Should I Bottle or Leave in Secondary

[BeerDoctor5]

I brewed my extract porter (st Paul from NB) on Feb 20. I racked to secondary last Saturday to free up my 6.5 primary. I'd like this beer ready by Easter and I'm wondering if it would benefit more from conditioning in the carboy another week and then two weeks in the bottle or three weeks in the bottle. TIA

 

[Sherpa FE]

Bottle it and enjoy!

 

[Revvy]

You can't control how long a beer takes to carb and condition in the bottle, you can't go "...and then two weeks in the bottle or three weeks in the bottle." More than likely your porter will not even be carbed or conditioned at three weeks.

It's not something you decide, the yeast are in charge, and they have their own timeframe.

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.

And just because a beer is carbed doesn't mean it still doesn't taste like a$$ and need more time for the off flavors to condition out. You have green beer.

Temp and gravity are the two factors that contribute to the time it takes to carb beer.

If you want any hope of it POSSIBLY being ready by easter, get it into the bottles and get it into a place that is above 70, and hope. But there's no gaurentee.....

If I'm aiming for a specific event or date for a beer to be ready, and not green, I try to get it bottled 6 weeks out from the date, more if it's a stronger beer. But usually with MORE than three weeks so the beer has plenty of time to do what it needs to do.

You can't control when a beer is ready, you can't push, but you can plan it out to give it the best chance.

 

[Sherpa FE]

I brewed my extract porter (st Paul from NB) on Feb 20. I racked to secondary last Saturday to free up my 6.5 primary. I'd like this beer ready by Easter and I'm wondering if it would benefit more from conditioning in the carboy another week and then two weeks in the bottle or three weeks in the bottle. TIA

Even the instructions from NB, say to bottle after about a month, you are pretty much there. If you want it by Easter, bottle it and drink it on Easter. Its your beer, enjoy it!
I would add however, that it ight be a good idea to put a 6 pack away and try it again in another 2 months, after you drink some at Easter.
you will be amazed at the difference.

People give all kinds of advice, it's not law, it's advice, based on their experiences. Remember it's beer, it's supposed to be fun, your supposed to experiment, enjoy the process, and most of all, enjoy the beer.

Cheers

 

[Revvy]

But if his beer is flat, then how is that "experimentation?" It means his beer isn't ready to drink yet. Why waste it then? He can't arbitrarily decree his beer is going to be carbed in 2 weeks, or 3 even. It's not like that. He adds his sugar, but after that he's not in charge, the yeast are.....

 

[DonutMuncher]

In your situation, if you are aiming for the most drinkable beer by Easter, I'd agree with the others here and bottle now. The extra week in the bottle will help a lot.

Revvy's point is still valid. Even at 3 weeks, while your beer will probably be good, it may not be completely ready, so definitely keep that in mind.

 

[Sherpa FE]

But if his beer is flat, then how is that "experimentation?" It means his beer isn't ready to drink yet. Why waste it then? He can't arbitrarily decree his beer is going to be carbed in 2 weeks, or 3 even. It's not like that. He adds his sugar, but after that he's not in charge, the yeast are.....

If he bottles now and it has 3 weeks in the bottle before drinking, it will be carbed, not flat.

 

[BeerDoctor5]

Thanks for the tips guys! I appreciate it. I guess the main question I was asking was whether there was a benefit in conditioning my beer in a carboy (secondary) as opposed to bottle conditioning.

I know I'm pushing the envelop on whether my beer will be ready by Easter. This was my first brew and wasn't brewed for a specific purpose I just figured I'd have some family around on Easter and I'd like to give it a try and give it to some family on that day.

I started the bottling process (my first time:0) and we'll see how it turns out. I'm not expecting much out of this beer anyway. I keep planning my next beer and the next and the next This is a fun hobby. Can't wait to start reaping the benefits (read=drinking my beer!!!).

Thanks for the replies! I appreciate having veterans pipe in on my questions. It makes us noobs feel more confident in our approach.

 

[Revvy]

If he bottles now and it has 3 weeks in the bottle before drinking, it will be carbed, not flat.

Unless it's not......You can't gaurentee it. You HOPE it is, that's why I suggested he get it in the bottles if he wants a CHANCE that it will be carbed, but there's a possibilty it won't be. Or it will be and still taste like crap.....that's the point, he can't arbitrarily say "My beer will be carbed on week x" nor can we.

 

[Sherpa FE]

Thanks for the tips guys! I appreciate it. I guess the main question I was asking was whether there was a benefit in conditioning my beer in a carboy (secondary) as opposed to bottle conditioning.

I know I'm pushing the envelop on whether my beer will be ready by Easter. This was my first brew and wasn't brewed for a specific purpose I just figured I'd have some family around on Easter and I'd like to give it a try and give it to some family on that day.

I started the bottling process (my first time:0) and we'll see how it turns out. I'm not expecting much out of this beer anyway. I keep planning my next beer and the next and the next This is a fun hobby. Can't wait to start reaping the benefits (read=drinking my beer!!!).

Thanks for the replies! I appreciate having veterans pipe in on my questions. It makes us noobs feel more confident in our approach.

The reason it's best to bottle now, is the beer will continue to condition, while it is carbing, however if you wait another week, although it is still conditioning, it will not be carbing, and therefore, be increasing the risk of it being flat.

Since it's your first beer, it is a perfect time to see how conditioning times can affect flavor, clarity, mouthfeel, try a bottle at 1 week, 2 weeks, etc. you will be amazed at how much it changes, even after 60 days!

Learn what people mean by "green beer", but by all means enjoy it. Please post back after you and family try it, I am interested to hear how it went.

 

[BeerDoctor5]

Well I have it all bottled! A little messy but mostly over the dishwasher. Could blame it on the hopslam I was drinking:0 I had half a beer left over along with the few oz in the gravity cylinder. It tastes pretty good for a flat warm porter. But all dads think their babies pretty.

Thanks again for the help everyone!

 

[Sherpa FE]

Great! Let us know how you and everyone liked it!

 

[BeerDoctor5]

Well I sampled my first bottle tonight. It's been sitting in my utility room for 2 weeks. When I got home from work I threw a bottle in the fridge. I cracked it about four hours later. Carbonation was a little high but not bad. Had some bitter chocolate and was a little sweet. Pretty good but probably could use some more conditioning. Happy with the turnout for my first beer. Just racked my second beer to dry hop and can't wait to brew the next. Thanks for everyone's advice!

 

[RM-MN]

Your carbonation is probably right on but it needed more time in the refrigerator to let the CO2 dissolve into the beer. It really does need more time to mature in my limited experience. My porter came into its own in about 2 months. Before that is tasted thin and then one day it was smooth and rich.

 

[Sherpa FE]

Awesome! Thanks for posting back. It will definately get better but glad it will be carbed up in time for your family visiting.

Save a bottle or two for putting on the shelf and come back to it in a few months, and notice the difference.

 

[BeerDoctor5]

Your carbonation is probably right on but it needed more time in the refrigerator to let the CO2 dissolve into the beer. It really does need more time to mature in my limited experience. My porter came into its own in about 2 months. Before that is tasted thin and then one day it was smooth and rich.

Tried another on 4/6 after leaving in fridge for a day and the carbing is just right. Been drinking it off and on for the past week and a half and the mouth feel is good and flavor pretty good. Probably a little too bitter for the style because I didn't adjust my hop additions for a full boil but it's good anyway. :rockin: