SCHARLS SELECTION EUROPEAN LAGER HELP!!

[stapes]

I have just made/brewed a SCHARLS SELECTION EUROPEAN LAGER Kit. Now I used a MUNTONS BEER KIT ENHANCER 1KG in place of brewing sugar. The Fermentation time with about 10 or 12 days at a temp of around 20 (I know but it was during the only hot period of this summer). The first reading was 1.043 and the final 1.011 which makes it about 4.2%. I remember checking the brew after 24 hours and unlike a real ale there was very little foam head on the beer (but I was told that Lager ferments from the bottom) so had no worries. Bottled the lager with about 6-7g sugar in each bottle and went away for a week or two. Came back and had a cheeky taste. Good its awful, tastes a bit funny is very flat in the glass no bubble what so ever (but when I pour it lots of head but it dies very very quickly) It is un-drinkable, I think I followed the instruction to the letter.
Now the one area where I think I made a mistake!!
I added the wort and water and mixed, then I added the beer enhancer in to this mixture (I did not mix it with water first!!) it was very lumpy so I used my wife’s whisks to get all the lumps out, took hell of a long time!! Then I added the rest of the water.
I don’t think I can recover this, but can anyone help me out and point out where I went wrong for the next time?
Ho I made sure everything was sterilized. Thanks mark

[Manx Guy]

Hi,

I think that your issue with mixing in the BKE (beer Kit Enhancer) is unlikely to be the cause of the poor taste and head retention.

It is likely to be the warm temprature fermentation ( if using a genuine lager yeast) and a fairly short condidtioning time...
Assuming your sanitation was up to scratch I dontthink its likely to be an infection... but to rule this out please describe the taste

My experience of brewing Lager kits with genuine lager yeast tells me that they need a long conditioning time of at least 6-8 weeks with 10-12 weeks being ideal

It may well improve with conditioning so dont tip it away.... be ptience and get another brew on...


Hope this helps...

Guy

[stapes]

Guy

Thanks mate, I think it taste a bit Vinegary, when was Fermenting that was the thing that came in to my head (smell). Its sooooo flat!! This was only my second kit and my first Lager kit so I have no idea. I will leave it another 10 weeks and give it a taste.

I have a COOPERS EUROPEAN LAGER 1.7KG and a WOODFORDES GREAT EASTERN GOLDEN ALE 3KG (40PT) waiting to be made but this has knocked me a bit. What do you recommend i brew first?

[stapes]

Sorry Yes it was genuine lager yeast!!

[Manx Guy]

Hmm... If it tastes vinegary thats not good... Is it really sour? Could be an acetobacter infection (?) did you notice any 'stringy bits in there or a film on the surface?

It doesnt sound like a wild yeast infection as these usuallyhave off tastes butbecome overcarbonated in the bottle.

If I were you I would save the Coopers Euo lager until november when the tempratures a cooler and try to find a suitable place that stays at 10-15C consistantly - it will take about 10-14 days for the lager kit to ferment out before bottling.

Make sure you clean your FV and other equipment very thoroughly and rinse well before starting your next kit. I would make of a solution of your normal sanitiser/cleaner and leave it to soak (with your paddle etc inside) for a few days prior to attempting another brew. then drain and clean again as you normally would.

Dont be too dishartened the beer may be fine and the taste maybe just young flat beer...

[stapes]

The taste is not very sour it very hard to explain it, I am not sure on the film on the surface!! but there was no stringy bits as far as i can remember! there were little lump but i put that down to BKE bit? The beer in the bottle is a really golden color and very clear. pours well and dies.

[stapes]

Manx Guy

You where right it was just a very young beer, tasted a bottle last night and its not too bad, still a bit flat for my liking but i think i didn't put enough sugar in the bottles when i bottled it. Beer taste fine now. Not sure if i would make this again, it not my taste in larger but as i said lacks a bit if life. Will leave it a few more weeks and then drink it. Is there away to get a bit more fizz in this larger even tho it is already bottled?

Got a Coopers larger kit to make next and have just bottled a WOODFORDES GREAT EASTERN GOLDEN ALE, which is looking really good.

Thank for you help

[Providence]

I haven't made the Scharls but I regularly make Coopers Pilsner and when it was available, Coopers Bavarian.

In both cases it was necessary to watch the gravity during fermentation and to bottle it whilst there are still a few bubbles coming up. The lager yeast ferments at very low temperatures and in a normal English house where the temperature is nearly always 20 degrees-ish it will ferment out quickly. The lack of vigour compared to the English ales makes it look like nothing much is happening but that is not the case.

In my experience it is always better to catch it just before it ferments right out or a flat beer will be the result. If I can see a few bubbles coming up, I prime at about 1/3 TSP sugar per 500ml bottle and it is always OK.

I have seen posts on here that say 'there are always yeasties'. In my experience that is not true when using lager yeast in our climate. If left it will ferment out to total flatness, which cannot be rectified in the priming.

[stapes]

Thanks Providence

I left the Scharls in the fermentation bin for about 14 days as i was not sure if it had finish (that's with a gentle stir at around the 10 days mark) because there didn't ever seem to be to much of a head on the beer when fermenting. The beer is flat once poured and not a lot of life to it, so maybe i left it to long. I am doing a Coopers Bavarian next, so any tips or help would be most helpful

Mark

[Providence]

Mark, you have a PM.