Flat Beer

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foogan

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I'm still new to homebrewing, I made 2 batches of Cooper's India Pale Ale, both in carboys from start to finish.

I bottled into 341ml brown bottles, here's a photo of the bottles used:

( http://www.mylifeisbeer.com/beer/bottles/autopics/227.jpg )

I used a table-top beer capper, and primed the bottles individually with 1/2 tsp of dextrose.

It's been one week, and the 2 bottles I tried are flat. A slight "tss" sound as I twisted the cap, with no head, and very few little bubbles floating to the top.

I've heard of some cappers not giving a good seal, but not the tabletop type, the other type.

I know it would have been less tedious to bulk prime (which I'll definitely do next time,) but individual priming is just as effective isn't it? And 1/2 tsp would be the right amount for 341 ml right?

And the caps are brand new, haven't been sitting in any basements or anything.

So my 2 questions are:

1. What's to blame for it being flat?

but more importantly:

2. What can/do I do now with my 120+ bottles of flat beer. Is re-priming an option? Is it salvageable? or will I be drinking flat beer for the next few months, and not offering it to guests? :D
 
Welcome, and congrats on your first batch!

The simple answer is this: Wait!

One of the most difficult things in homebrewing is having enough patience. It should take at least 2 weeks for your beer to carbonate, and most folks wait for 3 weeks if they can help it. Also, is your beer chilled? If so, take it out of the fridge, and let it carbonate at room temperature.
 
Shouldn't it be carbonated after a week? That's what my instructions said...
 
It sounds like it is carbonated, to a degree, or else you wouldn't have heard the tsk sound. Like Yuri said though, patience is key to homebrewing. Leaving it alone for two or three weeks allows it to age and carbonate properly.


RDWHAHB (Relax don't worry, Have a home brew). :mug:
 
foogan said:
Shouldn't it be carbonated after a week? That's what my instructions said...
It should be mildly carbonated after a week if the yeast was in good shape at bottling time, the sugar dissolved immediately and completely, and the bottles were kept at 68-72 degrees. Sometimes it happens faster, sometimes slower. Your beer shouldn't really be ready to drink for at least another week (and if it lasts long enough, try one after a couple of months...you won't believe the difference!). Try and wait it out before panicking.

There's a saying around here so common it has its own acronym:
Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew! (RDWHAHB!)
 
Yuri, sorry, I just saw the rest of your response now. I didn't see anything past where you said "Wait"

No it's not refrigerated. It's in the same room it brewed in, in the corner out of the sunlight. It averages about 22 celsius in here. As low as 19, as high as 25.

Okay.. so I guess my instructions from my brew store are a little optimistic.

Haha, RDWHAHB..

I'll check another in a week's time, and in 2 weeks time, etc.. and see how it goes.. I'll post an update.

Thanks everyone!
 
foogan said:
I'll check another in a week's time, and in 2 weeks time, etc.. and see how it goes.. I'll post an update.

Thanks everyone!

In reality, I think most of us actually do exactly what you describe...you just can't be disappointed in the results until well after a month in the bottle.

No worries man!
 
Instructions lie. It's like cooking, things never happen as fast as the instructions say.

By the same token, each bottle is a learning experience. Knowing how beer ages is useful.
 
Yuri's right on, that exact thing happens to almost every new homebrewer.

Then what really sucks is about three months from now when you drink those last couple of bottles you had set aside and realize what a d@mn good beer you would have had if you had just waited. That's a harder lesson to learn
 
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