Flat Beer

[colonel]

G'day All.
Ijust discovered this site, and thought I'd try it out.
I've been brewing for 17 years, and have notched up 303 brews, so I thought I knew what I was doing!
I'v just had a year or so off brewing, but when I recently started up again, my first couple of batches have been flat as a tack.
My method is the same as the other 300 batches, except I did use a combined bottle wash/sterilizer, which I have not used before, only because my bottles had been sitting around for up to 2 years, and needed a wash.
I did give the bottles a good rinse though, after washing.
The beer bubles along fine in the wort, but not in the bottles.
Here are my theories:

1...too cold.(it's no colder than other winters, and I used to brew all year round)

2...I'm not giving it enough time. (admittedly, I'm trying them after only 2 or 3 weeks, when in the past, I've had enough stockpile to wait a year or more)

3...something with the sterilizer.(but I'm rinsing well, and have used it in the fermenter as well, which works fine)

4...???


I'd be thankfull for any ideas, as well as some advise as to how to scroll back to fix spelling mistakes!

Cheers!
Colonel

Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day.
Teach a man to fish, and he'll sit in a boat and drink beer all day!

 

[muckey]

assuming that your priming rate is the same as you used previously, i'd give the bottles a gentle shake and sit them in a warm room for a couple of days to see if carbonation kicks over

and welcome to the forum

 

[juzz1981]

I have noticed with my brews during winter, if you dont have them in a warmish environment it will take longer to carb; sometimes a month.

Where are you storing your bottles to carb up? How warm is it.. I assume you are using an ale yeast?

 

[the_yobbo]

Hmm, sounds like a bit of a puzzle this one. I can't think of anything obvious so possibly back to basics.
Are they completely dead flat or just quite flat?
A year away from brewing, did you forget to prime/put sugar in each of your bottles (or bulk prime) or not put enough in. At this stage, it almost seems the obvious solution.

As per Muckey's suggestions, give them a bit of agitation to get the yeasty sediment from the bottom and any possibly undisolved sugars and warm them up a bit (20 degrees) if they have been kept in a cold place since bottling.

Following that, I'd be starting to pluck at straws. How old are the seals you've used, have they been in a 40 degree shed all summer and perished? Did it really ferment in the barrel (hydrometer or taste would tell) or was the airlock activity just temperature driven?

I'm intrigued.

 

[Yob]

Where abouts are you mate? I found my last few brews in Melbourne needed a bit of heat in the cupboard to get them up to 18'c.. (also they had been cold conditioned for a week prior to botteling)... the cupboard was sitting on about 13'c so I added a light bulb in a box for a few weeks and sorted them out.. :icon_drunk:

Oh yeah and Welcome to the site and back to the addiction/hobby :icon_cheers:

(edit) and what was it you have brewed? old recipe perhaps? Care to share?

 

[DU99]

what type of sterilizer did you use..

 

[felten]

You're better off using a cleaner, rinsing it off, then a proper separate no-rinse sanitiser, with no rinsing of course. Though this shouldn't affect your carbonation levels, it sounds like either a temperature issue, or not enough priming sugar (you haven't said how much you are using).

 

[colonel]

Thanks

Where abouts are you mate? I found my last few brews in Melbourne needed a bit of heat in the cupboard to get them up to 18'c.. (also they had been cold conditioned for a week prior to botteling)... the cupboard was sitting on about 13'c so I added a light bulb in a box for a few weeks and sorted them out.. :icon_drunk:

Oh yeah and Welcome to the site and back to the addiction/hobby :icon_cheers:

(edit) and what was it you have brewed? old recipe perhaps? Care to share?

tto thhhhhhhhh


Thanks for the replies,
I'm thinking it's probably temperature/time related.
The last couple of brews, I did use a light box, but only for a few days.
I will try bringing them inside for a week or so, as the temperature in the shed hasn't been over 10deg for the last couple of weeks.(Central Victoria)
By the same token, I've been brewing here for years, so maybe I'm just not patient enough.
In answer to a couple of questions, the last couple of brews have been Soveriegn Gold (Ballarat) Bitter, and Coopers Old.
I've been brewing for years, and Coopers never lets me down (other than foaming up through the airlock).
I use a fish tank submersible heater in the wort, 0.5 to 1kg of raw sugar.
Then bottle with a teaspoon of white sugar in the stubbies.
Usually don't sterilise anything, just rinse bottles after use, and store upside down.

P.S. I was scrounging around the other week, and found a box of my beer from December 1995.
Coopers Real Ale, 15 years old, in an old shed, 40degree summers, 0degree winters, Absolutely magnificent!!!
Beer, what a miracle food!!

Cheers All
Colonel

 

[juzz1981]

P.S. I was scrounging around the other week, and found a box of my beer from December 1995.
Coopers Real Ale, 15 years old, in an old shed, 40degree summers, 0degree winters, Absolutely magnificent!!!
Beer, what a miracle food!!

Cheers All
Colonel

Cripes, after being exposed to temperatures varying from 0 to 40c for 15 years i would have expected the beer to taste like arse :icon_vomit:

 

[mahonya1]

G'day All.
Ijust discovered this site, and thought I'd try it out.
I've been brewing for 17 years, and have notched up 303 brews, so I thought I knew what I was doing!
I'v just had a year or so off brewing, but when I recently started up again, my first couple of batches have been flat as a tack.
My method is the same as the other 300 batches, except I did use a combined bottle wash/sterilizer, which I have not used before, only because my bottles had been sitting around for up to 2 years, and needed a wash.
I did give the bottles a good rinse though, after washing.
The beer bubles along fine in the wort, but not in the bottles.
Here are my theories:

1...too cold.(it's no colder than other winters, and I used to brew all year round)

2...I'm not giving it enough time. (admittedly, I'm trying them after only 2 or 3 weeks, when in the past, I've had enough stockpile to wait a year or more)

3...something with the sterilizer.(but I'm rinsing well, and have used it in the fermenter as well, which works fine)

4...???


I'd be thankfull for any ideas, as well as some advise as to how to scroll back to fix spelling mistakes!

Cheers!
Colonel

Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day.
Teach a man to fish, and he'll sit in a boat and drink beer all day!

The same thing has happened to my last 2 brews. A batch of Weizen has been bottled for 4 weeks and brown ale 3 weeks. Both are flat as a fart and I am putting it down to the cold weather, although my storage/garage is at 16 degrees and I can't remember having to wait this long last winter. I'll give them a couple more weeks before trying again.

 

[hellbent]

Thanks tto thhhhhhhhh

Check out the guy at the Ballarat Brew shop (the best HBS in the area) he may be able to help you, I have been in there a few times and found him pleasant and more than helpful with all my newbie queries etc.


Thanks for the replies,
I'm thinking it's probably temperature/time related.
The last couple of brews, I did use a light box, but only for a few days.
I will try bringing them inside for a week or so, as the temperature in the shed hasn't been over 10deg for the last couple of weeks.(Central Victoria)
By the same token, I've been brewing here for years, so maybe I'm just not patient enough.
In answer to a couple of questions, the last couple of brews have been Soveriegn Gold (Ballarat) Bitter, and Coopers Old.
I've been brewing for years, and Coopers never lets me down (other than foaming up through the airlock).
I use a fish tank submersible heater in the wort, 0.5 to 1kg of raw sugar.
Then bottle with a teaspoon of white sugar in the stubbies.
Usually don't sterilise anything, just rinse bottles after use, and store upside down.

P.S. I was scrounging around the other week, and found a box of my beer from December 1995.
Coopers Real Ale, 15 years old, in an old shed, 40degree summers, 0degree winters, Absolutely magnificent!!!
Beer, what a miracle food!!

Cheers All
Colonel

 

[colonel]

I have noticed with my brews during winter, if you dont have them in a warmish environment it will take longer to carb; sometimes a month.

Where are you storing your bottles to carb up? How warm is it.. I assume you are using an ale yeast?

Good Work!
That's all the problem seems to have been.
I brought a couple of dozen inside for 3 weeks, and now they're fine.
Thanks to all who replied with ideas.
Cheers
Colonel

give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day.
teach a man to fish, and he'll sit in a boat, and drink beer all day!

 

[Silo Ted]

P.S. I was scrounging around the other week, and found a box of my beer from December 1995.

Outstanding work. Im surprised they were still carbonated, let alone drinkable. I would love to try a 15 year old homebrew but sadly round these parts very few make it past the 15 weeks mark.

 

[Gronko]

I did a toucan of real ale (+kg DME) and after bottling I sat the crates in the usual place behind the door in my laaaarge (and quite cold in winter) hallway

3 weeks later I did my first sample. Flat as a tack. Zero fizz. And an unpleasant syrupy taste.

I figured it was too cold in the hallway so I moved the crates to the lounge room near my wood heater (wifey was happy about this.. not very :lol: ) and gave all the stubbies a bit of a shake.

3 more weeks and they are all carbed nicely. No more syrupy taste either

So I assume the stubbies were too cold for the yeast to second ferment