Oh Dear.... Can I save the day for brew # 3?

[Martin G]

Just a thought, not ever done this so may not work for some reason;

Make up a sugar solution and sanitise a syringe, ease off the cap of a bottle, syringe in 1ml or whatever of the sugar solution.

Just an idea to put int he mix that may no introduce the beer to so much air.

[molehill]

I am not sure I would want to try addind sugar to 40 odd bottles, but I will do a dozen or so to see how well it works. What I tend to do if the beer lacks something is mix it with a supermarket beer such as Old Speckled Hen, which is often on special. Mixing this with a flat beer does not affect the flavour at all. Either that or one of my earlier successful brews, which is limited to only one .... Trouble is, I have had too many "not quite right beers than good ones"!

But I see that as part of my learning curve. I completed brew 4 yesterday and it went perfectly... All timings and temps were on the button. Preboil ag was 1032 and postboil finished 1052 (Old Speckled Hen) and I finished with 32.3lts in the fv. Its the next stage I have to perfect now.... Length of time at 21c + length of time chilled at 4c + measuring ag (now have a turkey baster) + adding sugar prior to bottling.

With the information you guy's have supplied I would be a complete fool if I got it wrong next time..... At the moment I am just a halfwit!

Lol

[molehill]

As is my way...... I reckon the advice about adding 1 ml of sugar solution to each bottle sounded so good I have just finished doing all 40 bottles. Each top was pulled sugar added and recapped in 5 seconds so hopefully no harm done and everything to gain. I plan to keep them at room temp for a week 18c-20c then move them to the top of the house where temp remains between 5c-12c and see what happens in a couple of weeks.

Whatch this space and I'll let you know.

Thanks again

[molehill]

It appears the experiment of adding 1ml of sugar solution has not worked. I stored it for a week at room temp and then stored it at 4-6c and opened 3 bottles this evening to find a still flat brew that has slightly clouded.

Me thinks its time to give up on this batch and start again.

On a positive note as stated earlier brew #4 brew day went well and it was bottled yesterday using 100mls of malt extract in 300mls of boiling water. The whole program went according to plan and I have high hopes for the outcome.

Brew 5 happens at the weekend..... The Mrs is on an away day!

[jmc]

You never know in 3 months time it may be fine.
Put aside if you can spare the bottles.

Suggestion to mix with a fizzy bottled ale was a good one.

I've also saved 'problem' bottles for cooking.
It made a lovely steak & ale casserole..

[molehill]

Thanks for that JMC.

I cannot make up my mind what recipe to go with this weekend. I have made three Old Speckled hens in a row because I enjoy this particular brew. Anyone have a Hob Gobblin recipe or suggest some similar to OSH?

Thanks

[jonnyt]

Sounds to me that you needed to reyeast.

However alls not lost use a 5/10/20ml syringe to provide a head to the beer

[molehill]

Can you please explain how you would reyeast and the fact that it has clouded slightly, is this an indication that it is on the turn or was this caused by air during my efforts to add sugar at a later date? I have about 40 bottles and was thinking about watering my fruit trees with it! But hey ..... If there was a chance of saving this brew!

Thanks

[molehill]

Can anyone please confirm my thoughts or otherwisw?

I have mentioned above how restarting my last brew was not successful i.e. remained flat.
Well I have realised why this may be so.

My second and third brew maintained carbonation until recently, then I noticed they had gone flat also. They were all stored at the top of the house, which isn't heated (because I am a tightarse1). I had 3 bottles of my 2nd brew downstairs in my short-term beer stock cupboard.... short term because it doesn't take me long to empty it! I found these 3 beers from my 2nd brew in my store cupboard and everyone was fully carbonated. Yet the ones stored upstairs had gone flat!

Now me thinks that the upstairs storage became too cold these past 6 weeks, between 0c - 6c on average, while downstair,s the temp would never have dropped below 16c. Conclusion..... Too cold a storage temperature = flat beer!

Please tell me whether if I assumme correctly? Did you know that to assume is to make an ass/u/me? Ha ha.

[Brotherton Lad]

If you stored them in a warm place after bottling for 4 days or so, then they ought to be carbonated no matter where you put them afterwards.

The gas may be absorbed into the beer at colder temperatures, but it is still in the bottle. Have you tried allowing one to warm up before you open it?

[molehill]

Ok, I see the logic in your comment. When I came to this conclusion yesterday afternoon, I immediatly stored my bottles in my boiler room, which remains between 15c - 20c but I haven't tested one yet... I plan to do this on Saturday, which is planned to be a brew day and I am still undecided what to brew yet?

Thanks for the response and I will let you know what Saturday brings in terms of a flat beer or otherwise.

Do others agree with Brotherton lad.... always nice to hear different views?

Thanks in anticipation

[orlando]

I question 4 days conditioning in the warm is enough. I tend to warm condition my beers in my kitchen during the winter as this is the warmest room for the longest time. But, it still isn't consistently at the same temperature for 24 hours a day. The fluctuation in temperature means there are times when it is warm enough for the yeast (which are a very small population at this point), Consequently I leave bottles/kegs in there for a minimum of 2, preferably 3 weeks to ensure they carbonate properly. Time and temperature are the problem.

[molehill]

Thanks for the reply Orlando. I guest I thought that if I stored the bottles in my beer fridge at 20c for 7 days, this would be sufficient for the bottles to carbonate. What I didn't realise is that storing them in too low a temperature afterwards would affect this.

[orlando]

Thanks for the reply Orlando. I guest I thought that if I stored the bottles in my beer fridge at 20c for 7 days, this would be sufficient for the bottles to carbonate. What I didn't realise is that storing them in too low a temperature afterwards would affect this.

Well this ordinarily should give you a good start and assuming the sugar is standard table sugar at the right amount you could get away with it, but I would still look to 2 weeks as the minimum for peace of mind. There is a You Tube video I watched some time back where a guy (USA) showed how carbonation "grew" form one week to the next. Take a look at it, bearing in mind that they tend to go for really high carbonation so it does at first look like a week is enough but his comments are really instructive.

[molehill]

Things are looking up..... Opened a bottle yesterday and there had been some carbonation taking place. Definately won't be throwing it out now!