Newbie Question

Ok...Got my first batch all bottled up. I used the 1 liter flip tops. they have sat in a room temperature dark box for the past two week. this weekend, i popped one open. nice "pop" from the top, nice pour, had nice head and tasted good. Of course the whole bottle would not fit in the glass on one pour, so i put the bottle in the fridge, came back a little bit later to pour the rest into my glass,,,,, nodda!!!!... flat, no head, but still tasted good.

After the first pour and all looked good i had placed two bottles in fridge antisipationg a few drinks that night. upon opening the other bottles after being in the fridge a couple hours,,, got the same results as i did with the second pour of the first bottle. No head and had a "flat'" apprearance.

I know bottle carbination can vary from bottle to bottle, and placing a bottle in the fridge will "halt" the carb process.

so i guess i am asking. is this normal?

this was an extract kit, everything came in pre packaged packets and i did indeed have 5 gals (maybe a tad less, but not nore than) when i did the bottle bucket, priming evoluation.

thanks
jake

Sounds like you need a bigger glass! Are you batch priming or putting some sugar in each bottle when you go to bottle? Batch priming will offer more consistent carbonation between bottles.

To answer your question though, it sounds like maybe you need to let the beer sit for another week or two. Its probably carbonated, but not completely saturated in the beer just yet, so you might benefit by letting the bottles sit at room temp for another week or so.

Thanks folks. I bulk primed, put the suger in the bottling bucket, ,filled that then filled the bottles.

I still have few left and plan on drinking them this weekend which will be a total of 3 weeks. From what i have read, the more time in conditioning the better... so i am looking forward to this weekend.

also,,, it was a blond ale,, and the beer was dark (not stout or porter dark) and i couldnt see through it... could that also be atributed to needing more carb? Chill Haze?

thanks again
Jake

Was it cloudy or just dark? How long was it in the primary? Did you use liquid malt extract or dry? Did you use honey or brown sugar? If it tastes good, I wouldn't worry about it. I made a blonde ale batch a few weeks ago and I would maybe call it a dirty blonde. The beer is very clear, but its a gold/light brown color, it tastes great though so I'm happy with the outcome.

Extract has a tendancy to make the beer a little darker than you might expect. As long as you are not burning the extract, I wouldn't worry about it. Using a late extract addition might help make for a lighter color, since about 1/2 of the extract isn't added until after the boil.

As for cloudy - did you use irish moss or gelatin? How long did you leave it in the primary? Did you use a secondary? If you use irish moss or other fining agent, and let the beer sit in the primary for 2-3 weeks (or 1-2 then secondary for 2 weeks) you will get a much clearer beer.

Hey man, good to see another newbie in the area. I am guessing you did the beach ball blonde ale. I just brewed it is still in the primary right now. It happens I am sure you were told the same as I was, add the priming mix to the bucket then siphon and stir every six beers. If you have questions man let me know. I am still new but learning alot.

thanks everyone.. it was a just a kit. not special sugars or moss just some steeping grains that i steeped for 30 min @ 155-160, removed pot from flame, added my extract (syrup), stired, brought to a rolling boil for 60 min,,, there were some hops at various times. cooled, stired added liquid yeast (in kit) and kept in primary for 8 days, racked to carboy for 8 days, mixed bottle bucket,, and ...... its where i am at now.
Like i said everything taste good, not burnt,,, i remember reading that an extact will cause darker looking beer,,,,, the "clearness" is not what i had hoped but it was my first batch.....
i guess (for now) all that matters is the taste and it does taste good...

thanks for all the help.
jake

Jake, It's just not ready to drink yet. Save at least one bottle that you won't drink for at least another 4 weeks. I promise you that you'll be amazed at the difference.

+ X to the above posts. The beer just needs more time to let that CO2 diffuse into the liquid. Grat on the first one tasting good!

JohnTheBrewist said:

Jake, It's just not ready to drink yet. Save at least one bottle that you won't drink for at least another 4 weeks. I promise you that you'll be amazed at the difference.

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Yup, if it's losing carb when cold, that means that it hasn't locked in the carbonation yet. It's not finished. Most of the time larger than 12 ounce bottles take longer than 12 ounce bottles. So you're wasting them now when they are clearly not ready.

Give them a couple more weeks warm.

You're only openning them at 2 weeks, most beers take a minimum of three anyway.

I made the exact same mistake. When I bought my kit I saw the 1 liter flip tops and thought to myself, quicker and easier bottling. It's a mistake, it is pysically impossible for a first batch brewer to wait long enough for 1 liter bottles to carb properly. Despite the above advice, I know you will drink those beers this weekend. It's ok, so did I. However, on your next batch use 12 oz bottles (all 48ish) and brew a lighter ale, it will carb faster. Save the flip tops until you have your pipeline established.

FifteenTen said:

I made the exact same mistake. When I bought my kit I saw the 1 liter flip tops and thought to myself, quicker and easier bottling. It's a mistake, it is pysically impossible for a first batch brewer to wait long enough for 1 liter bottles to carb properly. Despite the above advice, I know you will drink those beers this weekend. It's ok, so did I. However, on your next batch use 12 oz bottles (all 48ish) and brew a lighter ale, it will carb faster. Save the flip tops until you have your pipeline established.

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Thanks... and that is one (of the) mistake i made... with the bigger bottle KNOWING i wouldnt make it full term. I do have another batch in bottle now (12 oz) those are not going to be touch for at least 3 weeks!

I am going to keep two or three of big ones going,,, and see the progression of the carbination.

thanks for the support folks!!!

"love this place"

thanks
jake