Coopers European Lager

[terrym]

Carbonation rates basically depend on how much yeast is present in the beer to start with, temperature and the quantity of priming sugar to be consumed.
In your case the temperature is fine. If the beer was clear or almost clear when you packaged it will still carb up, it will just take longer. As for priming sugar for the lager you have brewed, I would be adding that at the rate of about 3.3g of table sugar to each bottle (or 2/3 to 3/4 tsp), but have no idea how this converts to carbonation drops since I never use them. You will have to do the calc to see how this compares.
My advice is to continue to store your beer at 20*C for another week and then try again. I use PET bottles and find that carbing is slow to start with then gathers pace until it completes. I would not be opening bottles and adding more sugar yet.
And as soon as you lower the temperature below say 8-9*C the yeast will more or less stop working and will be pretty much dormant at 3-4*C lagering temperatures, so carbing will stop assuming there is sugar left to feed on.

 

[Banbeer]

It will taste sweeter as it hasn't finished carbonating yet i.e the yeast hasn't consumed all the carb drops and turned it into gas.
I had problems also with fizz as I used to put my lager glass in the dishwasher and with all the chemicals it just was flat so now I just swill my glass out at night and all is fine

 

[Banbeer]

Sorry terrym I didn't realise you'd answered the previous post.

 

[Pirate_Pete]

So it’s been 2 weeks and a day bottled with 1.5 coopers carb drops per 500ml bottle and has sat in my warm cupboard.

Thought I better sample one to make sure it had carbonated and well.. it barely has .

Zero head with a few bubbles fizzing up from the laser etched glass. Will this improve when I “lager” the beer for the next 10 weeks in the cool/cold loft or should I consider adding more drops to the bottles

Ps the taste was very pleasant a little sweeter than I expected but good

Coopers recommend 12 weeks in the bottle before drinking.
I was underwhelmed with the carbonation on my last lager too. I thought it may have been because I cold crashed it for too long.
I thought maybe too much yeast had dropped out.
Leave it the recommended time. Taste it and then decide what to change for the next brew. That's what I do.

I find my lighter beers have no or very little head. Steeping some carapils and adding that supposedly helps.
I've just made a Coopers APA that I steeped Crystal grain in. No head on that. I'm going to add Crystal & Carapils for the one I do next week.

Terry, I admire your optimism that it would go to 1.007. I don't think I've ever got one below 1.100.
Still, depends what fermentables you're adding I suppose.

 

[terrym]

I find my lighter beers have no or very little head. Steeping some carapils and adding that supposedly helps. I've just made a Coopers APA that I steeped Crystal grain in. No head on that. I'm going to add Crystal & Carapils for the one I do next week.

Terry, I admire your optimism that it would go to 1.007. I don't think I've ever got one below 1.100.
Still, depends what fermentables you're adding I suppose.

I often use the AuPA as a base and add crystal malt and a minimash with torrified wheat. No problem with head and head retention. However I only add crystal to the Euro lager and Pilsner and the head is not as long lasting.
I've now done the Euro lager and Pilsner kits five times and have got down to 1.007 three times, and the other two at 1.008 and 1.009. However I fermented with the kit (lager) yeast and a packet of the AuPA yeast which is a mix of lager and ale yeasts, so more yeast may be the requirement especially if you are fermenting low like I have done. And brewing AuPA at 19*C with the kit yeast usually gives me about 1.008, sometimes lower.