bottling time

[Buckeye Brewer]

So we got our first batch of beer (micro-style pale ale) into bottles this past sunday. The instructions that came with the kit seem to contradict themselves. It says the beer needs to sit in the bottles for two weeks....then it later says something about aging the beer 3 weeks. Can anyone explain to me when is a safe time to try the beer out? If it's good, a bunch of friends want us to throw a party with it, but I can't set the date if I can't figure out when the beer's ready!

[Wilson]

I'm sure its "safe" now, however, I usually try to wait two weeks. But I've had beer after 1.5 weeks that wasnt bad, so give it a shot then and see what you think.

[mmmBeer...]

Congrats on your first brew!

At 2 weeks your carbonation is done. Anything after that is just aging. There is nothing unsafe about drinking it early…just you’ll notice the taste mature as it ages.

It will taste better after a few weeks in the bottle…so go ahead and try it out!

[Beerconnoisseur]

...some beers benefit more from aging than others. For a micro-style Pale Ale, the sooner you drink it, normally the better.

Welcome to the obsession! :D

[Jughead]

So when's the party? Are we invited?

[mmmBeer...]

Hey jughead check your pm's

[MoreBeerEh]

How do you know when the beer has begun to carbonate? I want to make sure it is working correctly.

[mmmBeer...]

I don’t know how you could “tell”…it is really just a question of waiting and then open a bottle and see what happens. I guess one way you could tell is the build up of sediment in the bottom of the bottle…

[Jughead]

I usually bottle a few in plastic bottles. You can tell how much pressure the bottle is under by squeezing it.

[Beerconnoisseur]

Originally posted by MoreBeerEh
How do you know when the beer has begun to carbonate? I want to make sure it is working correctly.

Sometimes the caps will bulge upwards slightly; you don't want them bulging too much, or you run the risk of the bottles exploding. The liquid level may also creep upwards, filling more of the headspace between the beer and the cap. One way to track this could be by sticking a small file label at the level of the beer where it meets the headspace when bottling, and note how much the liquid has risen.

Then again, I usually don't worry about carbonation too much.... :)