Recently we made our first beer ( 30 ltr) from extract. We left it for the maturing in the cellar and what bothers me is that after two weeks there is very little of Co2 in the beer. The taste of the beer is very good, the hydrometer shows 5 and everything is about to be perfect except the Co2. I have drank homebrew before and i remember that it was a lot of foam then we took it from the barrel, and i worry why my beer is filled so little with Co2. Maybe it should stay longer ? or maybe i did smth wrong ? if did, how can i solve it ?
Thanks for your answers.
Is it OK ?
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Russ
Hi Berkis
some questions to throw back to you
Have you got any pressure at all? did you prime it, if so how much sugar did you put in ? did you leave it somewhere warm before it went into the cellar?
Could you have a leak from the keg (is the lid done up FT?)
Have you got a source of CO2 to force carb it
some questions to throw back to you
Have you got any pressure at all? did you prime it, if so how much sugar did you put in ? did you leave it somewhere warm before it went into the cellar?
Could you have a leak from the keg (is the lid done up FT?)
Have you got a source of CO2 to force carb it
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Berkis
1. Yes i have pressure, beer comes out with a pressure but when you drink it seems that its like a beer which was left in a cup for a day 
, very little Co2.
2. When i put young beer into a keg I put 10g to 10ltr of beer, 30ltr 30g of sugar.
3. Yes i left it for 12 hours in a room temperature, then it went to the cellar. What i want to mention in a cellar there is no perfect temperature, it stays about 15 c in the summer.
4. There is no leak in the keg, ive tested before putting beer there.
5. I don't have a source to carbonate it, and i dont even know how to do it, my keg is "homemade" inox keg, and i don't have a clue how to carbonate it.
Maybe i should open the keg and put more sugar in it ? or do it when bottling ?
Thank You
, very little Co2.2. When i put young beer into a keg I put 10g to 10ltr of beer, 30ltr 30g of sugar.
3. Yes i left it for 12 hours in a room temperature, then it went to the cellar. What i want to mention in a cellar there is no perfect temperature, it stays about 15 c in the summer.
4. There is no leak in the keg, ive tested before putting beer there.
5. I don't have a source to carbonate it, and i dont even know how to do it, my keg is "homemade" inox keg, and i don't have a clue how to carbonate it.
Maybe i should open the keg and put more sugar in it ? or do it when bottling ?
Thank You
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Russ
Hi Berkis
Think you've not added enough sugar mate. When I used to prime I added 60-80g per 5 gallons. I'd also say 12 hours in the warm was a bit mean, 3-4 days would have been more respectable.....
I don't prime anymore. I leave the brew in the Primary fermentor for around 10 days then keg (by then its usually clear) I use King kegs or Cornies and force carb with a large C02 gylinder and a pressure regulator.
So you have a few options:
1.Either drink it flat (and remember its an ale so it shouldn't be fizzy! )
2. Try to reprime, I think this would be OK. I'd take out a cup of ale, boil it for 3 mins with 30-40g sugar and put it back in the keg. Then put the keg somewhere at around 20oc for 5 days before lugging it back down the cellar.
3. force carb it- but sounds like you have no way to get the gas in?
I don't know what a inox keg is as I type but I will google in a moment........ but can you drill it and put an S30 valve in and then get something like a widget world gas system for the future if you see this is the way forward. If your using a homemade keg I'm concerned you may not have a pressure release valve for saftey.....Adding an S30 would address this. If you havn't got a pressure release valve then IMO don't re prime drink it flat, I'd hate it to go bang
I'm a bit confused as to your mention of botteling from the keg- were you intending to do this before you had the problem? It's not usual practise.
Hope this helps
Think you've not added enough sugar mate. When I used to prime I added 60-80g per 5 gallons. I'd also say 12 hours in the warm was a bit mean, 3-4 days would have been more respectable.....
I don't prime anymore. I leave the brew in the Primary fermentor for around 10 days then keg (by then its usually clear) I use King kegs or Cornies and force carb with a large C02 gylinder and a pressure regulator.
So you have a few options:
1.Either drink it flat (and remember its an ale so it shouldn't be fizzy!
)2. Try to reprime, I think this would be OK. I'd take out a cup of ale, boil it for 3 mins with 30-40g sugar and put it back in the keg. Then put the keg somewhere at around 20oc for 5 days before lugging it back down the cellar.
3. force carb it- but sounds like you have no way to get the gas in?
I don't know what a inox keg is as I type but I will google in a moment........ but can you drill it and put an S30 valve in and then get something like a widget world gas system for the future if you see this is the way forward. If your using a homemade keg I'm concerned you may not have a pressure release valve for saftey.....Adding an S30 would address this. If you havn't got a pressure release valve then IMO don't re prime drink it flat, I'd hate it to go bang
I'm a bit confused as to your mention of botteling from the keg- were you intending to do this before you had the problem? It's not usual practise.
Hope this helps
Last edited by Russ on Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Berkis
I melted +90g of sugar in a boiled "green beer" and when it got cold I opened a keg and poured all mix into it, i took out a keg out of the cellar. It stayed in the room from Saturday, today we tried it , it got worse, it became stronger, from 5 to about 7 but it became some sort of muddy and the amount of CO2 was the same as it was before putting more sugar.
Now i don't know what to do, should i:
1. Drink it as it is (taste is not very good
2. throw it in WC
3 What i can do more ?
What could be the mistake that beer become like that ? what we did differently from receipe is that,
1. when we put yeast, the foaming ended in 12 hours but we could only pour everything into the keg after 12 more hours after the foaming ended.
2. We left the beer in a room temperature for a ~12 hours in about 23 degrees and then it got to the cellar where temperature is about 15c.
Thanks for your answers
, it got worse, it became stronger, from 5 to about 7 but it became some sort of muddy and the amount of CO2 was the same as it was before putting more sugar.Now i don't know what to do, should i:
1. Drink it as it is (taste is not very good
2. throw it in WC
3 What i can do more ?
What could be the mistake that beer become like that ? what we did differently from receipe is that,
1. when we put yeast, the foaming ended in 12 hours but we could only pour everything into the keg after 12 more hours after the foaming ended.
2. We left the beer in a room temperature for a ~12 hours in about 23 degrees and then it got to the cellar where temperature is about 15c.
Thanks for your answers
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macleanb
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Russ
like macleanb says 
Just going back to what you said before:
How did you test the keg was gas tight ? It only needs a tiny leak for you to loose your gas.
To check mine I pressurise the keg (I use my C02 supply) Then I imerse the lid, then tap in a large glass bowl to check for bubbles.
I still think your loosing your C02. BTW I'd expect the beer to go cloudy (or as you put it muddy) as you've re primed and moved it (disturbed the sediment/yeast in the keg) It should pressurise (4-5 days in warm) and then clear again when you put it back in the cellar (in 10 days or so) You could try removing the lid and a smear of Vasaline round the keg o- ring, then retighten and leave it for a few more days.
Otherwise your onto option 1 or 2 your choice
Just going back to what you said before:
How did you test the keg was gas tight ? It only needs a tiny leak for you to loose your gas.
To check mine I pressurise the keg (I use my C02 supply) Then I imerse the lid, then tap in a large glass bowl to check for bubbles.
I still think your loosing your C02. BTW I'd expect the beer to go cloudy (or as you put it muddy) as you've re primed and moved it (disturbed the sediment/yeast in the keg) It should pressurise (4-5 days in warm) and then clear again when you put it back in the cellar (in 10 days or so) You could try removing the lid and a smear of Vasaline round the keg o- ring, then retighten and leave it for a few more days.
Otherwise your onto option 1 or 2 your choice
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Berkis
macleanb,macleanb wrote:Your primary fermentation was 1 day and your hydrometer read 1005
We did our beer for the first time. So don't be so much shoked to our brewing techniques, we have found receipe it on the page of supplier that we bought malt extract, yeast and hops. If you are shocked please explain what we did wrong, since we don't have any people to ask for help except Jims forum. Our country brewers are silent like death...
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Berkis
Ill try to post our receipe in english (quantities are not mentioned here):
1. Put malt extract to water of 70-75c
2. Stir it until the boiling point
3. put part of hops (80 percent)
4. boil it for 1 hour
5. put 20percent of hops and boil for 15 min.
6. cool it down to ~20c
7. filter it
8. put yeast
9. leaave it for 1-3 days until first fermenting is finished
10. coool down until 12-15 c
11. filter it
12 . put sugar 10g to 10l of sugar and pour it into a keg
13. leave it for 12h
14. put into a cellar for 2-4 weeks
1. Put malt extract to water of 70-75c
2. Stir it until the boiling point
3. put part of hops (80 percent)
4. boil it for 1 hour
5. put 20percent of hops and boil for 15 min.
6. cool it down to ~20c
7. filter it
8. put yeast
9. leaave it for 1-3 days until first fermenting is finished
10. coool down until 12-15 c
11. filter it
12 . put sugar 10g to 10l of sugar and pour it into a keg
13. leave it for 12h
14. put into a cellar for 2-4 weeks
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macleanb
Sorry 
As Russ says, you have stirred up the sediment by moving it. And this will taste bad. It will settle again as per Russ's message above.
I would agree that most likely your keg isnt holding pressure.
I notice you filtered your beer - I am suprised that you have sediment after doing this (and its quite unusual for home brewers to do this) For a moment I thought this might be your issue (not enough yeast for seconday) but if you have sediment then thats definately enough (I think)
Where you from/living?
As Russ says, you have stirred up the sediment by moving it. And this will taste bad. It will settle again as per Russ's message above.
I would agree that most likely your keg isnt holding pressure.
I notice you filtered your beer - I am suprised that you have sediment after doing this (and its quite unusual for home brewers to do this) For a moment I thought this might be your issue (not enough yeast for seconday) but if you have sediment then thats definately enough (I think)
Where you from/living?
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Berkis
I am from the Lithuania. Homebrewers market is very little here, as far as i know only one supplier.
I had to filter it, but it's not real filtering. I did a crazy thing
, i did not use a bag for the hops and put it directly to the kettle, so you have to imagine how it looked like after i cooled it down, more like soup not like beer 
.
I had to filter it, but it's not real filtering. I did a crazy thing
, i did not use a bag for the hops and put it directly to the kettle, so you have to imagine how it looked like after i cooled it down, more like soup not like beer .