No Secondary?

[ptmoore]

OK - so I'm doing my first ever kit. Muntons Nut Brown Ale.
Fermentation was OK. A bit quicker than expected (2-3 days instead of 4-6), but I checked with the hydrometer that we'd reached 1006 and was stable for a couple of days.

So I siphoned into a keg, with the added sugar (85g), leaving the sediment behind in the fermenter. Then left for secondary fermentation in a warm room for 4 days. Then stored it in a cool room (probably around 15 celcius) for two weeks.

The keg is airtight but without a CO2 injector thingy. I assumed I didn't need one of those.

Drawing off the beer, there doesn't seem to be much gas present, as the tap air-locked and glugged and the beer doesn't seem as clear as I'd expected (not cloudy as such, just not clear). Also, it tastes 'flat'. I don't expect it to taste fizzy, but it's just lifeless, and tastes more like beer-flavoured water than a nice ale.

I'm guessing that the secondary fermentation didn't happen, for some reason?

What have I done wrong, if anything? What can I do to fix/save my beer?

Grateful for any advice so I don't get downhearted and not try a second batch!

Cheers,
Pete

 

[mmaguy41]

i would have left it a bit longer in primary, around 10 days at least, also i generally fill the headspace in the keg with a blast of co2 just to make sure the co2 produce by the ferment gets absorbed into the beer and doesnt just fill the headspace and help dispense the beer, you could open the keg and reprime it, gas it and let it condition once again. That could work, kegs are hard to get right though.

 

[ptmoore]

Thanks. I'll get a CO2 lid thingy for my keg and try re-priming. How much sugar should I put in this time around?

 

[mmaguy41]

i usually use about 100g, if its totally flat id go with around that mark

 

[cwiseman77]

Don't know anything about kegs but I would definitely leave it in the primary for longer, at least 2 weeks. I done my first kit this year and the instructions on those things rush the whole process.

I'm no expert but a lot of guys on here are, listen to them and not kit instructions and your beer beer will be awesome

 

[puravida]

Woah! Don't re-prime!!
Did you sample it? Did it taste sweet? If yes then the yeast is not doing its job. If no, then you may have a leaky seal!

15C is quite low for the yeast to be active. Try bringing it somewhere warmer, say 20C, for at least couple of weeks to prime the beer then sample again. Assuming this has worked, set it somewhere cool for another couple of weeks for the yeast to drop and allow the beer to condition

My beer sits in a primary for at least 2 weeks before I even open up and look at it.

Making beer is all about patience my friend!! Easier said than done I know!!!! :thumb:

 

[ptmoore]

OK - lots of advice - thanks! Most of the advice about the primary fermentation is too late to fix. Though I should stress that primary was complete, as the gravity did not change for 3 days in a row. That said, I'll probably leave longer in future.

Seems to be conflicting advice over fixing my current 40 gallon batch.

I'll try bottling 2 or 3 bottles, re-primed with varying amounts of sugar - see if that helps - and take it from there.

Thanks all!

 

[jonnymorris]

Slightly off topic but I suspect the reason it fermented more quickly than expected was 'cos it was too warm. Do you know what the temp was? Aim for 18-20degC next time and you should get a better brew.

 

[fbsf]

Don't forget that there are two stages to the fermentation - the main phase where the yeasties turn the sugar into alcohol, and the "clearup" operation, where they get rid of any unwanted by-products afterwards. This is why a lot of us leave it in the primary (or rack to secondary without priming) for a total primary length of at least 14 days.

Personally, I'm a 2-week in the primary man. But I can see the pros/cons of moving it to secondary (pro: less gunk from the initial brew to taint the beer, con:slight chance of oxidation when transferring). I'm just lazy!

 

[ptmoore]

The room I used for fermenting seems to be a constant 18C-19C during the day. But overnight when there's no heating, I guess it might fall to 15C-16C or a little lower. That's just a guess as I don't have a max/min thermometer in the room, I just go by the central heating thermostat.

Because I suspected the temperature was dropping below 18C, I used a heating belt.

Do I really need to worry? Could I leave it in the room, despite the overnight drops in temperature, or is using the belt the right thing to do?

Maybe a max/min thermometer should be on my shopping list so I can get an accurate idea of the temperature in the room (and in the exact spot where I place the fermenter)?