it may not be the most amazing thing you've ever had in 4 weeks.

If you're trying to squeeze this in, brew your beer, wait until it hits FG. Then give it another 5 days to a week in the primary to clean up, and then bottle as soon as it tastes good. That way you'll have the max amount of time in the bottle to condition and carb up for drinking. Regardless of how tasty the beer is, nobody is going to want it if it's flat, and 3 weeks in the bottle is a pretty good rule at 70F.

That said, I don't expect this beer to be ready on the 16th, that's a super tight deadline. If the dry stout is a pretty low OG, you might get lucky.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,that's what I do regardless of special occasion,or holidays. Although I do try to have something ready if I can afford to & can get a ride to the LHBS. Darn body shop is taking to damn long. But the op's time constraint is a bit too tight. And a pale ale would be a surer bet.

 

[DMartin]

You can't control how long a beer needs to carb and condition...throw out those instructions....Yeast can't read calendars or recipes, so they're useless in the real world of brewing.

I wouldn't expect a NORMAL grav beer to be carbed or conditioned at only 2 weeks in the bottle.

The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer.

Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.

Temp and gravity are the two factors that contribute to the time it takes to carb beer. But if a beer's not ready yet, or seems low carbed, and you added the right amount of sugar to it, then it's not stalled, it's just not time yet.

Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found here Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience."

Revvy do you just copy-paste that post all over HBT? It's well-written and informative, but it's kind of amusing to keep seeing it pop up whenever somebody wants to rush their beer.

 

[robertus]

Valid points about the timing being a bit tight. I've had a brown ale in the secondary for a couple of weeks now (bottling it this weekend), maybe I'll bring that and leave the stout for New Years'.

 

[unionrdr]

That'd be a better bet. And is it just me or are the little green/blue dots gone for everyone else?

 

[solbes]

Brown ale sounds much more ready. Should be perfect by then.

Although I drank a case of fairly green beer on batch number 1, I have not done it since.

 

[BOBrob]

I brewed a dry stout on Saturday. The recipe (hnya) calls for ~7 days in the Primary and two weeks of bottle conditioning. Following the directions to the letter, it'll be "ready" on December 10th. I'd like to have the beer ready for drinking on December 17th (the Christmas party), so I've got a little extra time to play with. Am I better off with:

2 weeks in the primary, 2 weeks in the bottle
*or*
1 week in the primary, 3 weeks in the bottle

I'm leaning toward the latter, provided the fermentation is finished (bubbles have stopped, but it's still a bit early to start taking readings). What say you?

I may have read the recipe wrong, but I see 7 days+10-14 fermenting; 7days to begin to cab and 2-3 weeks until it is fully carbonated, and it would take another 3 weeks to condition. I`m with Revvy ; toss the instructions. No beer is done before it`s time; about 9-10 weeks to start usually. Bubbles are a side show the hydrometer is your friend. Cheers