Bottle conditioning is too cool for carbonation

[Wattuz]

I brewed my first batch of Muntons Imperial Stout. After a week of fermentation (70°F) i bottled it and storaged it for 2 days in a warm place (70°F). After this i moved the beers to a lot cooler place.

They've been conditioned in a very cool place (42°F) for 5 days, and i have realized that this is way too cold for carbonation. Have i ruined everything or can i still move the beers to room temperature for about a week or two and then storage them in a cooler place?

 

[Jonnio]

I brewed my first batch of Muntons Imperial Stout. After a week of fermentation (70°F) i bottled it and storaged it for 2 days in a warm place (70°F). After this i moved the beers to a lot cooler place.

They've been conditioned in a very cool place (42°F) for 5 days, and i have realized that this is way too cold for carbonation. Have i ruined everything or can i still move the beers to room temperature for about a week or two and then storage them in a cooler place?

You probably just put the yeast to sleep, I would warm them up to the mid 60s and give the bottles a little bit of a shake to resuspend the yeast. Let them sit for a couple weeks, then cold condition.

 

[Wattuz]

Ok, i have a basement that's 72°F, will that be ok? Or do i need to find another place to put them?

 

[Bobby_M]

The basement is perfect. Leave it for a couple weeks, test one. If it's good, then move it to the cold conditioning phase again.

 

[Wattuz]

Ok, thanks

 

[Wattuz]

I also noticed that my uncarbonated beer smells like sweet mead. I fermented it for 10days, when the bubbling was slow and random (like 5-10minutes for the next bubble to come out). Is this common and will it disappear after the carbonation? Because i think that the problem might be too quick fermentation. The aftertaste is superb stout tho

 

[Yooper]

Sweet mead?

Did you check the sg before you bottled? I'm concerned that you bottled too early, if you bottled it after 10 days. It shouldn't be sweet. If it's sweet, that means the sugars haven't been fermented out.

I'd let it get warm and then try one every couple of days. When it's carbonated enough, chill them back down and keep them there so they don't explode.

 

[Wattuz]

Sweet mead?

In Finland, a sweet mead called Sima, is a brew that we drink on the Finnish Vappu (May Day) festival.
I need to get a bottle and try it out if it's sweet, the aroma is sweet, can't remember if it actually tastes sweet. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Yooper]

If you have a hydrometer, that's always the way to know for sure if your beer is done. Next time, don't bottle until the hydrometer tells you that fermentation is complete. You can't always rely on airlock activity or appearance to know if the ferment is finished.

I don't mean to sound like an alarmist- it's more than likely just fine. Just be aware that this could be an issue. An Imperial stout probably should have been in the fermenter at least three weeks before bottling.

 

[Wattuz]

Yeah, i know that now. It's just that i didn't read any homebrewing literature before i did this batch. Damn those maltecxtract instructions.