Carbonation question

This is my 1st batch of homebrew and I followed all the instructions. I bottled my beer about a week ago and couldn't resist opening one although it is not suppose to be ready for 2 more weeks. I noticed that the flavor was good but it had very little carbonation. These bottles are in a wine cooler at 53 degrees. Will the carbonation increase over the next 2 weeks or have I made a mistake somewhere along the way?

Andy

Reply to
Andy
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53 degrees is on the cool side for carbonation. At that temp it will take some time to carbonate. Try to get the bottles around 70 degrees. A week or two at 70 degrees will get you where you want to be.

Les

Reply to
Gina and Les Armstrong

When I bottled these beers I left them at room temperature for 2 days (recipes instructions), I then moved them to the cooler. I will not be opening them for 6 more weeks. Do you think that I should take them out of the cooler for a week and let them sit at room temperature before returning to the cooler or will the 6 week time period be long enough for proper carbonation to occur while in the cooler? If I do take them out for a week and then return them will these temperature changes have an effect on the beer? "Gina and Les Armstrong" wrote in message news:XY0Rd.33239$ snipped-for-privacy@fe2.columbus.rr.com...

Reply to
Andy

"Andy" wrote in message news:N%3Rd.230220$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...

Most folks bottle condition (carbonate) at 70 degrees or so for a couple weeks at least. At 52 degrees, they may carbonate at six weeks, or they may not (cool temps slow down fermentation, which is what is happening during carbonation). You will have to test one. My experience tells me that two weeks at room temp (70 or so) is just about right for carbonation to occur. Moving them from a cooler to room temp should not cause any problems. When my bottles are ready to drink, I put a few in the fridge, and put the rest away on the cool side of the basement. You could put all the bottles in the fridge, or store them all in a cool dark place (anywhere where the temp is stable and there is not a lot of light) until you are ready to serve them. I have bottles that have been stored for several months without refrigeration and are perfectly fine when served. Remember that carbonation is caused by fermentation and cool temps can slow down, or stop, fermentation. So you want to treat the newly bottled beer in a similar way that you treated the beer when it was initially fermenting. As this is your first batch, you are still refining your process. After a few batches, it will become almost automatic. I have been brewing for almost 10 years and can now perform most of the procedures in my sleep. There is a learning curve involved, and you will figure it out as you go. It gets easier, and before long you will become a pro at this stuff. All you need is patience and some more practice and you will be fine.

Hope this helped you out.

Les

Reply to
Gina and Les Armstrong

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