20 replies to this topic

[SchwanzBrewer]

The MLPA has been carbing for 2 weeks. I tried one 1 week ago and it was still flat. I was gonna wait until wednesday to throw one in the fridge, but I'm itching to try it again. So, do your best (or worst) to help keep me from trying the beer too soon.Thanks,Rich

[chadm75]

try it, who cares? you have more to drink if it's still not done carbing right? btw...if it's not carbed after two weeks in a bottle, something is most likely wrong.

[Big Nake]

Rich... that's a tough thing and something I had to learn to get past when I started. I have no patience sometimes and the idea of waiting until natural carb formed in bottles was tough. Tougher still was that I found that I liked my bottle-primed beers after 4-6 weeks when I could no longer detect the "green beer" flavor. That's one of the reasons I went to kegging... 2 days from secondary to beer glass. The only thing I can say that will help you out is brewing more. If you only have 1 or 2 batches in the works, you're going to be staring at those bottles and telling them to hurry up. But if you distract yourself with other batches, one day you'll look at those bottles and say, Hey! It's been a month already and these beers are ready to go! Get some extra primaries & secondaries so you can get multiple beers in the pipeline simultaneously. Good luck & hang in there.Btw... keep those bottles in a warm spot so carb can form faster. If they're in the basement or something, move them upstairs to a bedroom closet.

[DaBearSox]

make enough so that you always have something ready in bottles....it took my a good 2 months to get my stockpile up, but my closest is filled with plenty now so there is always something ready...it's the only way to beat patience.

[chadm75]

I, like Ken and most likely everyone else on the ole' board here, probably aren't the most patient people on the planet. Which doesn't make a good combination with this hobby! I remember my first batch, I don't think I waited even a week before I popped my first bottle. It tasted a) flat and really green. Three weeks later, it was nothing short of delicious. Even now, I bottled my IPA over the weekend and am chomping at the bit to pop my first. If you can keg, do it. It really helps the impatient....us!

[shmgeggie]

Pop the top off one and taste it. If it's good, chill it and finish it. If it's not fully carbed, cap it, mark it and put it back. Keep using that same one as a taster until they're all ready.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I threw test bottle in tonight. I will try and forget about it till Friday night.

[Given2fly]

btw...if it's not carbed after two weeks in a bottle, something is most likely wrong.

I've had bigger beers take up to a month or more to carb, so this statement is misleading. Bottle carbonation includes a handful of factors (amount of priming sugar, good mix between priming sugar and beer, lively yeast, temp fluctuations etc...) so if it's not carbed in two weeks I wouldn't necessarily think something is wrong. I agree with Ken's suggestion, just brew more... The beer will only get better over time (at least most will), so the more you have on hand, the more you can taste the difference between a green beer and a correctly aged beer. Patience is the hardest thing to learn for new brewers! Good luck!

[SchwanzBrewer]

So I threw a bottle in Wednesday night and I am going to drink it tonight. I took the bottle out of the fridge and it looked pretty hazy in the bottle. I guess I'll find out tonight. It will have been 3 weeks carbing tonight.-Rich

[SchwanzBrewer]

T Minus 60 minutes to test bottle evacuation!Encent, bring me my brown pants.Cheers,Rich

[aquahijo]

T Minus 60 minutes to test bottle evacuation!Encent, bring me my brown pants.Cheers,Rich

how is it?

[SchwanzBrewer]

So the beer sat for 48 hours in the fridge and it was still hazy. It wasn't completely flat, but it did not give off much head. When I drank it it did feel carbonated though. I think I must have not used enough primer AND I think I forgot to stir it in before I bottled.Any thoughts or suggestions?-Rich

[MyaCullen]

So the beer sat for 48 hours in the fridge and it was still hazy. It wasn't completely flat, but it did not give off much head. When I drank it it did feel carbonated though. I think I must have not used enough primer AND I think I forgot to stir it in before I bottled.Any thoughts or suggestions?-Rich

thoughts, the last bottle you did are goingto be a LOT more carbonated if you didn't stir.A good rule of thumb is stir the beer gently every six pack while filling.suggestions, RDWHAHB

[MyaCullen]

Brew more then its not a problem.

Yes this

[SchwanzBrewer]

I opened up a case that I hadn't tried any out of last night and brought it to my dad's house. I put a couple in the freezer to cooler them off quickly. Well I was about 10 minutes too long. When I opened up one of the bottles I had a beer slushie explosion. The good news is that that bottle seemed to be carbed just fine and had a good head and everything. So, I figure I will start drinking the beers from that case first and let the rest sit a while longer. I gotta brew soon so I don't run out of beer!-Rich

[aquahijo]

I opened up a case that I hadn't tried any out of last night and brought it to my dad's house. I put a couple in the freezer to cooler them off quickly. Well I was about 10 minutes too long. When I opened up one of the bottles I had a beer slushie explosion. The good news is that that bottle seemed to be carbed just fine and had a good head and everything. So, I figure I will start drinking the beers from that case first and let the rest sit a while longer. I gotta brew soon so I don't run out of beer!-Rich

you've been carbing that batch for 2 weeks right? they'll keep getting better. try putting them in the fridge for a few days if you can keep yourself from drinking them.go ahead and get another batch going now or you will run out...

[SchwanzBrewer]

Carbing for 3 weeks now. I need to brew.

[earthtone]

Rich... The only thing I can say that will help you out is brewing more. Good luck & hang in there.

this. exactly this. It is the ONLY way. Distract yourself with delicious beer that is ready to drink and you won't be impatient for the next batch!

[earthtone]

btw...if it's not carbed after two weeks in a bottle, something is most likely wrong.

P.S. Chad this is completely, one hundred percent wrong. If I rush a beer through and end up with a little more yeast in suspension or I don't cold crash then it might carb up full yin under 2 weeks. If I take my time, get a nice clear beer and drop as much sediment as possible in secondary it takes at least 3 weeks for an average (~5%) beer to carb up fully and even then it could use a week before being chilled to really smooth out the carb level.My big beers have taken upwards of a month as has been said to carb up given the high stress environment. 2 weeks simply is NOT enough time for a beer to adequately carbonate.