Beer flat at bottling

[PurpleHaze]

If it's only 15-19 during the day it must be dropping pretty low overnight? The bottles may be dropping too low overnight and not warming up again. I had this issue with a couple of batches of ale a few years ago and decided not to bother with them over the colder months again, for that reason.

If that's what has been happening you could gently invert the bottles a few times to stir up the yeast sediment and try to warm them up to 18C+ somehow.

To carbonate in bottles, you need four things:

• Adequate amount of yeast (shouldn't be too hard straight after primary fermentation)
• Warm enough temp for yeast to work
• Adequate priming sugar
• Airtight seal on the bottles

If you're missing one or more of these, the beer won't carbonate.

Well I think it must be the temperature thats killing me..

Because I used Priming sugar measured out properly and then bottled and capped them with a (bottle capper.. I don't know what its actually called but it cost me 50 bux.. so not with a hammer)

Hopefully time and some sort of temp improvement can save them from being too flat.. I was thinking of trying to insulate a large plastic container.. with foam and maybe some sort of heat wrap?

I'll definitely invert them as well! I noticed the difference after shaking a few to get the yeast/priming sugar fermenting..

Hence I think I'll follow your lead and leave the ales for summer and get started on making a Kronenberg Lager!! Right now!

 

[PurpleHaze]

About a week into fermenting my Kronenberg Lager.. and after a few teething problems early with the cook not being mixed enough and the starting OG being 1.075 (it's now 1.021) after 7 days..

Is this normal for a Lager?
Temp has been between 7-11c.

 

[jumbo72]

Well I think it must be the temperature thats killing me..

Because I used Priming sugar measured out properly and then bottled and capped them with a (bottle capper.. I don't know what its actually called but it cost me 50 bux.. so not with a hammer)

Hopefully time and some sort of temp improvement can save them from being too flat.. I was thinking of trying to insulate a large plastic container.. with foam and maybe some sort of heat wrap?

I'll definitely invert them as well! I noticed the difference after shaking a few to get the yeast/priming sugar fermenting..

Hence I think I'll follow your lead and leave the ales for summer and get started on making a Kronenberg Lager!! Right now!

I've got the same problem with temperatures. So I have got a 50ltr container that fits 28 out of my 30 PET 750ml bottles, filled it with water and a bit of sanitiser then put in a 55 watt fish tank heater set at ~22c. Don't know how this will work.

Any thoughts?