Carbonation Issue

Hi All,

I have brewed a partial grain american ale and all has gone well up to the point of drinking. The beer has been conditioning in the bottle for 2 weeks and when I grab a room temperature one and pop the top, she pours out beautifully and tastes wonderful, albeit warm. But, when I throw a few in the fridge and pour them cold they seem to lose all carbonation. Just wondering if anyone had an explanation for that?

Thanks in Advance,

Scouter

6sm9 said:

Hi All,

I have brewed a partial grain american ale and all has gone well up to the point of drinking. The beer has been conditioning in the bottle for 2 weeks and when I grab a room temperature one and pop the top, she pours out beautifully and tastes wonderful, albeit warm. But, when I throw a few in the fridge and pour them cold they seem to lose all carbonation. Just wondering if anyone had an explanation for that?

Thanks in Advance,

Scouter

Click to expand...

I have an explanation- sort of. It's because the beers are still undercarbed a bit. What happens in bottle carbing is that the co2 is made by the priming sugar and the yeast still in suspension. A mini fermentation happens, causing some co2 to be produced. In warm beers, and with only a couple of weeks to work, the co2 is still in the headspace (mostly). When you chill it, for only a short time, the beer still hasn't absorbed the co2 completely. When you chill it for a longer period, the co2 has more time to be dissolved in the cold solution. So, when it's warm, it's seemingly fine; but when it's cold, it's undercarbed.

The short answer is that the beer is still a bit undercarbed. So, let it sit another week at 70 degrees (0r more) before chilling another one. Then, let it sit overnight in the fridge before opening. It should be much better!

Yooper's got it...I have a pretty detailed explanation of the carbing/conditioning process, with a video, here. Revvy's Blog; Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning.

They will be fine in a week or two...