A few basic questions..

So just trying to get an understanding of some of the basics. Firstly, when using cans, the first stage (mixing the can with water, sugar and yeast) is to produce alcohol. Then it's primed and normally bottled at the second stage whilst being left in the warm*. Then the beer after a few days is moved to a cool place to clear.

I understand the purpose of steps 1 and 3 but what does 2* achieve?

Also how do breweries bottle beer "bright" and with no residual sediment? Is this a proses that can only be achieved through artificial carbonation?

Thanks
Hamish

After fermentation, the beer is flat, so the priming sugar gives the yeast just a tad more food in the bottle to sufficiently carbonate the beer. This will leave a bit of sediment in the bottom of your bottle. That is what your step #2 is for.

And yes, commercial breweries force-carbonate their beer, so there will be no need to bottle-condition, therefore no sediment.

I would point out, that many commercial breweries filter the yeast out of the beer, another reason it is so much clearer than homebrewed.

avic-bourne said:

So just trying to get an understanding of some of the basics. Firstly, when using cans, the first stage (mixing the can with water, sugar and yeast) is to produce alcohol. Then it's primed and normally bottled at the second stage whilst being left in the warm*. Then the beer after a few days is moved to a cool place to clear.

I understand the purpose of steps 1 and 3 but what does 2* achieve?

Also how do breweries bottle beer "bright" and with no residual sediment? Is this a proses that can only be achieved through artificial carbonation?

Thanks
Hamish

Click to expand...

I'm not completely clear on what you're asking but I wouldn't focus too much on what you are calling steps 1,2 and 3. If you want to break it into steps then basically:

-step one is you have to make your sugar/water soln. This can be as simple as disolving canned hopped extract in room temp water to the much more detailed process of all grain brewing.

-step two, pitch your yeast

-step three, wait for fermntation to complete

-step 4, transfer the beer for serving. If you are bottling you need to prime your beer with more sugar so it can produce carbonation, If transferring to a Keg no need to prime and it can be ready to drink pretty much as soon as you get it in the keg if you force carb with the high pressure/aggitation method.

If you are bottling there really isn't any way to get sediment free beer unless you bottle from a keg, or transfer to a second bottle after it has fully conditioned in the first bottle.

Priming is the act of adding a limited amount of sugar to the finished beer. The residual yeast will eat the sugar and create a small amount of CO2 and alcohol, based on how much sugar you added. When you cap the bottles the CO2 cannot escape and so is absorbed into the beer making is carbonated naturally.

After it has carbonated for a week or more then placing in a cold place the residual yeast can go dormant and drop out of suspension to make the beer more clear. The cold temps force the yeast to go dormant much quicker than in warmer temps.

Commercial brewers filter the yeast out of the beer so they have to force the CO2 into the beer mechanically.