Carbonation: Priming vs. Forced

[chiasson]

Here's a newb question if there ever was one .

So I've heard from a few people that you can't get commercial like carbonation from priming; I've also heard the opposite. I was just curious what you all have experienced regarding this? The reason I'm asking is because my first batch, after almost three weeks at 70+F, still seems like it aint gonna carb up like a commercial equivalent. I don't see any foam in the bottle necks yet.

[mr x]

You won't see foam in the bottle necks. Whoever you heard that info from was seriously wrong.

[sleepyjamie]

You won't see foam in the bottle necks. Whoever you heard that info from was seriously wrong.

Usually when my beers foam in the neck it's the result over over carbonation or an old beer

[chiasson]

Sorry for the confusion. I meant that I don't see signs of carbonation in my sealed bottles, not having foam after opening one.

So one expect commercial like carbonation from properly primed home brew?

[mr x]

That's what I thought you meant. Same answer as above. You really don't see many signs of carbonation in a sealed bottle.

[ajcarp]

I agree with Jamie and the X man that one can not tell how well a beer is carbonated by looking at a sealed bottle. To find out if the beer is properly carbonated, one must open it and give it a proper pour. However, that does not really address the question about whether one can still get good carbonation (commercial quality) from priming in a bottle vs force carbonation in a keg.

I think the answer is definitely yes, I mean look at the many brewer's that actually bottle prime some of there top beers. It is a bit trickier. One must pay careful attention to the OG, FG and style of beer to get the proper amount of priming agent to use for good carbonation. Most of the good brewing calculators help with these calculations.

Next, as someone who bottled for 15 years, I always found that I had to wait at least 3 weeks after bottling to really see any kind of decent carbonation. I could always tell what the taste of the beer would be like after one or two weeks, but I they were never fully carbonated until after 3 weeks. With lower FG beers, it would even take 5 weeks to really develop good carbonation.

So, pop one open, pour it out and enjoy what you've got so far. If it doesn't ever carbonate enough, learn for next time and slightly increase the amount of your priming agent.

Cheers

[chiasson]

Thanks a million guys. I'm learning tons here.

What a resource!

[derek]

Next, as someone who bottled for 15 years, I always found that I had to wait at least 3 weeks after bottling to really see any kind of decent carbonation. I could always tell what the taste of the beer would be like after one or two weeks, but I they were never fully carbonated until after 3 weeks. With lower FG beers, it would even take 5 weeks to really develop good carbonation.

+1 for that.

Personally, I'm absolutely certain you can get better carbonation from bottle priming than the commercial breweries do. It's far easier to see in the wine industry, but if you ever get a chance to compare the carbonation in a genuine Champagne and a Charmat method sparkling wine (most low end bubblies), it's immediately obvious.

[chiasson]

Well, I cracked open my first iPa tonight and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the beer and the level of carbonation. By all means, not bad for my first go. If anything it's a bit cloudy.