secondary conundrum

duffers83

Hi guys. First ever post but been following the homebrew forum for ages for some great tips. My question is after fermenting my Canadian blonde for 3 weeks I bottled with 1 and a half carbonation drops for each 500 ml bottle. I then put the bottles in the hot press for two weeks only to notice the hot press doesn't actually heat up that much thanks to a new insulated cylinder. Will this hinder the secondary fermentation as the bottles aren't as hard as usual and I have moved the bottles under the stairs where it is considerably warmer will this help or is it too late

mayto

They will carbonate just fine if they are stored at around 18C for two weeks, ideally between 18c-22c. The hot press could actually be too hot for the beer if you are dealing with temps over 24C, can give the beer funky flavours esprecially during main fermentation.

Donadea Leo

They ll be grand out of hot press. There s never space in the hot press for beer. The wife keeps putting clothes in there. Her priorities are clearly messed up. Never have a problem with them not carbonating.

duffers83

Was about 14 to 16 in the hot press and moved them to under the stairs where it's between 19 and 22. How long do you usually bottle for. And how long should I cold condition before sampling

ian_m

duffers83 wrote: »

Was about 14 to 16 in the hot press and moved them to under the stairs where it's between 19 and 22. How long do you usually bottle for. And how long should I cold condition before sampling

I start drinking after two weeks. If you are using plastic bottles you can give them a squeeze to test for carbonation.

duffers83

ian_m wrote: »

I start drinking after two weeks. If you are using plastic bottles you can give them a squeeze to test for carbonation.

Have been using plastic bottles with the lids on as tight as possible but they are a bit soft compared to last time

tyler71

If the temperature got too low the yeast likely went dormant and dropped to the bottom. When you've moved your bottles turn them upside down and gently shake to get the yeast suspended again then leave a week or two to let things finish out. Next time you bottle fill one squeezed as flat as you can and seal it like that. You can track how your carbonation is doing by seeing how the bottle expands, when the bottle is back to normal you're probably done.

lang

duffers83 wrote: »

Was about 14 to 16 in the hot press and moved them to under the stairs where it's between 19 and 22. How long do you usually bottle for. And how long should I cold condition before sampling

I used to start 'sampling' the brew after two weeks in the bottle. Over the last two years I've moved to leaving the brew in the bottles for at least 3 weeks if not four. The reasons for doing this are (in my humble opinion):

1. I have discovered that the brew is not fully matured, and the flavours have not blended fully, yet by two weeks;
2(a). If you begin to 'sample' when it's not fully ready you are drinking beer not at it's best, which is never a good thing;
2(b). You get a taste for the beer and a lot of it is gone before the beer comes good;
3. I have found a huge difference in the flavours over a couple of weeks;
4. Your beer may be carbed by week two but flavours may continue to develop after this.

I have always used Secondary Fermentation so I don't know if the above points are relevant if you just go straight to bottling after Primary. Someone with more brew knowledge will know better.

On the conditioning temps: I've left different beer styles in bottles to condition in a room with an ambient temp of 12-15 degrees with no issues. I've just left brews condition for slightly longer.

um7y1h83ge06nx

Everyone has their own strategy but it's pretty much universally accepted that beer shouldn't be rushed.

I go for 3+3, 3 weeks in the fermenter and at least 3 weeks conditioning. I don't bother with secondary fermentation.

I gave a bottle of IPA to my boss who also brews. He thought the difference was amazing, he goes according to the kit instructions and does 1 week in the ferementer and a week conditioning before tasting. He was very surprised by the clarity of my beer in comparison to his.

lang

Orion Uptight Sandblaster wrote: »

Everyone has their own strategy but it's pretty much universally accepted that beer shouldn't be rushed.

I go for 3+3, 3 weeks in the fermenter and at least 3 weeks conditioning. I don't bother with secondary fermentation.

I gave a bottle of IPA to my boss who also brews. He thought the difference was amazing, he goes according to the kit instructions and does 1 week in the ferementer and a week conditioning before tasting. He was very surprised by the clarity of my beer in comparison to his.

I know. I'm amazed at the differences people have in their brewing styles/times/quirkes/etc. I think the most important thing is to find out what works best for you - there are so many different ways to go about brewing. Generally I give minimum of 2 weeks in Primary and the same again in Secondary (more on either if I forget I have a brew on) Think the longest I left something in Secondary was 4 weeks.

antodeco

I leave mine for 2 weeks in the primary. Bottle them for between 3 - 4 weeks at room temperature. Then I put them out in the cold for another 4 - 6 weeks. I find the sweet spot is around 4 - 6 months. Saying that, I've beers I made last July and still taste tasty!