I'm posting this for any newbies who may find themselves in the same situation I did. Back in June I bottled a basic "lager" style beer (though it wasn't really a lager) made from an LBS ingredients kit. After three weeks I tried a bottle and it tasted OK, but was flat. I tried another bottle after another few weeks, and then again the next month, and it was still flat. Not completely flat, but way, way undercarbed. I had used those carbing tabs and I guess I should have added one or two more tabs. I figured I would just dump it down the drain at some point when I needed the bottles.
Fast forward to December, the day before my big annual Christmas party. The beer had been in the bottle for six months. I decided to try one...and it was perfect! It was a long and slow process, but finally worked. I put out almost a case (I make half recipes) for the party, and it was a big hit. One of my guests asked where the homebrews were, and I said they were sitting out on the back steps. He said, "They don't need to be on the back steps, they need to be in ma' belly!"
Lesson: if your beer isn't right, you might as well set it aside and see what happens if you forget about it for a while.
Merry Christmas everybody!
Fast forward to December, the day before my big annual Christmas party. The beer had been in the bottle for six months. I decided to try one...and it was perfect! It was a long and slow process, but finally worked. I put out almost a case (I make half recipes) for the party, and it was a big hit. One of my guests asked where the homebrews were, and I said they were sitting out on the back steps. He said, "They don't need to be on the back steps, they need to be in ma' belly!"
Lesson: if your beer isn't right, you might as well set it aside and see what happens if you forget about it for a while.
Merry Christmas everybody!