Headless brew.....

This is my first batch that I brewed six weeks ago. The taste is OK, it has a bit of bitterness to it. The beer is sort of carbed. I used two cups of water in 3/4 cups of corn sugar to prime the bottles. I heated the water to disolve the sugar but did not boil it. I then cooled it off and put it into the botteling bucket and racked on top of the beer, then bottled. I do not think I stirred during the botteling, dont excatly remember. It has been in the basement for three weeks now in the bottles. My basement is about 65*. I am thinking that it may take up to two more weeks at that temp. What do you guys think? This was a very basic bottom of the line coopers pre hopped extrect in the can. I would appreciate any advice, but I think my basement may be to cold for three week conditioning, maybe closer to five?

I have that problem if I open a bottle too quickly. Let it carb up for a couple of more weeks. If that does not fix it, then you may have other problems that someone may be able to help.

give it a few more weeks - the bitterness will settle in and the head will improve. they say to carb at 70 for three weeks. the beers i have made always taste better after a month or so in bottles.

Stirring is important for making sure the sugar gets mixed in uniformly. If you fail to mix, you're likely to have some poorly carb-ed bottles, and worse yet, some bottle bombs.

A good procedure is to add the boiled and cooled sugar solution to your bottling bucket, then rack beer onto it. I also use a sanitized spoon to stir it gently when it's all in the bucket (preventing sloshing and risk of oxidation). You may want to mix it a little every 12 or so beers you bottle.

65 is a bit on the cool side, and the lack of stirring will cause inconsistent carbing. Also, an unclean glass (soap residue, for instance) will prevent head formation and retention.

all comments above are good advice, but most importantly...let it sit a few more weeks

I thought I was kind of on the right track thinking that the basement is a bit cool. I hung a thermometer down there before going to Old Chicago for more beer tour sampling. I came back after closing up the vent and is was a crisp 60*. I would like to keep everything down there all in one room, and I am OK with haveing to wait five weeks or longer if need be to let the carbination take place. Is 60* to cold, and will it stop the carbination totally, or will it just take longer? Thanks in advance.

60º is usually too cool for most ale yeast to function, and they'll go to sleep. I would take the bottles and bring em upstairs for two weeks in warmer temps. After two weeks try one, I'll bet you'll get better head. On the beer! Geez you pervs!

Also, wash your beer glass out in warm water before serving, and see if that improves the head. Does it taste flat too, or just no head to it?

It is mostly just lack of head. I did see a few bubbles after the pour and it looked liked it was going to try to foam up but never did. I will bring them upstairs for two weeks and see how they turn out. The bonus thing is though that my wife likes them now. We shared the pint after mowing last night and she thought it was good. So, if all else fails I will feed em to mama.

Prediction: A week upstairs will work wonders. Sounds like you did everything right. Think about next time going with a kit that has steeping grains - these will enhance head retention. It sounds (and looks) like the carbonation is OK, you just don't want the bubbles to pop when they get to the top. But even without the steeping grains, this will improve over time.

SteveM said:

Prediction: A week upstairs will work wonders. Sounds like you did everything right. Think about next time going with a kit that has steeping grains - these will enhance head retention. It sounds (and looks) like the carbonation is OK, you just don't want the bubbles to pop when they get to the top. But even without the steeping grains, this will improve over time.

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Funny that you should mention that. I am actually doing a Hefe kit now with steeping grains. And it smells freaking awesome!

The Mad Hatter said:

Funny that you should mention that. I am actually doing a Hefe kit now with steeping grains. And it smells freaking awesome!

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Just out of curiosity, what grains are you using for your hefe?

I used Cara-Pils for the steeping grains. Check this thread out for the complete blow by blow recipe.

mmm...i love me some wheat beer. i need to make another with cara-pils time to go to the brew store...

DeathBrewer said:

mmm...i love me some wheat beer. i need to make another with cara-pils time to go to the brew store...

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I got her all done this morning. I can not wait for this to be ready! I also got the Pale Ale bottled up that we brewed three weeks ago. This beer is also very very good. I sampled again out of the hydro again. Once its carbed and cold I expect a great deal of evaluating. :rockin:

If you use a dishwasher with rinse aid, the rinse aid will kill a head on any beer.

After 2-3 beers you start getting a nice head in the same glass then that's the culprit.

Nopr, no dishwishing here. The old bottles we have been washing out with dawn because they have not been used for probably 40 years. Once washe out we rins the crap out of them, shen use the bottle tree and the one step to sanitize, the bottle. I thought that maybe this was part of the problem, so I bout two cases of brend new 22oz bottles this weekend when we bottled the pale ale. I used most of the new bottles, and a few of my granfathers that we had to was. I repeated the process axactly as I had before. This should tell me if I have a problem with the old ottles or not.

Well. It finally happened. I got head! This is the pale ale that I made six weeks ago. It was a LME / DME extract batch. This was before I found the power of steeping grains though. The best head that I have had yet! Keeping it warmer really made a difference. I also rotated the bottles at least once a day, and sometimes twice. Thanks for helping out HBT! :rockin:

So what is it?!? Did your beer give you head after a few weeks in the bottle, or did you give it head with your technique? :cross:

I love me some good head!! :rockin:

So was it just time? I'm having a similar problem.

Also, does the dishwasher only affect bottling or does it also affect the glass I pour it into?

illin8 said:

I love me some good head!! :rockin:

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Even bad head is good, compared to no head at all.

SolomonsJim said:

Even bad head is good, compared to no head at all.

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Much like Pizza. Even when it's bad, it's still good.