Does anyone know if there is a way to check if your beer is carbonated in the bottle without opening one. Can you see bubbles if you hold it up to the light. Just wondering. Thanks.
I don’t believe there’s a way. Some people like to fill a plastic soda bottle, compress it and cap it. When the bottle has returned to normal shape, it’s carbonated. Personally I’ve never thought that was worth doing. Unless you’re brewing one gallon batches and only have a few precious bottles, just pop one open and try it if you’re curious. As a ROT, after three weeks you’ll typically have carbonation if stored at room temp. But bear in mind that bottle conditioned beer will get better with some age. So patience is generally rewarded.
I typically do the plastic soda bottle method that kcbeersnob referenced. I’ve found it to be a pretty accurate indicator of when proper carbonation has occurred. My experience, the bottle will be firm and back to form in about two weeks, but I’ll usually let the bottles rest for an additional week or two before truly diving in.
