Flat beer. Yeah, nah.

[Malter White]

So I was quite proud of myself after making my first brew with a hop addition, (Coopers APA with EKG hops) that I decided to share a couple with my best mate last night.
I'll usually only give him beers that I think have turned out well and in return he gives me his honest feedback. His palate is more refined than mine so I appreciate his thoughts regardless if they are positive or negative.
I use PET long necks and 2 carbonation drops in each for secondary fermenting and I think that's ideal for my taste.
Last night as he was sipping away on my latest brew he said, "You know what I find with your beers? To me they're always a little bit flat."
I said, "Really? I know they're not bubbly like keg beer but I've never considered them flat."
Then he says, "Yeah." And then lets out an almighty,  "Buuurrrrrrrrrp!"
Me, laughing my bloody head off: "Must be that flat beer making you burp like that"

 

Edited August 25, 2019 by MUZZY

[BlackSands]

I get similar comments from one particular taster too.  Calls it 'dead' beer.  He likes the ultra-fizzy megaswill type beers so I guess in comparison mine are less lively. 

[Lab Cat]

I found home brew less fizzy, but now I'm used to it. When I drink out I notice many beers are more highly carbonated, at least to begin with. A lot of them flatten out a lot in the glass.

[BlackSands]

47 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

I found home brew less fizzy, but now I'm used to it. When I drink out I notice many beers are more highly carbonated, at least to begin with. A lot of them flatten out a lot in the glass.

Compared to the cask ales I was drinking in the UK recently ALL my homebrew is super-carbonated!   I didn't observe a single CO² bubble in any of those English beers.

Edited August 25, 2019 by BlackSands

[Lab Cat]

They'll have tasted good tho.

[Marty_G]

if you use Headmaster glasses no-one will ever complain about flat beer ... 

[Malter White]

1 hour ago, Lab Rat said:

I found home brew less fizzy, but now I'm used to it. When I drink out I notice many beers are more highly carbonated, at least to begin with. A lot of them flatten out a lot in the glass.

Yep. I'm now also quite accustomed to the levels of carbonation in home brew. I honestly think you can taste the beer better because there's no bubbles to distract you from the flavour.

[Otto Von Blotto]

It's lower than megaswill crap, but I have had numerous craft beers that have had a similar carbonation level to my own beers, some lower. There have been a couple that have been overcarbed and formed a huge head when poured into a glass and left to sit for a few minutes. They don't taste as good when overcarbed but I don't like them under either because they wind up too sweet without the bite from the carbonation to offset it 

[Malter White]

Next brew I'm going to increase the priming sugar on a few bottles and see how they turn out but for most I'll stick to 2 carb drops per long neck because I think the carbonation is fine at that rate.

[Otto Von Blotto]

It was fine when I used them too, or the equivalent 1 in a stubby. I didn't find them flat at all.