Beer Too Sweet?

[manticle]

Yeah too much.

If you look up a carbonation calculator like recipator.org, it will give you varying amounts depending on styles. Usually such calcs will look at the volumes of co2 you want in the beer. The point of bulk priming, besides consistency is that you can tailor the carb level to personal taste and/or to specific style. UK beer is low carbed, german wheat might be high carbed.

210 is high end of the high scale and depending on residual co2 (and combined with the 75 if you racked while cold and kept cold) is going to equate to far too much for comfort.

Almsost definitely hasn't finished carbing and almost definitely is the cause of your sweet beer.

 

[manticle]

Good point I got a brew fridge too so can prolly put them all in. Will the yeast still be crankin. I was under the impression at cold temp it would die and may have to add more yeast.

You said it's carbed ok so that's not an issue. Cold won't kill yeast - it will just make them dormant until the temp warms up.

Chill, degas, let warm and taste. If the sweetness goes and the bottles are not overfizzed, you may be in the ballpark. If still sweet but not too fizzy, leave warm a few days and test again. If fizzy and still sweet, put back in fridge and repeat.

 

[crd0902]

Ok I didn't know I could put it from bottles into keg. I got the kegerator the other day and can't get it to go below 12 degrees and so my lhbs said he is going to order me a new fridge. I may still have the two kegs here but keeping the headspace full of gas may be an issue. Any thoughts as all the hoses ect are built into the fridge.

 

[ShredMaster]

And on that note, if it is a brand new kegorator and your first keg, have fun!!

My first keg was cool! I read a million guides and performed a million calculations then ****** it all up completely in about 5 minutes with a fresh co2 bottle and a whole bunch of shaking. Worked out how to de-carb it and then ****** it up again a day or so later. By the end of the keg (most of it on "Test pours") I managed to get a nice beer, great carbonation, clear as crystal and then 4 glasses later the keg was empty and I had a glass of foam.

So my next keg, I learned by my mistakes and worked out how to **** that on a completely different level! Blocked tap from hops, leaky co2 connection on the regulator and an empty co2 bottle after a day at massive kpa to get the carb right. **** knows when it ran out but the flat beer poured for about a glass and a half (it was ok beer). New gas bottle and a few days at serving pressure (ok maybe a whole day) and it was still flat. Time to shake.... Refer to paragraph 1.

So on my third keg I did the best thing I could think of: I tried to follow some form of direction like using the articles mentioned here. I even went and bought some new beer line of the right length considering tap height, temperature, carb level and whatnot. Still overcarbed the ****** but since then I've learned to force carb until it's ALMOST carbed right and then 2 days later its fine. Meanwhile I drink ok beer with enough bubbles to cause conversation like "man this **** is flat", "no its not, there's bubbles", "maybe in your glass mate".... and so on...


Good luck mate!!!


Cheers,
Shred.

 

[crd0902]

I think I might chill the stubbies and try recapping at least untill I get the keg system sorted

 

[manticle]

I can imagine pouring into a keg runs the risk of oxidation depending on how you pour. Happy to be wrong..

 

[crd0902]

Ok so three or four days ago was when it was super sweet and I tipped it out, I still had one brown cold. Just cracked it, drinkin it, perfect carb, thick head, nice and bitter and no sweetness. Confused much. It has been chilled for fourdays. First one was over night???

 

[crd0902]

That's what I was thinkin with the kegs

 

[ShredMaster]

I can imagine pouring into a keg runs the risk of oxidation depending on how you pour. Happy to be wrong..

I doubt you're wrong tbh, you've put some good advice in here between when I clicked "reply" to when I clicked "submit".

Could perhaps minimise it by flushing the keg with co2. Doc Smurto reckons its 2mins @ 200kpa to completely flush it, then it depends how you pour. Personally, I'd crank it up to about 200-250kpa and burp it a half dozen times then burp it to room pressure to take the lid off (same way I do it when I go to fill a keg).

I prefer Manticles' idea of gladwrapping and chilling your bottles, safety first mate. But the keg thing is fun to learn, it's so damn basic but so damn complex when you start out. Once you get the gist, it's a piece of piss...


Cheers,
Shred.

 

[crd0902]

Now I'm **** scared shred. I was reading something that says you can hook it up at pouring pressure and it will be fine in about three weeks. Yay or nay in your opinion. I got plenty of time

 

[ShredMaster]

Oh I'm no expert, I've just learned how not to **** it completely, mostly.

There's an article here about balancing a keg system, that is pretty bloody accurate. You get it right and hook it up for a week or so and its bloody perfect. Force carb works but its always touch and miss, by nature. You get it carbed enough to drink but it's a fine line to overcarbing it and being back to square one by de-carbing it to start over again. Force carb also means that the first night is carbed with big bubbles and they are here and there, the second night (when left at serving pressure) the bubbles are a little smaller and little more dispersed and the fourth night its bloody near perfect but now 1/3 of the keg is gone.

Serving pressure on a balanced system for a week will usually allow the beer to absorb enough co2 and stop when it is right (depending on what "right" means for your beer, temperature and line length). As the keg drains, you drop a few kpa to compensate for the headspace and not overcarb any of the beer, trial and error.

Well, thats how I see it....


Cheers,
Shred.