A mates flat beer - what do you think of my response?.... is it accurate??

[Guest]

Well I finally convince a friend to get into home brewing. He went out and purchased himself a DIY kit and bottled his first batch about 16 days ago. He opened 5 bottles on Saturday to find them all dead flat. What he did and the conditions to brew this batch was:

 

Used the Lager kit + BE1 that came with the DIY and followed the directions and pitched yeast at ~26C.

Fermentation started but the Temps dropped to ~16C for about 2 days so he bought a heat belt, put it on a timer and maintained temps at ~20C.

Hit FG about 1 week later and turned off the heat belt then left it in the FV for about another 4 days before bottling. The temps would have dropped to about ~14C-~16C during this time.

He then bottled the batch in PET bottles with 2 carb drops in each. Left the bottles to condition for 14 days before he tried them last Saturday. However, they were left at around ~12C-~16C and were dead flat so he threw them out [pinched] [crying]

 

My analysis is:

The yeast had gone to sleep during the last few days in primary and were bottled in that state. As the temp in the bottles never hit ~18C then the yeast was never in an active state to produce the Co2 for the bottles.

 

My solution:

Give the bottles a light shake to suspend the yeast/sediment and place them in a cupboard with a heat source to warm the cupboard up to above ~18C. I suspect the bottles to be right in 1-2 more weeks.

 

 

 

[PB2]

Sounds about right Bill. I would tell him to give them a shake a few times during the first 7 days of warmer temp'.

 

Did he give the PETs the "squeeze test" before placing them in the fridge?

[Guest]

Yes he gave them a bit of a squeeze and yes, the bottles were not hard.

 

Thanks for the confirmation Paul.

Cheers

[Muddy Waters]

When the temp drops I tend to keep my bottles in the living area (kitchen cupboards, living room etc) without any extra heating - Being living areas they are generally at a temp suitable for carbonation (and living [biggrin] ).

[Guest]

He works during the day though and nobody else is at home to bother keeping the house warm during the day. Then I assume he warms the house up for a few hours before going to bed when the temps will drop again. Tassie temps are pretty cool this time of year, it is only supposed to be ~11C today and was this yesterday, so he will need a heat source for sure.

[PB2]

If he has a storage hot water system (lots of houses in Tassie have them inside or under the house) he may be able to place the bottles next to or above it.

[Canadian Eh!L]

hi bill,

 

these days my brewery temps are hovering around 14-16C. the temp of the brew is slightly higher (due to kenetic energy?). at these temps i keep my three FVs huddled close together and wrapped in old sweaters and things. the FG has always been reached within the usual two weeks. once bottled the carbonation takes a little longer (two-three weeks). the quality of the brews have been just as good if not better than the normal 20C temps. it just takes a few days more.[whistling

 

the two latest brews i have sample under these temperature conditions have been top notch. they are an OS draught hopped with cascade [love] and an IPA made to the standard recipe.[cool]

[Guest]

I thought about the hot water cylinder but unforunately his are outside.

 

Thanks for the info Canadian, good to know..... I don't doubt that we can get these bottles gassed for him, it will just take a little longer than usual. [annoyed]

[LazyDave]

I believe the instructions say to invert the bottles after filling.

 

I wiggle the bottoms of mine after capping, and then invert them twice prior to storing. However I use loose sugar, so I know the sugar is going through the liquid.

 

Inverting carb drops just seems to move lumps up and down.

 

Maybe think about inverting them 1-2 days after storage, when they have actualy dissolved totally.

 

Otherwise use loose sugar, I see no sense in paying 3 times the price for drops that lay dormant, more 'convenient' they say, but it's 5 minutes work to spoon sugar into 28 bottles - no big deal.

[LeonardC2]

At those temps,it'll likely take 4 weeks or more to carbonate/mature. Maybe not leave the house so cold,We'd get pipes & things icing up if we left house temps to get down near freezing. Even 40 something is a little too cool.

[Guest]

I believe the instructions say to invert the bottles after filling.

 

I wiggle the bottoms of mine after capping, and then invert them twice prior to storing. However I use loose sugar, so I know the sugar is going through the liquid.

 

Inverting carb drops just seems to move lumps up and down.

 

Maybe think about inverting them 1-2 days after storage, when they have actualy dissolved totally.

 

Otherwise use loose sugar, I see no sense in paying 3 times the price for drops that lay dormant, more 'convenient' they say, but it's 5 minutes work to spoon sugar into 28 bottles - no big deal.

Yes, inverting bottles with sugar is recommended. However, when using carb drops it is not required.

Personally I prefer carb drops simply because they are really not that expensive and are easier to use.

 

At those temps' date='it'll likely take 4 weeks or more to carbonate/mature. Maybe not leave the house so cold,We'd get pipes & things icing up if we left house temps to get down near freezing. Even 40 something is a little too cool.[/quote']

~16C isn't really that cold, it is around 60F.

[Canadian Eh!L]

leonard,

 

you really should join the rest of the world with the whole "metric thing". [bandit]

[LazyDave]

Yes, inverting bottles with sugar is recommended. However, when using carb drops it is not required.

Personally I prefer carb drops simply because they are really not that expensive and are easier to use.

 

I didn't realise carb drops didn't need inverting, never use them, don't really trust them.

 

I did do a proper calculation, and carb drops are 12 times more expensive than sugar - over $12 a kilo makes them as expensive as malt, and I have to consider the cost of malt when I build a recipe - I'd rather have malt and loose sugar, than carb drops and no malt.

 

[LeonardC2]

That's what I get for having my mind at the bottom of a bottle of my ales,& passion fruit vodka. The smoker I drink,the player I get. But,as I said,at cool temps it could take an extra week or two to age/carbonate properly. At least I got that part right. [crying]

[Guest]

Yes, inverting bottles with sugar is recommended. However, when using carb drops it is not required.

Personally I prefer carb drops simply because they are really not that expensive and are easier to use.

 

I didn't realise carb drops didn't need inverting, never use them, don't really trust them.

 

I did do a proper calculation, and carb drops are 12 times more expensive than sugar - over $12 a kilo makes them as expensive as malt, and I have to consider the cost of malt when I build a recipe - I'd rather have malt and loose sugar, than carb drops and no malt.

I still maintain that carb drops are more convenient and are cheap. However, in comparison to sugar, they are more convenient but maybe not as cheap as sugar.

 

[LazyDave]

Wow you sound like a perfect customer, I have a can of baked beans, yours for $10, or maybe you would prefer a nice pint of milk for $15? [lol]

 

[Guest]

No need to be sarcastic. Carb drops are cheap when you look at the scheme of things.

 

At only $2.99 it works out roughly .05c a bottle. I wouldn't even bend down to pick up 5c!!... and for the time it takes to measure sugar and get it in the bottle, well that is a good price.

 

You obviously haven't read my post correctly so I suggest you read it again...

 

in comparison to sugar, they are more convenient but maybe not as cheap as sugar.

 

5c may not be cheap for you but I am talking on a personal basis as I indicated here.

 

Personally I prefer carb drops simply because they are really not that expensive and are easier to use.

 

[Muddy Waters]

Generally I use carb drops or bulk prime with dextrose. The price difference between carb drops and sugar is minimal and personally my time is worth more than what I'd waste individually dosing each bottle with sugar.

 

Not sure how you can't trust carb drops Dave? I can understand not wanting to use them but I reckon they'd be more trustworthy than the mighty spoon [lol]