Should I bottle while rising c02 bubbles still present or wait?

[nasmeyer]

If I made two 5 gallon batches of exactly the same extract ale recipes, that both had a SG of 1.060, were fermented at 64*, and had a gravity reading of 1.014 for three straight days after 14 days of fermentation, and I bottled one of them with 4 ¾ oz of priming sugar at 18 days while c02 bubbles were still present rising to the top, and bottled the other 5 gallon batch with 4 ¾ oz priming sugar at 28 days when the c02 bubbles had appeared to stop rising, should I expect the same level of carbonation from both batches in the conditioned bottles 4 weeks later? I guess I am asking if there is a difference in final bottle carbonation based on how much out-gassing from the yeast cake has taken place (or not taken place) prior to bottling. I usually ferment in buckets and haven’t noticed c02 bubbles rising after fermentation has completed, but recently fermented in carboys where I can see the bubbles still rising around the time I usually bottle. Now I am wondering if I should wait until they stop rising to bottle, or if it wont make a difference if I bottle during this stage. Could this lead to over/under carbonation?

 

[C-Rider]

I say let it wait at least 3 weeks to give they yeast time to clean up and for more trub to settle out. Shoots, sometimes I let it go 4 weeks and then a week of cold crashing before I bottle.

 

[MindenMan]

Howzit, Bra? Mahalo, C-Rider!


It is possible the 14 day batch may not have been quite finished fermenting, and you may have some bottle bombs on your hands. Better to keep that batch somewhere separate if they explode; a cooler, empty box in garage, etc

 

[unionrdr]

Or,fermenting at cooler temps,it had more dissolved co2 present. Could've just been off-gassing. Priming calculators try to adjust priming sugar amounts by dissolved co2 still present.

 

[corpsickle]

Your fine. After 2 weeks (so long as there was a strong initial fementation) there will not be enough sugars left to make a difference in your carb. Def not enough to make a bomb ( although those can be exciting! )

I wouldn't suggest cold crashing your beer unless your kegging. It won't make a difference in clarity if your bottle carbing. However a cold celler for the carbed bottles will ;-)

 

[nasmeyer]

I understand that I wont have any excess sugars left (after fermentation) to make any difference in my bottle carbonation, but would I have excess carbonation due to excess unreleased C02 if I bottle while I still see many very small C02 bubbles rising in the carboy? Or on the other hand, might I end up with overly flat beer if I wait until the bubbles stop releasing and then bottle? I know the priming calculators compensate for beer temperature, but do they adjust for length of time sitting in the fermenter to allow C02 to rise or escape?

 

[harry_the_face]

There is not much co2 in the fermenter because you are allowing it to off gas. Think about leaving a bottle of soda with the top off how quickly it goes flat. The bubbles you are seeing are normal and is co2 trapped in the yeast cake or on the side of the fermenter. If your gravity readings are steady for 2-3 days you are good. I did my first 10 batches allowing it to ferment in primary for 2 weeks and then bottled with no gravity readings (didn't have a way to pull a sample) and have never had a bottle bomb.

 

[DocScott]

I did my first 10 batches allowing it to ferment in primary for 2 weeks and then bottled with no gravity readings (didn't have a way to pull a sample) and have never had a bottle bomb.

I think this is lucky for you so far. Bottling based on time is not the best practice. Sometime during the ordering of the 10 batches you've done, spending $5 on a hydrometer would have been well worth it! Bottle bombs seem "interesting or fun" when you read about them online but broken glass, ruined closets, and bloody body parts are not good. If you are still not using a hydrometer, I highly recommend you pick one up and use it. If you ever get a stuck ferm or bottle too early, you'll regret "timing it" rather than measuring.

 

[nasmeyer]

Is there any harm, advantage, or disadvantage to bottling after fermentation has completed (3 days of same final gravity reading) while C02 bubbles are still rising in the fermenter?

 

[DocScott]

Is there any harm, advantage, or disadvantage to bottling after fermentation has completed (3 days of same final gravity reading) while C02 bubbles are still rising in the fermenter?

If the gravity is stable for 3 days and it is at a "reasonable" number (based on expected attenuation for your yeast), you can bottle; even if there are bubbles visible in the carboy.

Most beers benefit however, from another few days of clearing/conditioning after FG is reached.

 

[unionrdr]

Like I mentioned,the dissolved co2 is compensated for by the priming calculator. you can experiment with that volumes of co2 number till you gain experience with nailing the amount of carbonation you wind up with. That's what I did.

 

[Epimetheus]

Even after fermentation is quite finished, there is some CO2 in the wort.

I bottle carbonate and take a liter of wort to dissolve the sugar for the batch. I add sugar and give it a stir and it foams up.