Cold Weather Brewing - Bottle Conditioning

Cold Weather Brewing Just Like in the Summer, right?

BOTTLE CONDITIONING - Priming your Beer

For many brewers, both experienced and novices, the cold weather kinda sneaks up on us and gets us when we're not expecting it. A month ago, I bottled two batches of beer, a Belgian Dubble and a Robust Porter. Both set in glass secondaries for two weeks in my cellar. I used Abbey Ale yeast for the Dubble and Irish Ale yeast for the Robust Porter.

After two weeks in the bottle, both were carbonated only slightly. I initially thought maybe the yeast was exhausted following the regular fermentation and the two weeks in the secondary. I made sure that I stirred up some of the yeast from the bottom of the secondary and primed with my usual 5.5 ounces of priming sugar (corn sugar). I cleaned the bottles with PBW and sanitized them with Star-San (non-rinse).

I noticed on the thermometer that the cellar temperature was in the lower 60's. I smiled briefly and shook my head, laughing to myself... The cold weather brewing had snuck up on me again!

To take care of the priming issue, I hauled the bottles up to the kitchen and parked them under the kitchen counter where the temperature was in the upper 60's. I left them there for 2 weeks before popping one of each bottle in the fridge. Two chilled glasses set the stage for the moment I had been waiting for since I first pitched the yeast!

I was pleasantly suprised with the crisp "POP" of the bottle opening! I poured the Robust Porter and admired the frothy head and the "just right" amount of carbonation. The Belgian Dubble was equally properly carbonated.

Brewer - 1 ... Cold Weather - 0