First Batch - First impressions. Still kinda flat . .

[Beer-Baron]

Hi there,

I made a Coopers Draught kit. Left it 3 weeks in the primary, and tasted my first bottle after 1 week bottled and 8 hours in the fridge. It was totally green apples. Didn't like it so much.

On Friday I put another bottle in the fridge and just drank it now. So I'm at 2 weeks in the bottle and about 40 hours in the fridge.
The beer just has a small hint of green apple left, but its alot less than before!!
But the beer was pretty flat. It had some bubbles, but definitely wasn't carbonated enough yet.

Do you guys think that 1 more week in the bottle at room temperature will give me more fizz??

 

[Djlunchbox]

i am still a noob myself, only 5 batches under my belt. but in my experience you did good with the 3 weeks in primary. it was hard for me to wait and i bottled my first 3 batches after 1 week-10 days. it then took mine about 2-3 weeks to start to get some good carb going on. i store my bottles at about 60 degrees in the basement, and only put 6 in the fridge at a time. they carb up nice. you will get more fizz at higher temps, yes. just my 2 cents. time will change the flavor of your homebrew, all my batches have changed, some better then others!

 

[Chudz]

Yah, that green-apple taste was predominant in my first beer, mainly because I drank most of it during a two to three week span. Acetaldehyde, if that's the culprit, cleans up over time. It's usually a sign of a green beer.

I'm not familiar with a Cooper's Draught kit, what is the OG measurement? It seems that the higher the OG is, the longer it takes to reach its flavor peak and to carbonate as well. Plus it depends on temperature. This is just my experience however.

I would give it that one more week and see how things go. Then base what you want to do on that.

 

[dvdfnzwbr]

I use the 1-2-3 method. 1 week Primary Fermentation. 2 weeks Secondary Fermentation. 3 Weeks bottled (Store 10.5 days in a warm place, shake up each bottle, then store 10.5 days in a cool place, not refrigeration. I never had a beer that didn't carbonate.

 

[robertvrabel]

My first brew took a 3 weeks at 62F, then 1 week in the fridge... before I deemed it as fully carbed. I tried one every week since it was my first one... and I was worried too... but it will be fine, you just have to have patience.

I really think leaving it in the fridge for that week is what really changed it.. made a huge difference in the carbination. But ofcourse it needs to sit outside the fridge for awhile to actually produce the CO2... I think the fridge just helps absorb it into the beer.

 

[rjgiddings]

One week in the bottle is simply not enough time. I only know because I did the same thing on my first batch : ) Once you fast forward to day 21 in the bottle, you will have some great carbonation when you crack one!