Christmas Brew Flat

[wkern42]

Background/Experience: its my third batch, done two Coopers (1 Lager, 1 IPA, both carbonated fine), this one is Muntons Lager.

Details: started on 12/10. After 7 days in the 23L (6 USG) bucket (primary fermenter with airlock), I bottled into my 450 and 500ml flip-tops, each primed with 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar. I normally use white but used brown mixed with spices for a "Christmas" flavor.

Problem: I mixed 12 teaspoons brown sugar with the spices. Somehow that sugar mix extended into 48 pints instead of 24. I meant to spice half, not all the beer: perhaps drinking leftover IPA while bottling made me forget & ignore the issue . I tried one on 12/24 (both coopers were ready by day 14), and it had extremely low level of carbonation, virtually flat but not completely. Opened a second one, with more sediment, it had more carbonation, still far less than the two coopers batches. Reading other threads here, I decided to re-agitate (tip/swirl) and warm the beer for a week to encourage further bottle fermentation.

Question: If not ready on 12/31 would adding an additional 1/4 teaspoon white per pint be in order with another tip/warm routine? I really am worried that I "under" primed, brown sugar is NOT consistent per volume like white (lesson learned ).

Thanks

 

[Grizzlybrew]

Although you left a lot of information, I'm not sure I understand exactly what happened. It seems you took 12 t sugar, intended for 24 bottles, and divided it between 48. Is that right? If so, you cut the sugar in half. Plus, if you measured 12 t sugar out, mixed in spices and then doled out 1/2 t of mixture into each beer, you also cut the amount of sugar (because the spice cut the weight/volume of sugar in each t).

Either way, it seems you under-primed. Open them and add sugar before too long. And, perform the operation under a CO2 blanket. What?!? You don't have one?!? Oh well. It will prob be ok

In the future, try batch priming and measuring the sugar in weight, rather than in volume. You will get more consistent results.

 

[WyomingBrewer]

The mysterious CO2 Blanket.....where can I get one of those?

 

[wkern42]

@Grizzlybrew: you got it (and sorry for the rambling/tmi post). i just finished "re-priming" 22 of the remaining 47 pints. they all had better "pop" so i put one in the fridge as another test for later. seems the re-agitation/warming had some effect. i have 24 i left "un-primed" and may or may not re-prime those tonight based on the "tester".

side note, since they all poped a bit better, i chickened out and used 1/8 instead of 1/4 tsp after the first couple. you gotta be quick with re-sealing after adding the sugar, they fizz up quickly. thats also encouraging i think...

 

[Grizzlybrew]

I'm sure they're drinkable no matter what.

 

[wkern42]

first 22, 1/8 extra tsp 12/27
last 24, 1/4 extra tsp 12/28 (tester not much better)