How to make a homemade carbonated beer without second fermentation as quick as possible.

[MehrdadMolavi]

Hi guys, I live in Iran and here we have lots of high quality non-alcoholic beer brands which I use the make my homemade beer, is there any way to avoid the second fermentation long time and make a good carbonated alcoholic beer as quick as possible.

Thanks.

 

[Jag75]

Yes . @IslandLizard made beer in 3 days or less if I remember right.

Welcome to HBT !

 

[IslandLizard]

For reference, here's my 3-day IPA write-up:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/3-day-ipa.674733/
Notes:

• You'll need to have a large pitch of good healthy yeast slurry, ready to take-off.
• If you have the ability to ferment under pressure (such as in a keg) it helps reducing potential fermentation off-flavors. Some yeasts are more forgiving in that regard. Fermenting under pressure also carbonates the beer, although burst carbing finished beer can be done in under 20 minutes.
• A 3-day schedule is pushing every parameter, but it's certainly attainable in 6-7 days when in a hurry.

Better alternative:
Building a brewing "pipeline" can secure an unlimited supply of (good) homebrewed beer. This means having several batches going in various states of completion: brewing, fermenting, conditioning, carbonating, aging, etc. allows you to enjoy the fruits of your labor on a much more relaxed schedule.

 

[DonT]

If you have access to kveik yeast, I've done grain to glass in a week. No need for pressure ferment...

 

[Rish]

use the make my homemade beer

What is your current process?

 

[Zambezi Special]

Are you buying alcohol free beer and wanting to ferment the sugars that are in there?
Should work if those are fermentable sugars.
Fill a pet bottle half full with those. Add a little yeast, put airlock or blow off valve and you should know in a couple of days if the idea will work.
Kveik Voss and high temperature will make it real quick

 

[MehrdadMolavi]

Yes . @IslandLizard made beer in 3 days or less if I remember right.

Welcome to HBT !Thx

For reference, here's my 3-day IPA write-up:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/3-day-ipa.674733/
Notes:

• You'll need to have a large pitch of good healthy yeast slurry, ready to take-off.
• If you have the ability to ferment under pressure (such as in a keg) it helps reducing potential fermentation off-flavors. Some yeasts are more forgiving in that regard. Fermenting under pressure also carbonates the beer, although burst carbing finished beer can be done in under 20 minutes.
• A 3-day schedule is pushing every parameter, but it's certainly attainable in 6-7 days when in a hurry.

Better alternative:
Building a brewing "pipeline" can secure an unlimited supply of (good) homebrewed beer. This means having several batches going in various states of completion: brewing, fermenting, conditioning, carbonating, aging, etc. allows you to enjoy the fruits of your labor on a much more relaxed schedule.

Thx

 

[MehrdadMolavi]

What is your current process?

I mix sugar and non-alcoholic beer in a bucket, adding activated fermentator, stiring well then bottling.
In this way, I have to check everyday and unscrew the cap of the bottles a little bit and depressurize them to avoid explosion, and at the end of two weeks, I have a carbonated alcoholic beer.
According to my experience, the amount of final CO2 depends on the added sugar and also the everyday gas depressurizing so you can adjust it.
Also I add some fennel syrup to reduce the taste of yeast in the beer.

 

[IslandLizard]

I mix sugar and non-alcoholic beer in a bucket, adding activated fermentator, stiring well then bottling.
In this way, I have to check everyday and unscrew the cap of the bottles a little bit and depressurize them to avoid explosion, and at the end of two weeks, I have a carbonated alcoholic beer.
According to my experience, the amount of final CO2 depends on the added sugar and also the everyday gas depressurizing so you can adjust it.
Also I add some fennel syrup to reduce the taste of yeast in the beer.

Isn't it easier/simpler to just ferment it with the added sugar and yeast in the bucket, using a lid and an airlock? That will make it alcoholic.
When that's done, which should only take a few days, add a measured amount of sugar* to the bucket, mix carefully, and bottle. In 2-3 weeks all bottles should be perfectly carbonated. That way you won't have to depressurize each bottle several times and risk them exploding due to overpressure.

* Here's a carbonation calculator for bottling:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

 

[MehrdadMolavi]

Isn't it easier/simpler to just ferment it with the added sugar and yeast in the bucket, using a lid and an airlock? That will make it alcoholic.
When that's done, which should only take a few days, add a measured amount of sugar* to the bucket, mix carefully, and bottle. In 2-3 weeks all bottles should be perfectly carbonated. That way you won't have to depressurize each bottle several times and risk them exploding due to overpressure.

* Here's a carbonation calculator for bottling:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

Previously, I used to make my beer in the method as you mentioned (first fermentation in bucket with airlock for one week then adding sugar and Campden tablet and bottling and store for at least two weeks...) but for me the second fermentation would take more than 3 weeks to make it carbonated, maybe it is due to the type of my fermentator (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) which it may becomes much less active in an alcoholic solution, even I added fermentator and sugar to the bottles again, but it didn't improve and the result was a flat beer with very very little gas.

 

[IslandLizard]

(first fermentation in bucket with airlock for one week then adding sugar and Campden tablet and bottling and store for at least two weeks...)

Why use the Campden?
Don't use Campden (or "meta") when bottling beer if you want it naturally carbonated. Campden slows or can even stall the yeast, so it will only slowly carbonate or even not at all.

It does take about 2 weeks to carbonate bottles, even at 20-24°C. Probably quicker when it's warmer than that.

I don't know of a faster way to carbonate the beer, unless you ferment it in a keg (or another pressurizable container) under pressure and using a spunding valve, to vent off excess pressure.

Or force or burst carbonate the beer in a keg using a CO2 cylinder. Then fill your bottles from the keg using counter pressure, to reduce foaming.

 

[jerrylotto]

The only value of Campden (sodium or potassium metabisulfite) is that it quickly convert chloramines and chlorine - both used as sanitizers in metropolitan water sources to chloride. I use about an eighth teaspoon per 5 gallons of tap water to pretreat it before using it for brewing. I also add other salts and phosphoric acid to hit various profile and pH targets for different beers.

 

[MehrdadMolavi]

Why use the Campden?
Don't use Campden (or "meta") when bottling beer if you want it naturally carbonated. Campden slows or can even stall the yeast, so it will only slowly carbonate or even not at all.

It does take about 2 weeks to carbonate bottles, even at 20-24°C. Probably quicker when it's warmer than that.

I don't know of a faster way to carbonate the beer, unless you ferment it in a keg (or another pressurizable container) under pressure and using a spunding valve, to vent off excess pressure.

Or force or burst carbonate the beer in a keg using a CO2 cylinder. Then fill your bottles from the keg using counter pressure, to reduce foaming.

Yes, potassium sotrbate kills the yeast, but I use a little amount of Campden (or metabisulfite potassium) to kill bacteria in the second fermentation process to avoid sourness taste of beer caused by bacteria.
Anyhow, I will repeat the procedure without Campden to see the result, Thx.

 

[IslandLizard]

I use a little amount of Campden (or metabisulfite potassium) to kill bacteria in the second fermentation process

Customary for use when transferring wine, ciders, meads, etc. as they don't get a 2nd fermentation (to get carbonated).
Instead, use good sanitation on everything that touches your beer. See if carbonation improves.
If not, add a little yeast with the priming sugar.