Signs of Carbonation in Bottles

[dlowe1992]

Impatient question here from a first time bottler. I bottled a 10 litre batch a week ago. Nothing special, pale ale hopped with Cascade and Amarillo.

Question is this.. would you expect to see any visible signs of carbonation in the bottle? I can see nothing yet. Not entirely sure what I’m expecting, bubbling in the neck maybe?

I ask only as I used rekorderlig bottles my wife brought home from the pub she works in and it was the devils own job getting the caps on with one of the red lever jobbies…

I know wait another week and pop one is the answer but still… we’re all a little impatient aren’t we..

 

[Caramel Ox]

You would expect to see some settled yeast at the bottom. It’s useful to use at least 1 PET bottle so you can squeeze it to get an idea.

If your bottles have been kept at over 20 degrees they are likely pretty good already in terms of carbonation. It’s your beer after all, you can try one now, it may be better after several weeks maturity.

 

[Clarence]

Impatient question here from a first time bottler. I bottled a 10 litre batch a week ago. Nothing special, pale ale hopped with Cascade and Amarillo.

Question is this.. would you expect to see any visible signs of carbonation in the bottle? I can see nothing yet. Not entirely sure what I’m expecting, bubbling in the neck maybe?

I ask only as I used rekorderlig bottles my wife brought home from the pub she works in and it was the devils own job getting the caps on with one of the red lever jobbies…

I know wait another week and pop one is the answer but still… we’re all a little impatient aren’t we..

You can expect to see the beer gradually drop clear, but you won't see any signs of fizzing in the neck. My beer is never carbed up before 4 weeks and more often 6 weeks.

 

[MashBag]

It is of course quicker, if you bottle warm and keep it at fermentation temp.

 

[Cwrw666]

Give the top of the cap a press - easy to feel there's pressure in there. You won't see any difference inside the bottle. Yes it'll clear but it'll do that wether or not it's carbonated

 

[Twostage]

but you won't see any signs of fizzing in the neck.

Many of mine have patches of bubbles around the neck and in the early days of carbonation you can see the bubbles that make them... (Edit. Video doesn't want to play . Try a different format if I can). Done.

 

[MrJay83]

Wait to see some yeast form on the bottom. I always found they carbed up after around 3-4 weeks but that will depend on the temperature of where you store them.
Try to get some Magners Irish cider bottles. Really sturdy and I think they are the easiest to cap.

 

[dlowe1992]

Thanks, appreciate the advice. They’re at room temp at the moment (20 deg ish). Plan being another week where they are then a couple of weeks in the shed nice and cool.
They all have a healthy layer of sediment at the bottom and caps don’t seem to depress at all.
Seems all is well. I’ll sit on my hands for a week and give one a try when I move them outside next week

 

[jeremy Hall]

My recent lager has taken 4 weeks in the garage to get a decent head. If you have clear glass bottles, or pet, you can see bubbles forming on the bottom and travelling up. Agree with the advice above that a couple of pet bottles in a brew will let you know when it is getting pressured. I generally use 500ml beer bottles, and they seem to cap fine.

 

[jMac]

As others have said, fill a couple or three of plastic bottles when you bottle to check carbonation. They don’t have to be PET home brew bottles. I have a couple of 200ml pop bottles. Fill them with standard headspace, then squeeze the air out so the beer is level with the top of neck as you tighten the lid. They’ll expand as the they carbonate.

 

[Agentgonzo]

They don’t have to be PET home brew bottles. I have a couple of 200ml pop bottles.

I wash and reuse 500ml soft drinks bottles my stepson brings back from college

 

[MashBag]

As others have said, fill a couple or three of plastic bottles when you bottle to check carbonation. They don’t have to be PET home brew bottles. I have a couple of 200ml pop bottles. Fill them with standard headspace, then squeeze the air out so the beer is level with the top of neck as you tighten the lid. They’ll expand as the they carbonate.

They will do.

 

[dlowe1992]

Well curiosity got the better of me in the end. Stuck one in the fridge last night and cracked it tonight..

On the hazy side but carb’d up beautifully and tastes great
Happy boy!

 

[MashBag]

Week done. Beer is meant to make you grin.