Carbonation/Sweetness

[BulaShane]

Hi everybody. Two friends and me brewed our first extract kit earlier on this month. We didn't figure the hydrometer out so we have no readings. Bummer!
We bottled the beer Saturday March 25th. The instructions say to wait 2 to 3 weeks before it's ready to drink. I'm fine with that but I tried one tonight March 29th to see what had happened. It was carbonated but it tasted way too sweet and even smelled sweet. Does this go away over time during bottle conditioning or was this something that happened during the brewing process? This is all very fascinating.

 

[Fipilix]

new to brewing myself but i think its sweet because you didnt give the yeast enough time to eat all the sugar you put in for carbing

 

[Jrod]

they say 2-3 weeks because thats how long it takes the yeast to finish off the priming sugar you add before bottling.

It's also possible that because you didn't take hydrometer readings the beer was not finished fermenting.

I would store those bottles in a waterproof container with a towel over them just incase.

 

[Spartangreen]

How long was it from when you brewed to when you bottled?

 

[tom9d]

There are others here who are way more qualified than me, but yeah...time heals most wounds with beer. Let the yeast work its magic. Four days is nothing.

...and ditto to what Jrod said. Might want to safeguard against a big mess.

 

[BrewScout]

I would store those bottles in a waterproof container with a towel over them just incase.

+1 this
Sounds like it wasn't finished fermenting. What yeast did you use? fermentation temps? How long in primary? Recipe? These are things that we need to know to help diagnose.

 

[BulaShane]

Primary for one week, secondary for two weeks, bottled a few days after all the visible activity seemed to be over with. I have it loosely wrapped in painters plastic. Thanks for the replies. We are going to try a new kit by the end of this week. Determined to use the hydrometer this time. Thanks for the replies.

 

[jwalker1140]

This thread is timely for me. I brewed a partial mash blonde ale, fermented for ~35 days, no secondary. It tasted great on bottling day, not unusually sweet even with the priming sugar mixed in. After 8 days I put one bottle in the fridge and tried it 2 days later. There was quite a bit of carbonation but it tasted way too sweet. Nothing at all like the sample I tasted on bottling day.

Every other batch I've tried early like this (within 1-2 weeks) it's either been fine, more or less, or flat and thin. Never super sweet like this. Everything I've read tells me to give it time so I'll wait to try my next bottle at the 3-4 week mark.

 

[TopherM]

bottled a few days after all the visible activity seemed to be over with

You ***MIGHT** be fibbing if you are stating that you had "visual" fermentation activity for three full weeks.

Also, CO2 is an invisible gas, so lots of active fermentation is not visual. A good 90-95% of active fermentation is pretty noticible, but the final 5-10% of fermentation is very subtle and typically won't even bubble the airlock.

You really need to take hydrometer readings to scientifically test when you wort/beer reaches final gravity, and not just eyeball it.

 

[helibrewer]

What kind of beer did you make??

 

[BulaShane]

What I meant by visible was...

No activity in the airlock. No longer any bubbles or foam in the secondary. Waited a few days. Bottled.

We brewed the brewers best Imperial Blonde Ale kit. It was a lot of fun. No bottle bombs yet.