Is there any way to carbonate quickly?

[HappyWarrior]

I've got a Mexican Cerveza in the secondary right now, ready for a party coming up. Thing is....the host 'ordered' the beer a little late and I won't be able to bottle it up (I'm not kegging yet - just bottling) until seven days before the party.

Is this enough time for carbination? If not, is there anything that can be done to speed it up?

Thanks,
HW.

 

[cheezydemon3]

NO.

Absolutely no way that is sane.

 

[WayFrae]

You MIGHT get it to carb in 7 days but I kind of doubt it. Could you just cut your secondary time down to accommodate a longer bottle conditioning? I have never brewed one.

 

[HappyWarrior]

That may work:- so far it has five days in the primary, it's currently on its second day in the secondary and bubbling away every six seconds or so.

What's the earliest I could bottle?

 

[AnOldUR]

What's the earliest I could bottle?

When it's done. Use a hydrometer.

Did you use ale yeast or lager yeast?

 

[BioBeing]

Do you have a friend who has a kegging set up they could loan you? Force carb then either bottle from the keg, or take the keg to the party.

 

[HappyWarrior]

Ale yeast...

....no friends with kegs!

 

[Hello]

Then you'll likely be serving under carbonated beer and being a mexican cerveza, I don't know how that will fair. Best you can do it try but usually when I secondary, my fermentation is basically done. It may drop a point or two, but not much past that.

 

[Heavywalker]

Lots of beers are carbed in a week, but lots are not, they may taste a little green but they could still carb up in that amount of time. I would try to get it bottled as soon as possible, take gravity readings, and as soon as you get consistent readings bottle it up.

 

[porterpounder]

If it's at the gravity you want it at, bottle it up and stick the bottles someplace nice and warm. in the mid/high 70s is not too hot. Should carb up just fine in a week.

 

[Trox]

Did you transfer to secondary before it was done fermenting?

 

[peterj]

If you keep the bottles warm, like 75-80F, they might carb up faster. 1 week is pushing it though.

 

[thegreatmaibockaddict]

I just bottled 2 batches with liquid malt extract as priming sugar. One is Octoberfest, was fully carbonated in 7 days, the other was a Belgian golden (WPL500) and it fully carbonated in 4 days.

Obviously make sure fermentation is complete, but if the yeast has little time to become inactive, you boil the priming sugar for 10 minutes at least, and pour the liquid into the bucket and siphon onto the priming sugar, you should be going close to full carbonation in a few days...

 

[peterj]

I just bottled 2 batches with liquid malt extract as priming sugar. One is Octoberfest, was fully carbonated in 7 days, the other was a Belgian golden (WPL500) and it fully carbonated in 4 days.

Obviously make sure fermentation is complete, but if the yeast has little time to become inactive, you boil the priming sugar for 10 minutes at least, and pour the liquid into the bucket and siphon onto the priming sugar, you should be going close to full carbonation in a few days...

I guess that does make sense. If the yeast can rip through all the sugar in the wort in 3-5 days you would think a little more (the priming sugar) wouldn't take all that long if they are still pretty active.

One thing though, I don't think it's necessary to boil the priming sugar for 10 minutes. I usually just microwave water in a mason jar until it just boils, then dissolve my priming sugar in it. 200F+ water will pastuerize the sugar (and the jar) pretty much instantly.

 

[JustLooking]

I usually just microwave water in a mason jar until it just boils, then dissolve my priming sugar in it.

 

[WhamFish]

I think the general rule is that you need both temperature and time. Like 10-15 min.

I use a rice cooker and steam/boil for 20 min. I've had zero problems in 12 batches.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Carbed in 7 days? SURE! Taste like green CRAPOLA? You bet!

*EDIT*

Well, Corona tastes like **** water without a lime anyways, so I guess you could just stick a lime in it.

 

[FortMillBrew]

I know you have heard it but it bears reiterating; You CAN get carbed beer after 7 days in a bottle. It WILL be under carbonated and it WILL taste green and not up to it's full potential.

It's not magic...

 

[BierMuncher]

I'll ask a dumb question. When is the party????

 

[MyNameIsPaul]

I can't wait for the edited thread title in another couple weeks "Bottle Bombs at party hacked my friends to shreds. What went wrong?"

 

[cheezydemon3]

Lesson here is PATIENCE.

Even if it carbed magically in 7 days, it would need 2 days in the fridge or GUSH.

The more you know about brewing, the more you realize that you CAN'T rush it.

Someday you will turn an IPA in 7 days and it will be good, until then you can't fake it. Anything but an IPA (and a few obscure exceptions) takes TIME, no matter how well you brew.

 

[peterj]

One thing though, I don't think it's necessary to boil the priming sugar for 10 minutes. I usually just microwave water in a mason jar until it just boils, then dissolve my priming sugar in it. 200F+ water will pastuerize the sugar (and the jar) pretty much instantly.

Mason jars are specifically made for canning and jarring so they can definitely handle a little boiling water.

I think the general rule is that you need both temperature and time. Like 10-15 min.

I use a rice cooker and steam/boil for 20 min. I've had zero problems in 12 batches.

Pasteurization time is inversely related to temperature. As the temperature goes up the time it take to pasteurize something goes down. I think it's something like 30 minutes starting at 140F and by the time you get up to 180F or 190F it's something like 5 seconds. So 10-15 minutes at boiling is way overkill. But if you have an extra 15 minutes then there's no harm in being cautious I guess.

 

[JustLooking]

Mason jars are specifically made for canning and jarring so they can definitely handle a little boiling water.

Sure mason jars can be submersed and boiled to sanitize before canning, but the glass is in no way safe to boil water in. The water has to cover the entire jar, inside and out, for it to be safe.

 

[peterj]

Sure mason jars can be submersed and boiled to sanitize before canning, but the glass is in no way safe to boil water in. The water has to cover the entire jar, inside and out, for it to be safe.

Hmm, I've never had any problems doing it and I generally use the same one every time. I can see what you mean though if it's not completely submersed then there's a higher risk of cracking. Great, now I'm gonna be paranoid whenever I do this from now on! Haha, but seriously thanks, I'll be extra careful now.