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Old 06-16-2011, 01:21 PM   #11
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1) It tastes watery because it's not carbed.

The co2 of carbonation goes a long way to lifting flavors and aromas to our tongue and nose. It appears thin and watery because the co2 isn't there to give it the appearance of more body.

You ever pull a soda at a fast food joint that the gas wasn't working? It tastes watery too. The mix is exactly the same whether it's flat or not, but that carbonation is what gives it a fuller mouth feel.

2) It's not carbed because it's only been a week AND you're storing your beer too cold for the yeast to carb your beer.

The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer.

Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.

And just because a beer is carbed doesn't mean it still doesn't taste like a$$ and need more time for the off flavors to condition out. You have green beer.

Temp and gravity are the two factors that contribute to the time it takes to carb beer. But if a beer's not ready yet, or seems low carbed, and you added the right amount of sugar to it, then it's not stalled, it's just not time yet.

Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found here Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience."

3) Going by your airlock and when it starts or stops is a disaster waiting to happen. You really need to use a hydrometer to determine when a beer is finished fermenting. Taking 2 consecutive hydrometer readings over a 3 day period is the ONLY accurate way to tell if a beer is done fermenting.

And a week is even too soon to check. This is not making coolaid, time is your friend. The yeast are the only ones to tell you when they are finished with the job, and they have their own agenda. They can't read recipes and don't know a calendar for ****. So you have to wait and let them tell you when they are finished.

Many of us leave our beers alone for a month in primary, skipping secondary. But if you do choose to secondary, wait til you determine that fermentation is complete.

I suggest that folks don't even take their first of the 2 hydrometer readings til the 12th day, then again at 14 and if the gravity is the same you can rack to secondary.

I really suggest that folks whether or not they secondary or opt for a long primary, that they don't bother for one month. It gives plenty of time to ensure that fermentation is complete, that they yeast have an opportunity to go back after they are done fermenting and clean up after themselves all the byproducts they created during fermentation that leads to off flavors, and that their beer has a chance to clear.

Then you again have to wait the minimum 3 weeks, if not more for carbonation and bottle conditioning to occur.

All fermentations, including the carbonation process has the potential to produce byproducts of fermentation, the yeast is tossing off waste products as it goes along eating the sugar to ferment the beer or carb it. But when left alone, the yeast will usually go back and clean up those byproducts. That's why we talk about prolonging yeast contact and bottle conditioning.

The yeast are fastidious creatures and like to clean up any messes.

I would just pull the beers you have out of the cool place they are in, give them a shake, and leave them for a few more weeks, just to see if the yeast will make them better. I've found beers that were 6 months or more in the back of closets, that were pretty mediocre initially or downright crappy, that have been vastly better, with some extra time.

Your beer will be fine...and your future beers will be better, if you wait things out....



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Old 06-16-2011, 03:01 PM   #12
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Thanks brewtalk people!! So the name of the game is Patience Patience Patience!! That I learned quickly lol. As for the hydrometer it's a triple scale hydrometer -Wine/beer- most of the ones I saw on google pics seem to be a simple reading scale but, I did figure how to read it and when to use it!! yaaaa I guess if the beer taste like crap I'll have to chalk this one up as (dumb ass) beginner luck. haha Hopfuly in the future I can help other people out in the world of home brewing like you all did 4 me!! Thanks Jamie


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Old 06-16-2011, 06:19 PM   #13
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OK well your beer is not done fermenting. So you need to think how to get your beer to finish fermenting. And if you added the sugar and it wasn’t done fermenting you might have some bottle bombs. I had a problem were I over sugared the beer before bottling and I left them in the bottles and vented the lid to let the co2 escape then re sugared using drops and recapped with new tops. I would probably suggest doing the same since you don’t want to pour it back into a carboy or fermenter since it will oxidize. I left them alone for one month in the vented bottles before I re primed and they turned out really good. this is the link to my post. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/double-sugar-before-bottling-i-hope-its-ok-now-246400/

And here’s a great video on proper carbonation…. You might have seen it on here before. Its AMAZING!


And don’t take this the wrong way but you will save yourself a ton of headaches if you go to your local brew shop and ask them questions on how to read the OG and FG of your beer. Also this website is a great place for information as well. And don’t freak out about thinking about messing up your beer. That one thing I learned. Every batch you brew you will probably learn something new! Best of luck and hope it turns out well! Also remember relax…. Have a beer!

*** Hope the links show up***
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Old 06-16-2011, 06:23 PM   #14
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OHHHH and listen to revvy…. Hes the Jedi Master of home brews… hence the avatar!
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Old 06-16-2011, 07:34 PM   #15
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Hey Jamie,that hydrometer of yours is sounding like the glass ones cooper's used to give with their micro brew system (they called it a "kit",but that's confusing). Triple scale,color coded,etc. But you still read specific gravity from the side with the big number scale. 1.000 being water,then 10,20,30,40,etc on the big lines. Small lines between them are 2,4,6,8. So one line below the "20" would be 1.018.
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Old 06-18-2011, 06:10 PM   #16
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I have been brewing off and on for a few years, I leave my wort in primarry for around 7 days then rack it to secondary and let it sit for another seven days, then priming sugar and bottles they sit for about a month,,but after a week or so I got to try it and see how it tastes,,

beers to you
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Old 06-22-2011, 02:46 PM   #17
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Well it's been a little over three weeks in the bottle and still no carbonation or head? I cooled one down in the frig for a few hrs and poped the top! I did get a little hiss when I opened it but, still no carbonation.
People are telling me to watch out for bottle bombs but, I'm not even close to that (yet?) It did taste better this time..I would drink them just how they are for sure! Do you all think I should open them and add some sugar ? Thanks for the help again... Jamie
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Old 06-22-2011, 03:39 PM   #18
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You don't need to add more sugar, if you added the right amount you don't want to consider adding more. The problem isn't the sugar, it evidently is the yeast.


Honestly if you're getting a pfft, which you weren't before that means your getting closer. I personally still wouldn't do anything. But if you did want to try something you could carefully sprinkle a few grains of dry yeast in each bottle and re-cap. Then give them a good swirl and wait a couple more weeks.

But don't ever think throwing more sugar into the bottles is an answer, that's how you get bottle bombs. A set amount of sugar produce a set amount of gas, if the yeast eats it. If you add more sugar, if they were to start munching (which what makes you think if they didn't munch your sugar then, that they would with new sugar?) then they'd eat all the sugar including the old sugar and produce more gas which could be more than the bottle can handle.

I still would make sure they are in a warm place and check back in a couple more weeks. I've had beers that needed 6-8 weeks to carb up. And I've never had to add more yeast or anything.
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Old 06-23-2011, 03:28 AM   #19
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hey thanks!! I'll let them sit for a few more weeks and give them a try! I was hopeing not to buy and more beer from the store for a wile but, I'm learning about time time and more time! lol I have a question for you? Would you say pop tops are better than swing tops? I was going to get a few to try them out and I was j/w what you thought about it? thanks again Jamie
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You don't need to add more sugar, if you added the right amount you don't want to consider adding more. The problem isn't the sugar, it evidently is the yeast.


Honestly if you're getting a pfft, which you weren't before that means your getting closer. I personally still wouldn't do anything. But if you did want to try something you could carefully sprinkle a few grains of dry yeast in each bottle and re-cap. Then give them a good swirl and wait a couple more weeks.

But don't ever think throwing more sugar into the bottles is an answer, that's how you get bottle bombs. A set amount of sugar produce a set amount of gas, if the yeast eats it. If you add more sugar, if they were to start munching (which what makes you think if they didn't munch your sugar then, that they would with new sugar?) then they'd eat all the sugar including the old sugar and produce more gas which could be more than the bottle can handle.

I still would make sure they are in a warm place and check back in a couple more weeks. I've had beers that needed 6-8 weeks to carb up. And I've never had to add more yeast or anything.
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Old 06-23-2011, 10:55 AM   #20
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Swing tops are cool, I know several hb-ers that use them exclusively, and the rest of us try to snatch as many as we can. But they have some issues. They gasket will wear out eventually and you won't really know when. So that's a bit of a risk, a bad gasket= zero carbonation. Some folks just replace all their gaskets every couple of years.


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