So bottled Sunday after 2 weeks primary,how long in the bottle till it is ready? (coopers tablets added,IPA and in a cool dark cupboard)

It depends…

Mostly on how cool or warm it is where you’re storing the bottles.
I usually give mine two weeks in a warm place for carbonation then another two weeks minimum in a cool place for bottle conditioning.

I also ensure I have at least one PET bottle in each batch. When it’s freshly bottled, you can squeeze the PET bottle; when it’s carbonated the PET bottle will be firm. Coopers do these bottles in boxes of 24 with tamper evident screw caps. Tesco sometimes sell them at about a tenner a box, but your LHBS should also be able to get them

Drinkable after 2 weeks, but beat after 6 (well mine is)!

Carbonate it somewhere warm, the risk of off flavours from too quick a fermentation has passed once it’s out of the primary fermenter as there’s not enough sugar left. And it’ll help the remaining yeast clean up any esters left over.

IPA’s don’t need to be left too long to condition, as a rule of thumb the stronger, darker and maltier the beer the more time it needs so IPA’s at one extreme (if it’s clear it’s probably done) and Imperial Stout (upto a year or more) at the other.

My last one I had a bottle to test it at about 10 days and by 5 weeks it had already lost it’s bright hoppy-ness.

Thanks for that,it is currently in a cool cupboard so will extend that and do the squeeze test! Next batch is going to be a wheat beer,can anybody recommend a kit?

I find that if bottling takes longer than keg for secondary fermentation. Perhaps I’m not leaving enough air in the bottle to help the secondary fermentation?

In answer to the question, the longer the better… Make another kit ASAP. Make more than you think you’ll need. That way it’ll stop you drinking it all before it’s ready!

One other thing… if it’s a Coopers IPA kit then it’ll say best left for 13 weeks. It’s true, it really is best left for that long.

Can’t help re wheat beer, kit or otherwise , I’m not a fan

I find that if bottling takes longer than keg for secondary fermentation. Perhaps I’m not leaving enough air in the bottle to help the secondary fermentation?

If you bottle with a wand it should leave the correct volume automaticaly

If you use a syphon then fill it with the hose right to the bottom of the bottle, pinch it, and withdraw, the volume displaced by beer in the hose (plus hose) should be about right. You don’t want to aerate the beer, but it doesn’t need to be completely anoxic as the remaining yeast will scavenge it, you can tell if there was too much air because the yeast will go crazy and you end up with a thick yeast cake at the bottom of the bottle rather than a thin smear (or the beer just hadn’t cleared in the fermenter, but that’s another problem). If you cold crash after fermenting then you need to be more careful as there’s less yeast to scavenge the oxygen.

The Craft Range (homebrew west) Raspberry wheat beer is probably the best I’ve brewed from a kit.

V. nice with or without the raspberry flavouring.

It’s relatively easy to make a decent wheat beer from extract + hops; if you’ve got a pan big enough to do the boil in … I’ve never found a kit that quite seemed to do the style justice; though the Brewer’s choice bavarian came close. Can’t remember what yeast it comes with; I’d recommend buying a proper wheat yeast and binning the one that comes with the kit – I’ve a feeling that’s what was lacking (IIRC it comes with a generic yeast). I’ve had good results with Safbrew WB-06

Also – be aware that wheat based beers (especially with a good yeast) can be *very* lively – I’d use a blow off tube or keep your fermenter in the bath 😀

Dump the kits and come to the dark side, or at least BIAB, you won’t regret it.

Buy this Greg Hughes Home Brew

It’s an excellent book and breaks everything down in to simple steps. Great recipes as well.

How smelly is the secondary? Its just as it is cold during the day in my house I have moved it to my place of work…(Cough,I’m a teacher..)I am not the first as I have tasted the fruits of Science Dept’s labour before…

Secondary in bottles? Odourless, unless you get unlucky and one explodes

😯 😯 😯