Flat'n Bitter

[mfdu]

so. a cooper bitter, K&K with additional hops.

bottled a week ago, mainly to 750ml king browns, but a few 500ml bottles too.
i used raw castor sugar, as the wife wanted it out of the cupboard.

i cracked a 500 last night to see how it was going. very low carbonation. no head. tiny bubbles. great flavour.

so - the beer tastes great and i don't want to ditch it.


is there any hope it'll carb up if i can just leave it alone long enough?


(how long is long enough. i mean come on - i'm getting thirsty again! a man is not a camel . . .)


mfdu

 

[Fents]

try and put the bottles in a bit of a warmer spot, leve em for a week or two and they should be ok.

 

[raven19]

+1 for more time.
Can take up to 3 - 4 weeks to carbonate, depending on storage temperature, etc. Then more time to condition in the bottle.

 

[mfdu]

yeah sorry - i just realised there was an almost identical thread on the K&K board.

advice was there what it is here - wait.

wait? really? damn you and your patience!!!
and there's a housewarming coming up - i'd allocated half the batch for that.
maybe i'll call this the Christmas hamper batch, and the Real Ale will work out in time for the housewarming . . .



mfdu

 

[buttersd70]

mdfu,
as said, a week isn't long enough. But if you want to try speed things up, there are a few things you can do.
Tip the bottles to resuspend the yeast in it (it'll settle again, so don't worry). Keep the bottles in a warm place, 20-25C. Most advice says to keep it cooler than this, and for primary ferment, this is true. But the differences in flavour that a few degrees extra makes during the bottle carbonation stage are sfa. Every day, tip the bottles (or more often) to keep it cloudy. Do this for about 5-7 days, then keep them in the warm place, but stop tipping them and let the yeast settle again.
Keeping the yeast suspended will speed the carbonation and the aging.

 

[PostModern]

One week? Patience man!
Two weeks, minimum.

Then again, if it tastes good and is a bitter, why not enjoy some now, then put a hold on the batch until it improves again.

 

[mfdu]

thanks butters (and all the rest o' ya)

i shall comply. just watch me!

i KNOW a week isn't long enough. but damn, man - my thirst. i think someones cut my throat.