first beer, still flat after two weeks in the bottle.

corn · 02-04-2012, 04:33 PM

My first beer, red ale extract kit from brewers best, has been in the bottle for two weeks. I opened one today to try it. The appearence in the bottle was red and clear with a thin layer of yeast on the bottom. After refridgerating I did notice some chill haze. When I popped the top and poured I noticed no visible signs of carbination. the tasting also showed no signs of any carbing. The taste was also not pleasant. Mouthfeel was that of cold water, other than the after taste of alchohol. I am hoping that it just needs more time....

**chumpsteak** · 02-04-2012, 04:47 PM

Did you forget to add corn sugar to the bottling bucket?

corn · 02-04-2012, 04:58 PM

nope, I dissolved 5oz of priming sugar into two cups of water, added that to the bottling bucket then transfered the beer on top of it.

**Sippin37** · 02-04-2012, 05:47 PM

Give it more time, 3 week minimum and probably not at it's best until 6 weeks or so. Patience. Go get some craft beers to hold you over, thats what I do when my pipeline is low.

corn · 02-04-2012, 05:54 PM

ok, I was thinking/hoping that time was all I needed. just wasnt sure if this was normal or if something was likely wrong.

**Sippin37** · 02-04-2012, 06:02 PM

Also, the temp they are sitting at will affect how long they take to carb. Mine are usually at about 65-68 and I dont touch the first until 3 weeks. It's still a little green at that point. Mine are usually at their best 2 months in the bottle. You will see that word patience a lot with this hobby. It truly does payoff though. Cheers!

**unionrdr** · 02-04-2012, 06:06 PM

I've found that my mid gravity ales aren't at their best till 4-5 weeks in the bottle around 70F. Then 1-2 weeks fridge time. At 2 weeks chill,the head is thicker & the carbonation lasts longer.