First pour on day 10 post bottling, slightly sweet, and flat

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NavyMarine1978

NavyMarine1978

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I opened up my first Irish Stout Pub Draught on the 10th day after bottling. The bottle gave bit of a hiss when popping the top but found the first pour to be a bit flat. The beer tastes right and has alcohol but seemed to have a slight sweetness about it. It tastes like bitters that I have had in the past and very much like a cask beer. Since this is my first batch and first experience with this beer, I have nothing to compare to. I was also uncertain as to the sweetness being related to the hops that I used or the bottling sugar. Can bottling sugar be tasted if not totally used up by the remaining yeasts?
 
Still young. Let it sit in the bottle for a couple more weeks at room temp to condition and carb. I'm just now drinking a stout I bottled on 1 Dec.

Cheers!
 
in two more weeks, come back and report. Leave them be until then.

Rule of thumb - at LEAST 3 weeks in the bottle for sufficient carbonation. Some even take longer.

Carbonation will take some of the sweetness out of it.
 
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.


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." ;)

If a beer isn't carbed by "x number of weeks" you just have to give them more time. If you added your sugar, then the beer will carb up eventually, it's really a foolroof process. All beers will carb up eventually. A lot of new brewers think they have to "troubleshoot" a bottling issue, when there really is none, the beer knows how to carb itself. In fact if you run beersmiths carbing calculator, some lower grav beers don't even require additional sugar to reach their minimum level of carbonation. Just time.

I've carbed hundreds of gallons of beer, and never had a beer that wasn't carbed, or under carbed or anything of the sort (Except for a batch where I accidently mixed up lactose or Maltodextrine for priming sugar). Some took awhile, (as I said up to six months) but they ALL eventually carbed.

I don't believe there are ANY carbing problems (besides the rare capper that maybe puts a bad seal on a bottle, or tired yeast in a HIGH gravity beer) that isn't simple impatience.

As I said in my bottling blog, it's really a fool proof process, you add sugar, keep the beer above 70 and wait.
 
I hope this isn't a silly question...

Do you have to maintain the above 70* temp. I just bottled my first batch last week and they are in a room which hangs around 60-65*. Will the lower temp just add conditioning time?
 
Ericbme said:
I hope this isn't a silly question...

Do you have to maintain the above 70* temp. I just bottled my first batch last week and they are in a room which hangs around 60-65*. Will the lower temp just add conditioning time?
Click to expand...

I cannot give a definitive answer but I think that if you are within the working range of the yeast they will carb up. I mean after all we let em set at a certain temp to ferment why do we think we have to raise the temp to get em to ferment in the bottle? I think however it may take longer.
 
jmprdood said:
Still young. Let it sit in the bottle for a couple more weeks at room temp to condition and carb. I'm just now drinking a stout I bottled on 1 Dec.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

So that was about 31-32 days? How was the carbination? My father makes Coopers and won't touch them until bottled for 5 weeks. He even says 4.5 is not long enough. Is this a good rule of thumb?
 
Hang Glider said:
in two more weeks, come back and report. Leave them be until then.

Rule of thumb - at LEAST 3 weeks in the bottle for sufficient carbonation. Some even take longer.

Carbonation will take some of the sweetness out of it.
Click to expand...

I will most certainly do that. I simply wanted to try one to see what state it was in and make sure they tasted like beer. I was glad that they taste good and they have alcohol, they only lack carbonation and are slightly sweet. So, near the end of this month should make a noticable difference?
 
Revvy said:
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.


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." ;)

If a beer isn't carbed by "x number of weeks" you just have to give them more time. If you added your sugar, then the beer will carb up eventually, it's really a foolroof process. All beers will carb up eventually. A lot of new brewers think they have to "troubleshoot" a bottling issue, when there really is none, the beer knows how to carb itself. In fact if you run beersmiths carbing calculator, some lower grav beers don't even require additional sugar to reach their minimum level of carbonation. Just time.

I've carbed hundreds of gallons of beer, and never had a beer that wasn't carbed, or under carbed or anything of the sort (Except for a batch where I accidently mixed up lactose or Maltodextrine for priming sugar). Some took awhile, (as I said up to six months) but they ALL eventually carbed.

I don't believe there are ANY carbing problems (besides the rare capper that maybe puts a bad seal on a bottle, or tired yeast in a HIGH gravity beer) that isn't simple impatience.

As I said in my bottling blog, it's really a fool proof process, you add sugar, keep the beer above 70 and wait.
Click to expand...

This is my first batch of home brew and wanted to taste it to see where it was at. It tastes great, like a bitter with the mouth feel of a cask beer, very smooth and slightly sweet. The beer is only at the 11 day mark today since bottling. My father brews Coopers and won't touch it for 5 weeks after bottling. He says that even 4.5 weeks isn't long enough. Is this a good rule of thumb?
 
Welcome to your new hobby...
We all understand the desire to taste - we all had our "first batch" - we're a bunch of homebrewers that have found what works (for us) and when you read a bunch of different opinions, then take your pick - but when you begin to see consensus, then it's probably a good idea to consider that valuable information as you move forward.

so, welcome, welcome! To work on your patience, many of us will recommend getting another bucket/carboy (fermenter) and starting your next batch! Build up a pipeline of tasty home brew, learning along the way.

as stated above, time is style-dependent. 3 weeks is a good minimum, like for an IPA or a wheat, while you may want your stouts and porters to mature a bit. Heck the other day I cracked open my last coffee porter, )made a year ago) and it was incredible!
 
I opened an Oatmeal Stout after 3 weeks in the bottle. It was flat, little head, and sweeter than usual for the style. Gave it another two weeks and it was spot on. Just give her time and she'll come around. I would say 5-6 weeks should be good for your stout. In the meantime, enjoy the hardest part of homebrewing: bottle conditioning!
 
I make imperial IPAs in 16oz bottles, so 5 weeks is quickly becoming a great rule of thumb for me...longer the better. Think of it this way, if your nervous that you might open a flat beer...wait another week.
 
Hang Glider said:
Welcome to your new hobby...
We all understand the desire to taste - we all had our "first batch" - we're a bunch of homebrewers that have found what works (for us) and when you read a bunch of different opinions, then take your pick - but when you begin to see consensus, then it's probably a good idea to consider that valuable information as you move forward.

so, welcome, welcome! To work on your patience, many of us will recommend getting another bucket/carboy (fermenter) and starting your next batch! Build up a pipeline of tasty home brew, learning along the way.

as stated above, time is style-dependent. 3 weeks is a good minimum, like for an IPA or a wheat, while you may want your stouts and porters to mature a bit. Heck the other day I cracked open my last coffee porter, )made a year ago) and it was incredible!
Click to expand...

Thank you all for your support. My wife said not to encourage my brewing multiple batches. With that being said, I have just put an oatmeal stout into the fermenter. I figure once it is ready to be bottled, that my Irish Stout Pub Draught should be getting ready for the fridge. I will, of course, only be refridgerating the beers as I drink them leaving the remainder to continue aging and conditioning. I look forward to having a rotation of beer. I was asked recently why I brew 2 gallon batches instead of full batches. Firstly, room dictates how many bottles and fermenters I have kicking around and secondly, I am able to have a few different styles on the go and still have a good amount of beer on hand. I am also able to rotate more styles into the cycle as I finish one type.

Regards,

NavyMarine1978
 
I should add that my wife does support my making home brew, she also doesn't want to lose what little space she has in the apartment to homebrew.

I am learning to be patient. I have just put into the fermenter an oatmeal stout. I will use it as a gauge to start enjoying the Irish Stout Pub Draught.

Cheers everyone,
 
NavyMarine1978 said:
I should add that my wife does support my making home brew, she also doesn't want to lose what little space she has in the apartment to homebrew.

I am learning to be patient. I have just put into the fermenter an oatmeal stout. I will use it as a gauge to start enjoying the Irish Stout Pub Draught.

Cheers everyone,
Click to expand...

If there is one thing that homebrewing has taught me (and I'm still learning!) is patience. Wow. What a contrast brewing is from day to day life where I want it NOW! Patience is good. Not easy, but good. Making something and waiting 4-6weeks to see if it's okay is not the norm nowadays. But trust the process; it's been around a couple of thousand years. Trust these fellow brewers; some of them have been around that long too!
 
tektonjp said:
If there is one thing that homebrewing has taught me (and I'm still learning!) is patience. Wow. What a contrast brewing is from day to day life where I want it NOW! Patience is good. Not easy, but good. Making something and waiting 4-6weeks to see if it's okay is not the norm nowadays. But trust the process; it's been around a couple of thousand years. Trust these fellow brewers; some of them have been around that long too!
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree that my patience levels have been very low with the anticipation and excitement of opening up a good brew that I have made. I will learn patience and I will be much more at ease once I have opened up a home brew that was worth waiting for.

Thanks everyone,

NaveMarine1978
 
I've brewed a lot of recipes with cooper's cans as a base. 4-6 weeks in the bottle,& 2 weeks fridge time is the norm for anything up to mid gravity. Also,the darker the beer,or higher the gravity,the longer the conditioning time at room temp. The lower the temp for conditioning from 70F,the longer they'll take to carb & condition.
 
Has anyone here ever experienced undisolved yeast in the fermenter which has stuck to the walls due to the yeast foam layer? Is this a problem?
 
No,it isn't that's just gunk that got swirled up by fermentation that sticks to the sides of the FV as the krausen starts falling.
 
I had two of the Irish Stout Pub Draughts today. Family was gathering after my father-in-law's funeral and I wanted to see where the Irish Stout stood. I chilled it and poured the first one like I would any other beer. Slightly more head than two weeks ago, but very little. The beer has some carbination in it now but still sweeter than should be. The second beer I wanted to see if there was more carbination than I had thought and turned the bottle right over and let it chug into the cup. The head swelled up nicely but disappeared as quickly as it formed. The beer still tastes green. I will let it sit another two weeks before the next pour.

Cheers,

NavyMarine1978
 
unionrdr said:
I've brewed a lot of recipes with cooper's cans as a base. 4-6 weeks in the bottle,& 2 weeks fridge time is the norm for anything up to mid gravity. Also,the darker the beer,or higher the gravity,the longer the conditioning time at room temp. The lower the temp for conditioning from 70F,the longer they'll take to carb & condition.
Click to expand...

The last bottle which I opened a week ago at the 4 week mark was improving. It was still a bit sweet but the carbonating had increased. I will try one today at week 5 in the bottles to see the progression. What is the purpose of refridgerating for a week?

Thanks,
 
NavyMarine1978 said:
Has anyone here ever experienced undisolved yeast in the fermenter which has stuck to the walls due to the yeast foam layer? Is this a problem?
Click to expand...

just krausen - if you could see what the yeast is doing while the top was closed... none of that yeast is "undissolved"

NavyMarine1978 said:
The last bottle which I opened a week ago at the 4 week mark was improving. It was still a bit sweet but the carbonating had increased. I will try one today at week 5 in the bottles to see the progression. What is the purpose of refridgerating for a week?

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Refrigeration makes the yeast settle out - but you don't need to refrigerate more than a day or two if space is at a premium. Me...I bought a second regrigerator (really an old Pepsi machine) just for my beers...:D
 
Hang Glider said:
just krausen - if you could see what the yeast is doing while the top was closed... none of that yeast is "undissolved"



Refrigeration makes the yeast settle out - but you don't need to refrigerate more than a day or two if space is at a premium. Me...I bought a second regrigerator (really an old Pepsi machine) just for my beers...:D
Click to expand...

I love the idea of a separate refridgerator...the question is, will my wife. Thanks for the advice Hang Glider. Does beer taste different between being refridgerated for a couple of days compared to a week?

Thank you,

NavyMarine1978
 
NavyMarine1978 said:
I love the idea of a separate refridgerator...the question is, will my wife. Thanks for the advice Hang Glider. Does beer taste different between being refridgerated for a couple of days compared to a week?

Thank you,

NavyMarine1978
Click to expand...

From my experiences,he's off a little. Yes,I used to fridge then for a day or two. The carbonation would dissapear in about half a glass or so. Some not much dissolved at all in 1 or 2 days. At one week,the head was better,& the carbonation dissolved back into the beer was def better. At 2 weeks,the darker/heavier ales had good head & carbonation. Pale ales,IPA's & the like had way finer thicker head & carbonation to the bottom of the glass. And I mean more than just a few bubbles. Co2 does not dissolve into the beer from the head space that fast. I've seen it time & again.
 
A general question about beer once bottled. Is it best to have the beer at room temp for a set amount of time (eg. 7-10 days) and than transfer to a cooler location such as my celler until I wish to enjoy one and refridgerate it or should they be left at room temperature until I wish to enjoy one and refridgerate at that time?

NavyMarine1978
 
NavyMarine1978 said:
That would be 3 weeks at about 21 degrees Celcius. Should it be refridgerated at this time or simply cellared?
Click to expand...

It depends. Beer ages faster at room temperature. If it's perfect now, then I'd cellar or refrigerate it, to preserve the perfect profile.

If it's good, but can benefit from aging, cellar temperatures will work great but it will take a bit longer to age than if it was at room temperature.
 
Yooper said:
It depends. Beer ages faster at room temperature. If it's perfect now, then I'd cellar or refrigerate it, to preserve the perfect profile.

If it's good, but can benefit from aging, cellar temperatures will work great but it will take a bit longer to age than if it was at room temperature.
Click to expand...

Thanks Yooper. I have put 4 beers in the fridge just to gage how the carbination and head retention is changed. The beer tastes good to me right now even though it may seem a touch sweet still. I have never made this Irish Stout before and it is also my first batch ever brewed. I have nothing to compare the flavour to know if it should taste the way it does or not. I like the current flavour anyhow. I may brew it again down the road and find out it could improve or age for best results but, for now, I like it as is and wish to see how refridgeration affects carbination. Come to think of it, I will make this Irish Stout again.

NavyMarine1978
 
I just cracked open a beer which had been bottled in a flip top style bottle (Grolsch style) for 6 weeks and it did not psst or even think about creating a head when poured. All of the other bottles did 'psst' when cracked open and creat at least a bit of head to a full head depending on how it was poured. I smelt the beer and it smelt fine so I drank it. It tasted like the other beers only flat. I inspected the flip top bottle and noticed that the gasket on the lid seemed more indented than the others. I also wonder if the seem from moulding the flip top plastic portion could be allowing co2 to leak out. If this was so, would the beer not have gone skunky or bad? I am trying to determine if the flip top is faulty on that bottle.

My wife questioned..."Can there be a bad beer if it tastes good?"

NavyMarine1978
 
Re-using flip tops repeatedly is kinda risky, you should inspect the gaskets every now and then, and replace them after a few uses. You can get them through most lhbs's or online. A lot of folks replace them immediately after drinking the grolsh or whatever, not knowing how long the bottle was capped.
 
Revvy said:
Re-using flip tops repeatedly is kinda risky, you should inspect the gaskets every now and then, and replace them after a few uses. You can get them through most lhbs's or online. A lot of folks replace them immediately after drinking the grolsh or whatever, not knowing how long the bottle was capped.
Click to expand...

This bottle/flip-top was brand new but had an exagerated seam from moulding the plastic cap portion. I assume that the co2 leaked there. I will replace the top.

Thanks Revvy,

NavyMarine1978
 

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