Can I save this brew

[brewnewb]

Wondering if anyone can help me. I bought a Youngs brew kit off the net and followed the instructions supplied (this is my first homebrew attempt). Once the fermentation seemed to have finished I siphoned the beer into one of those plastic pressure kegs and transported it to a cooler part of the house. Over the weekend I poured out a pint of the beer and had a taste :sick:

The "beer" is flat although it has a head It is also cloudy and doesn't seem to taste like it has much alcohol content. I have 5 gallons of what I have named pisswater. Is there anything I can do to try save it? Could I add some yeast and some more brewing sugar or is it too late for that? Am I going to have to tip it all down the drain

Any help would be appreciated, was so excited to pour that first pint but I am now soured by the taste of disappointment.

 

[alanywiseman.]

Welcome to the Forum.

Do you have a OG and FG? How long did you brew it for? When did you transfer it to the keg? and did you prime the keg with sugar?

Once a brew is completed and you bottle/keg it you should add sugar to the bottles/keg to carbonate your beer. once bottled/kegged it should be left at room temp for a couple of weeks then moved somewhere colder to allow it to condition. The longer you leave it the better it will get.

Sorry about all the questions, it will help to understand what is going on with your brew.

 

[calumscott]

Tell us more about what you did?

What kit was it, how did you go about brewing up, what extra stuff went in there, how long did it ferment for, any gravity readings etc etc?

Also what did you do when you transferred it to the keg, what did you prime with, how long has it been in there, what temperatures etc?

ah... Alan's beat me too it...

 

[carl_saint]

What sort of beer is it? An ale or lager? Did you add any sugar to your pressure barrel when you siphoned off? If you did then you need to leave it at room temp for about a week then move to a cooler area for about another 3/4 weeks. If not then you need to add about 80g of sugar dissolved in water to your barrel first. Lagers don't carb up very well in those barrels they're better in bottles but it should still turn out ok after its had time to condition.

What sugar did you use initially and did you use a hydrometer to take a gravity reading? That's the only way your gonna know what abv it is.

 

[cutnrun]

depends what the off flavour is. My first kit tasted odd and it was only when someone asked if it tasted of wet cardboard that i could put my finger on it.

wet cardboard is the flavour of oxidised alcohol/beer and it a great way to clean the pipes of the sink.

 

[brewnewb]

Thanks for the replies. I foolishly didn't take any hydrometer readings. The kit was a Young's Nrewbuddy 40 pint lager kit. I used 1kg as instructed of brewing sugar for fermenting in the bucket, rested lid on top and left for 2 weeks. During primary fermentation I used a brewmaker heat pad to keep temperature steady, and from what I saw inside and comparing to pictures online that part of the process seemed to have gone well. After siphoning the beer into the barrel, I added 10 tea spoons of normal granulated sugar to the barrel, can't remember how I came to that calculation of sugar though, and maybe it was a bad idea to use normal sugar but it was all I had. The barrel was left like that sealed tightly at around 18-22 degrees c for a week, then I took left it outside for 2 days to make it cold. Really new at this so that was maybe a stupid idea. Also when siphoning the beer into the barrel I added the table sugar afterwards, but didn't dissolve it in water, I just spooned it straight in.

I didn't add any hops or additions, it was purely ingredients from kit + brewing sugar and granulated sugar. Will not forget to take gravity readings in my next attempt.

In its current state it isn't enjoyable at all to drink. Also very cloudy. The first pint I poured from it had a head, but when I tried another taste earlier it was flat and no head at all. Hope that helps. Does it sound like its going to be heading down the drain?

Edit - Just took a gravity reading now and it is saying 1.010. What does this mean? I didn't take an original gravity reading as i didn't really understand that part.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Edit - Just took a gravity reading now and it is saying 1.010. What does this mean? I didn't take an original gravity reading as i didn't really understand that part.

It appears to be that all the sugar has fermented correctly, if it hadn't the FG would be around 1025, your SG would have been around 1045-1050.

What does it taste/smell like?

BB

 

[alanywiseman.]

My advice would be to bring it back inside for another week to aid the carbonation. Them it would be best to leave it for about a month somewhere cold. Outside should be fine as long as it won't freeze.

It sounds like your beer will be fine it just needs some more time to carbonate and then condition, then :drink:

 

[carl_saint]

Agreed, needs a lot longer to condition than a week. Bring it inside for another few day/week then chill for a month. Don't let temptation get the better of you! Be patient!

 

[brewnewb]

Edit - Just took a gravity reading now and it is saying 1.010. What does this mean? I didn't take an original gravity reading as i didn't really understand that part.

It appears to be that all the sugar has fermented correctly, if it hadn't the FG would be around 1025, your SG would have been around 1045-1050.

What does it taste/smell like?

BB

It does smell and taste like lager, just flat and a little watery. Not refreshing at all, and it doesn't make you want to drink it.

I thought the reading should be 1040-1050 at the end of fermentation? So how do i determine the alcohol content of it, cause i'm sure by taste it seems to be just water.

Ok I'll try that, bring it back inside and leave it for a few weeks. Should i not add anything more to it?

 

[abeyptfc]

the hydrometer reading in water is 1.000, the more sugar you add then the higer it will go, so 1.040 or 1.050, as the brew ferments the yeast eats the sugar the hydrometer reading then reduces. on the top left hand side there is a link for calculators, then once you click that there is an og(original gravity reading) box and and fg(final gravity reading) then click calculate and it works out your percentage.

 

[RobWalker]

I find that early on i can really taste the water in my beer. Some time later, they come together a little more and the tap water taste goes away. You need to give it time.to condition for sure.

 

[calumscott]

+1 for everything above...

Get it back in the warm to finish up secondary fermentation.
Then off to the cold for a good while.

The only way you are going to tell what strength this stuff is is by guesswork though! You've definitely got alcohol in there otherwise that gravity reading would be a lot higher. So leave it to finish up and clear and condition for a good few weeks then sit down on a friday night with a fish supper and the telly remote and see how many it takes to "get you there"... :drink: :drunk:

 

[brewnewb]

Awesome that sounds like an idea. Bringing it inside now. Thanks alot for all the responses, definately learned some knowledge here :)

 

[RobWalker]

+1 for everything above...

Get it back in the warm to finish up secondary fermentation.
Then off to the cold for a good while.

The only way you are going to tell what strength this stuff is is by guesswork though! You've definitely got alcohol in there otherwise that gravity reading would be a lot higher. So leave it to finish up and clear and condition for a good few weeks then sit down on a friday night with a fish supper and the telly remote and see how many it takes to "get you there"... :drink: :drunk:

not 100% - kits have a predesignated amount of sugar and type of yeast, so they have approximate ABV readings - the lager, made up to instructions, is about 4.2% give or take a few decimals :)