please help me

[JOHNNY B]

:drink: hi too all,my name is johnny & i am very new to this fantastic hobby,when i say new i mean, i have only brewed 2 kits.
The 1st was a woodfordes wherry,Which i must say came out great,it was clear,lovely colour and tasted unbelievable and weren"t i the lucky one, i had 40 pints of it all to myself : .However, on my 2nd attempt, and this is what i joined the forum too ask...........
I can not for the life of me,remember adding sugar too my pressurised barrel, I think this is called conditioning the beer..........question 1 will it matter if there is no sugar. question 2, if i open the barrel will i loose all my pressure.do i need too add the sugar,shake the barrel up, then leave untill the beer clears and if i do this will the gravity be good enough so the beer can be drunk........ Loooking [lis]forward to any answers you may have regards and good brewing too yoy all :drink: :drink:

 

[Dunfie]

Welcome to the forum Johnny. :

question 1 will it matter if there is no sugar.

It depends on a couple of things and whether there was any fermentation left to do. If given enough time the beer will eventually come into condition.

2, if i open the barrel will i loose all my pressure.do i need too add the sugar,shake the barrel up, then leave untill the beer clears and if i do this will the gravity be good enough so the beer can be drunk

if you are sure that you have not added any sugar and the beer hasn't been left too long then although it is risky then you can add the sugar. However do it this way.

1, Dissolve 80g of sugar in a half pint of water
2, Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes sterilise
3, Remove from the heat and allow to cool
4, Carefully add to the barrel, trying not to splash the beer. Gently stir, trying not to break the surface.
5, Reseal and allow to condition and clear as normal.

Once primary fermentation has finished you want to avoid introducing any oxygen to the beer as this will run the risk of causing the beer to spoil with oxidation (wet cardboard flavours).

 

[dennisking]

Hi and welcome, no need to add any more advice Calum has covered it all.

 

[JOHNNY B]

:thumb: thanx for your input.. the beer in question has been in my pressurised barrel for about three weeks,should i just leave it as it is,this way i am not going to contaminate the beer,.....Say i didnt put any in,, will this affect the strengh of the beer in any way and the taste............. wot im trying to say is shall i keep it or pour it away and start again.,,,,, regards again johnny b

 

[bobsbeer]

The answer to that is try cracking half an pint and see. You will see straight away if it has carbonated. You will get a nice head. If there is no carbonation you will not have drawn enough to cause a glug of air to go back in. If you think it's somewhere in between then you have a choice. 1. Open it up and add sugar as previously advised. 2. Leave it in a warm place to try to get the remaining yeast to do as much as they can. 3. Inject some CO2 to ensure you keep a positive pressure in the barrel and enjoy your beer. Personally I would go for option 3.

 

[jampot]

Dont not pour it away. Just follow the guidelines given....

 

[JOHNNY B]

:whistle: hi i poured off a half pint and there was a very good head on the beer although still a bit cloudy,so wood it bebest just to sit tight with a empty glass and wait for the day to come :drink: