When to crack open first bottle?

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Plan9

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I've bottled my first batch, and I'm curious on how to know it's ready.
I've read 2 weeks, 3 weeks...

Is there a visible way to know it's properly carbonated, or a stedfast time to wait?

Thanks!!!
 
The general rule of thumb is 1 week in primary, 2 in secondary, and 3 in bottles.
I usually crack a bottle after two weeks and see how it's going. The longer you wait, the better the beer will be...
 
No visible way to tell and no steadfast time. Carbing can depend on the temp the bottles are at, the amount of priming sugar you used, etc. Crack one after 2 weeks, if it's not ready wait another week and call the first one research:mug:
 
I cracked one open after 5 days on my fist batch. That's not really recommended, and it was definitely "green" yet, but it did already have some fizz, and made it easier to wait another couple weeks in anticipation of better conditioning.

Matt
 
If you are just getting started, I would taste one weekly. It will teach you how a beer ages. If you keep a log, you should make notes on how the beer is developing week by week. Right now I taste one at two weeks and wait a month until drinking.
 
Just for kicks, grab a bottled beer- one you know is carbonated.

Take a spoon and holding the bottle by the cap tap the bottle with the spoon... You should hear the bottle RING. Then shake the hell outta the bottle and do the same thing. The pressure in the bottle will keep the bottle from ringing and you'll only hear a dull tap tap sound...

It's too simple to be true, Shake the bottle and tap it with a spoon. If the beer is carbonated the bottle won't ring!

Never drink flat beer again!
 
blacklab said:
The general rule of thumb is 1 week in primary, 2 in secondary, and 3 in bottles.
I usually crack a bottle after two weeks and see how it's going. The longer you wait, the better the beer will be...

I have only brewed two batches, so I am only asking for information. But in the recipe that the I received from the store it says to place in secondary, "condition", for 7 to 10 days but no longer than 14. However everything I have read says at least 14 days. Anyone out there know why they would recommend only 7 days? Thanks
 
Go Gators said:
I have only brewed two batches, so I am only asking for information. But in the recipe that the I received from the store it says to place in secondary, "condition", for 7 to 10 days but no longer than 14. However everything I have read says at least 14 days. Anyone out there know why they would recommend only 7 days? Thanks

I'd imagine it probably has something to do with the fact that they have no f*cking clue what the hell they're talking about. You're not hurting anything with extended aging. Autolysis, where the yeast starts to die and other yeast cells eat those dead cells, and it stinks to hell and ruins the beer, takes months and months and months to happen. I don't think I've ever come across anyone on these boards that has had an experience with actual autolysis. So why they'd say no longer than 14 days is beyond me, except to say that they're full of sh*t.

The only thing to keep in mind is that if you're bottling your beer, you should probably repitch with a few sprinkles of new dry yeast if there's more than 8 weeks between brewdate and bottling date---because there's always a chance that there's no longer enough yeast in suspension to successfully bottle-carbonate.
 
Go Gators said:
Ok thank you Evan. I will take their instructions as saying AT LEAST 14 days. :ban:

You can go less if it's a hefeweizen or dunkelweizen or witbier. The fresher, the better, and they're made to be cloudy, so you don't need the time for clarification.
 
Well it is the Irish Stout and it is soooo dark I don't really know if it is cloudy. I think it looks clear, but it is hard to tell.
 
For your first batch I suggest trying one every few days. It'll give you a feel for how long bottle carbonation takes. Normally I would try to leave a brew for a couple months before drinking... unless its an IPA. Thats hard when you first start, but if you brew like a madman now, you'll have an aged stockpile in 3-4 months.
 
Ok, so I couldn't wait a full 2 weeks. I'm 2 days shy.
I figured, "What the hell?" if it's not ready, it's just 1 of 40 bottles.

I popped the cap. psshhhh... :rockin:

Poured with a nice head.

Tastes nice.


I'm so excited, my first batch wasn't $hitty!
I hear about so many people making one batch, being disapointed, and never trying again. I am not discouraged at all!
 
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