Under carbonated beer

[Barfly99]

Fairly new to home brew, and I've run into problems with my second Coopers larger kit. My first attempt was the basic all in one kit from my local HBS and it all went well with the possible exception the bottled beer was slightly over carbonated. For my second attempt I replaced the brewing sugar with 1kg of spray malt and racked the beer off after one week to try and get a clearer finish. I primed the bottles the same way I did my first brew by adding 1tsp of caster sugar to each bottle before siphoning the beer and then giving each one a shake. It's been 10 days since I primed and there is almost no sediment in the base of the bottles and very little in the way of carbonation.

So have I made a mistake in racking the beer and as a result I've not got enough yeast in each bottle to carbonate? Or does using spray malt instead of brewing sugar lead to a slower carbonation?

The beer itself tastes great and is just lacking a bit of fizz. Should I wait it out and see if it gets better or is there some way of fixing it?

 

[farmer brown]

Its advised to leave the bottles in a warm 25c environment to help with the carbonation and then a further 2 weeks in a cooler environment? I think it helps the yeast consume the last bit of sugar for its final burst of CO2 that gives it its carbonation...

 

[alanywiseman.]

Its advised to leave the bottles in a warm 25c environment to help with the carbonation and then a further 2 weeks in a cooler environment? I think it helps the yeast consume the last bit of sugar for its final burst of CO2 that gives it its carbonation...

+1 :thumb:

I leave my bottles for 2 weeks at room temp then move to storage. put your bottles somewhere warm, at least 18C and leave them for 2 weeks to carbonate. Are you using PET bottles or glass?

 

[Barfly99]

Thanks for the replies. I should have said I'm using 500ml PET bottles. They've been sitting in a room at 18° for 10 days and it doesn't look like another 4 days is going to make up the difference. Strange thing is that the last kit I made was fully carbonated after 7 days. I'm thinking there's been less yeast transferred this time due to me racking off.

 

[alanywiseman.]

There will be plenty of yeast in your beer to carbonate it. Are your bottles properly sealed? maybe try moving to a warmer part of the house or puting in a water bath.

 

[Barfly99]

Bottles will be sealed OK. They were new when I used them. I'll move the beer to somewhere warmer and see if that kicks it into gear. Hopefully in a week or two I'll have a bit of fizz.

 

[alanywiseman.]

Try taking one of the bottles and putting it in a the sink/bath with water at about 23C to see if it kick starts then you will know all you need is time.

 

[Barfly99]

Ok I'll give it a go and report back.

 

[ScottM]

I had this with the mexican cerveza. Took a week just to get started for me. I was a little worried at first but it came through eventually.

 

[Barfly99]

Just an update on the this. I put the beer in a box and kept it at 24° for a few days and it does seem to have made a difference. The PET bottles have swollen to the point that they won't give when squeezed. I stuck one in the fridge and poured it, but still no head. The beer is fully carbonated and tastes great but it looks like a pint of cider. The only thing I haven't done that I did on the last successful brew is to leave it in the cold for a week or two. I understood that doing this was to help clarify the beer but does it have any benefit on getting a bit of foam?

 

[shearclass]

i believe head retention improves when a beer is properly aged (though I don't know this for sure)

 

[kwakamat]

Just my input - I've been learning as I go with this but some points make constant sense from what I have done so far:
1) allow 10-14 days full fermentation vessel at 20-25 deg on the coopers stuff
2) 1/2 teaspoon of sugar into 500ml pet bottles, I tend to heap them for more fizz
3) they MUST be left in a warm room for up to two weeks, every bottle should be rock hard
4) I move to a dark kitchen cupboard after that and try to chill for at least12 hours before I want one.

Head retention depends on a few things, conditioning seems to make the biggest difference to me but the type of beer and lager also do

Tried a two week in the bottle cerveza today, great head for half then became very little but still a fizzy drink.

 

[Barfly99]

I would be happy with head formation never mind head retention. Only thing I haven't done that's recommended is leaving them somewhere cold for a week. Not holding out much hope on it turning around though. I added a full teaspoon of sugar to each 500ml bottle which should have been enough. Thing is, the last brew I did in the same way turned out to be over carbonated to the point that I had to nurse it into the glass or else I ended up with a pint of foam.

 

[kwakamat]

A full teaspoon is suicide, why are you doing that? Half teaspoon per 500ml or thereabouts.

 

[ScottM]

I always go with a level teaspoon per pint also. Always turned out well as far as carbonation goes.

 

[alanywiseman.]

A full tsp is fine for a lager. For good head retention your brew needs to have time to mature in a cold environment. This increases the amount of co2 dissolved in the brew therefore giving better head. Secondly make sure your glass is clean and has no oil on it as this kills the head on a beer. Some say that a glass from a dishwasher will not give a good head due to a coating from the tablets.

Put your beer in a cool place for at least 2 weeks then in the fridge 12-24hrs before drinking and report back. You should be sorted then :thumb:

 

[Barfly99]

To be honest I was told by the girl my LHBS to use a teaspoon of caster sugar per 500ml bottle, and being a newbie I never questioned it. Doing a quick search I can see that some use half that amount and some use a full teaspoon. Was going to buy carbonation drops at the time but she talked me out of it because one drop wasn't enough and two would have been too many for that size of bottle. I'll give them a two week holiday in the cold garage and see how they turn out.

 

[kwakamat]

Consider me told then if a full teaspoon doesn't make any odds. I love em fizzy and a heaped half teaspoon always does it.

Best of luck with it fellah, all I can say is that experimentation has helped me understand things more than much else.

 

[ScottM]

Consider me told then if a full teaspoon doesn't make any odds. I love em fizzy and a heaped half teaspoon always does it.

Best of luck with it fellah, all I can say is that experimentation has helped me understand things more than much else.

It depends on your brew and what you consider a heaped half spoonfull. You will probably find that a heaped half spoon is exactly the same, or thereabouts, as a level teaspoon (5g).

It also makes a massive difference with what you are brewing. 1/2 tsp or under is perfectly normal for ales etc, whilst a lager generally needs a bit more due to the lack of body.

I always rack with 180-200g of sugar per 40 pints.