[fmader]

Good to know. I never questioned the practice, or said that I was right. I might have to revisit this. I just never got anything out of it in the past... Maybe I would discover something in the future. Ok... Maybe I'll quit hijacking this post now

[denny]

Frank, it might help to do what I do...I take an 8-12 oz. hydrometer sample.  After I get the gravity, I pour the sample into a 20 oz. PET bottle, put a carbonator cap on it and hit it with about 30 psi.  Put it in the freezer for maybe 30-45 min. and you have a cold, carbonated sample.

[The Professor]

Frank, it might help to do what I do...I take an 8-12 oz. hydrometer sample.  After I get the gravity, I pour the sample into a 20 oz. PET bottle, put a carbonator cap on it and hit it with about 30 psi.  Put it in the freezer for maybe 30-45 min. and you have a cold, carbonated sample.

sheer genius!

[denny]

Frank, it might help to do what I do...I take an 8-12 oz. hydrometer sample.  After I get the gravity, I pour the sample into a 20 oz. PET bottle, put a carbonator cap on it and hit it with about 30 psi.  Put it in the freezer for maybe 30-45 min. and you have a cold, carbonated sample.

sheer genius!

Around here we call it "pragmatism"! 

[fmader]

Frank, it might help to do what I do...I take an 8-12 oz. hydrometer sample.  After I get the gravity, I pour the sample into a 20 oz. PET bottle, put a carbonator cap on it and hit it with about 30 psi.  Put it in the freezer for maybe 30-45 min. and you have a cold, carbonated sample.

sheer genius!

Around here we call it "pragmatism"! 

Now we're cookin with peanut oil!

[flbrewer]

OK....are we done? Only kidding, just a quick update. Placed a bottle in the 'fridge this morning (3 days bottled around 75 degrees) and cracked open tonight. Good news, there is carbonation! The taste is getting there, much improved from bottling day. Not sure how a mildly hoppy wheat ale normally taste (not a style I'm completely familiar with) but I'm pleased so far.

-Why was there a ring of yeast (think that's what it was) at the bottom of this bottle? I thought that was only for bottle conditioned beers? Was it not yeast and just something settling?

[a10t2]

-Why was there a ring of yeast (think that's what it was) at the bottom of this bottle? I thought that was only for bottle conditioned beers?

I would assume that you are bottle conditioning. That's when you add sugar to a beer before bottling, and let the yeast carbonate it in the bottles.

[majorvices]

We are not done. We are never done. These little tangents are where you can really learn something so, pay attention, son. 

If you are bottling, and you are not filling from a carbonated keg, you are bottle conditioning. Regardless, if you are not filtering, you are going to have yeast on the bottom of the bottle, and the beers I brew rarely require more than a week or two of cold conditioning.

[theoman]

Give it time. I usually check my bottles every week to see what's going on. It might be drinkable at 3 weeks, but I'll never share with friends before 4. 5 weeks is usually perfect, in my opinion (depending on the beer, of course - some may need even more time).

[majorvices]

Give it time. I usually check my bottles every week to see what's going on. It might be drinkable at 3 weeks, but I'll never share with friends before 4. 5 weeks is usually perfect, in my opinion (depending on the beer, of course - some may need even more time).

It'll be different depending on your brewing practices and your tastes. Most of my beer is ready to go within 3-4 weeks of brewday. That said, I'm not naturally carbbing.

[theoman]

Give it time. I usually check my bottles every week to see what's going on. It might be drinkable at 3 weeks, but I'll never share with friends before 4. 5 weeks is usually perfect, in my opinion (depending on the beer, of course - some may need even more time).

It'll be different depending on your brewing practices and your tastes. Most of my beer is ready to go within 3-4 weeks of brewday. That said, I'm not naturally carbbing.

Perhaps I should've clarified - I'm referring to time after bottling and assuming that priming was done with some sort of sugar.

[Jimmy K]

If it tastes good at bottling you're definately doing it right! There is some old homebrew myth that beer needs some age, but I think most of that is bad techniques creating flavors that need time to age out. We know better now.

[klickitat jim]

Taste is also somewhat subjective. Some folks think pizza or spaghetti are better as leftovers, not me. With beer it all depends. If you want a more blended mellow flavor, age it.

[joe_feist]

Well, put me in the pizza and spaghetti are better left over camp. As for bottle conditioned beer, I'm usually removing caps about a week after putting them on. And many of my beers do get better a few weeks after that.

[joe_feist]

Sorry. Went back and read the O/P. Yep, I taste all thru the process. I like to see and track how the beer changes over time-from grain to beer. I compare all that with what I read in various places. I think it helps