I do not know what to do...with my first beer...

[João Machado]

Hello.
I have my first beer (it is a Bock) finishing his fermentation ( I leaved for 15days fermenting in a room, about room temperature, or 5 degrees less ). It is currently bottled finishing the second fermentation, and carbonation. It stayed 1 week bottled at room temperature and 1 week in a fridge.
I started december 31th, bottled january 15th, and opened / tasted today, at night ( January 28th ). It stills taste sweet and little to none carbonation...

I shall say that I still don't have a densimeter to measure de gravity, it is my first beer.

What should I do?...

What do you guys think?

 

[micraftbeer]

Put it somewhere warm in your house. Not super warm like near a furnace, but say a room that doesn't have a draft and maybe up higher on top of a bookcase or something. Give it 2 weeks.

When I was bottling, it would usually take 2 weeks warm to carb, but someone's would also take 3. So generally I left it 3 weeks in a warm spot.

You only had one week like that, and sounds like maybe it was a little cooler in that room. So the yeast wouldn't be very active on your priming sugar. Then when you put it in fridge, you definitely put them to sleep. You need to get it warm, and once warm, probably skate the bottles to get things mixed up back in solution.

 

[MikeCo]

I agree with micraftbeer - put the bottles somewhere warm and give them more time to carbonate.

I'm also concerned the beer did not reach its final gravity. It sounds like you fermented rather cool for only 2 weeks, and you say it tastes sweet. If you want to make beer, you really need a hyrometer to determine when you've reached terminal gravity and it's safe to bottle. If you bottled before the yeast could consume all the fermentable sugars in the wort and then added more priming sugar, you could have over-carbonated beer, or in the worst case exploding bottles. Keep a close eye on them, and if possible put them in something to contain any breaking bottles.

 

[João Machado]

Put it somewhere warm in your house. Not super warm like near a furnace, but say a room that doesn't have a draft and maybe up higher on top of a bookcase or something. Give it 2 weeks.

When I was bottling, it would usually take 2 weeks warm to carb, but someone's would also take 3. So generally I left it 3 weeks in a warm spot.

You only had one week like that, and sounds like maybe it was a little cooler in that room. So the yeast wouldn't be very active on your priming sugar. Then when you put it in fridge, you definitely put them to sleep. You need to get it warm, and once warm, probably skate the bottles to get things mixed up back in solution.

It's not bad to take out the bottles from the fridge and let them warm up?

 

[João Machado]

I agree with micraftbeer - put the bottles somewhere warm and give them more time to carbonate.

I'm also concerned the beer did not reach its final gravity. It sounds like you fermented rather cool for only 2 weeks, and you say it tastes sweet. If you want to make beer, you really need a hyrometer to determine when you've reached terminal gravity and it's safe to bottle. If you bottled before the yeast could consume all the fermentable sugars in the wort and then added more priming sugar, you could have over-carbonated beer, or in the worst case exploding bottles. Keep a close eye on them, and if possible put them in something to contain any breaking bottles.

Can I take them out of the fridge and put them...lets say...my bedroom?

 

[MikeCo]

Can I take them out of the fridge and put them...lets say...my bedroom?

Yes, the only way they will carbonate is to warm them up. Put them in a cooler or some other container with a lid for reasons stated above.

 

[davidabcd]

You can take them out of the fridge and continue to carbonate them.
Plus one on post #2.
To be sure the FG was reached, knowing the yeast used and the actual temp of the room. Not something to guess at, but two weeks should be fine for reaching FG.

 

[tracer bullet]

When you say it finished fermentation - did you see a lot of active fermentation? I'm just making sure there's not that 1% chance it never even fermented to start with and there's no yeast to carbonate. Hence the sweetness. This is probably not the case but...

When you bottled, did you add sugar to start fermentation again? Again just to be sure.

 

[João Machado]

When you say it finished fermentation - did you see a lot of active fermentation? I'm just making sure there's not that 1% chance it never even fermented to start with and there's no yeast to carbonate. Hence the sweetness. This is probably not the case but...

When you bottled, did you add sugar to start fermentation again? Again just to be sure.

I think the first fermentation was finished...and yes, I putted the aditional sugar.

 

[João Machado]

O

You can take them out of the fridge and continue to carbonate them.
Plus one on post #2.
To be sure the FG was reached, knowing the yeast used and the actual temp of the room. Not something to guess at, but two weeks should be fine for reaching FG.

Okok

 

[João Machado]

Yes, the only way they will carbonate is to warm them up. Put them in a cooler or some other container with a lid for reasons stated above.

Thanks!!

 

[spirithorses]

I strongly recommend you to obtain a hydrometer or similar device serving the same purpose.

All other mistakes you have done during brewing may result having a bad beer at the worst scenario. You lose time and/or money. But brewing without gravity measures, if you are especially bottling to glass bottles, may produce bottle bombs and can even cause personal injury.

 

[Steveruch]

One week of bottle conditioning is not enough for a bock.

 

[Knightshade]

I've read that some people elect to use a plastic soda bottle as a gauge for how their bottle carbonation is going?

So when the plastic bottle gets to the point where it would be if you were to buy a new bottle of soda at the store, you know it is carbonated. So the stuff you have in your glass bottles is likely to be at the same level. Then you can test, and if it is suitable to your taste, take the batch and cool down in the fridge.

 

[RM-MN]

I've read that some people elect to use a plastic soda bottle as a gauge for how their bottle carbonation is going?

So when the plastic bottle gets to the point where it would be if you were to buy a new bottle of soda at the store, you know it is carbonated. So the stuff you have in your glass bottles is likely to be at the same level. Then you can test, and if it is suitable to your taste, take the batch and cool down in the fridge.

I've done the soda bottle testing and found that the bottle was pretty firm at 24 hours after bottling but the beer was nowhere near ready to drink just because is was carbonated. At 24 hours, the beer would hiss on opening but the flavors were not right and there was no head on the beer. At 3 weeks the beer was much, much better tasting.

 

[Knightshade]

I've done the soda bottle testing and found that the bottle was pretty firm at 24 hours after bottling but the beer was nowhere near ready to drink just because is was carbonated. At 24 hours, the beer would hiss on opening but the flavors were not right and there was no head on the beer. At 3 weeks the beer was much, much better tasting.

Interesting, but also why I said “I’ve read” as I’ve never bottled. Not surprised that a carbonated 24 hour beer tastes a little off as most need some time to mature.

Had no idea a beer could carbonate that quickly in a bottle though, craziness.

 

[RM-MN]

Had no idea a beer could carbonate that quickly in a bottle though, craziness.

Think about how much yeast is in suspension and then how long it would take for them to eat up the simple sugar we feed them at bottling.

 

[VikeMan]

Had no idea a beer could carbonate that quickly in a bottle though, craziness.

Fully carbonated in 24 hours? No way.

 

[sibelman]

Plastic bottle hard = pressure. Carbonation, hopefully. Temperature rise could also contribute.