my Beer is flat??? what did I do wrong?

[Brad Simmons]

I have been making beer for a few years now (not regularly, just a few batches a year) and I love it. Never had a bad batch.

I just made this batch and it is flat - great taste and body, but flat as a flitter. Ideas?

I make wine too - so I am keenly aware of not killing the yeast, sanitation, etc - but I did something wrong here.

any input you gurus, you?

 

[Tom]

I have been making beer for a few years now (not regularly, just a few batches a year) and I love it. Never had a bad batch.

I just made this batch and it is flat - great taste and body, but flat as a flitter. Ideas?

I make wine too - so I am keenly aware of not killing the yeast, sanitation, etc - but I did something wrong here.

any input you gurus, you?

2 things come to mind.
Not enough priming sugar,
beer not in a warm enough place,
You did not wait long enough..
OK! 3 things.. LOL

 

[Wade E]

3 weeks in the bottle is basically the minimum and like tepe said it has to be in a warm environment.

 

[mattsbrewery]

Big +1 on wade and tepe!

One more factor to consider:

How long did it sit before bottling? I had a batch of beer that I fined and let sit for over a month before bottling. I guess since all the yeast had settled out, it took over a month more for it to carbonate! Some folks add a little yeast at bottling time with the priming sugar, but I never found it necessary if you wait long enough!

 

[Travisty]

+1 on Matt's post. The nice thing also about having less yeast to carbonate with is that there's less yeast on the bottom of the bottle when you pour the beer! Another thing about having less yeast is it should help the stability of the beer as well due to less possibility of yeast autolysis. Apparently Sierra Nevada always filters their beer and then adds the smallest amount of yeast nessecary to carbonate to the beer at bottling. It's real nice to only have a small dusting of yeast on the bottom of the bottle instead of the sludge I've had in some of my homebrews.

 

[unaFORDable]

My husband has just made his very first batch of beer. Now keep in mind that he is a retired marine and they know just about everything

so I stayed totally how of his way. I didn't even read the directions. So I have a question for you all....
Are you saying here that after you bottle the beer, that this beer should now be in a warm place for it to finish up in the bottle???
Thanks, TinaLouise

 

[Wayne1]

Yes - the beer needs to be kept warm - room temperature should suffice - as it is actually fermenting just a bit to produce the carbonation. Takes a couple of weeks or so - I have impatiently opened bottles after a week and found they were sufficiently carbonated

 

[Travisty]

I've also opened a bottle after three weeks and it hasn't been carbonated yet. A week or two later...carbonated perfect. Lots of variables, but it usually works out just fine. Only thing that could really screw it up for you is if the beer wasn't done fermenting when you bottle. That will lead to gushing bottles or bottle bombs!

 

[unaFORDable]

And what will the beer be like if it's put into the fridge????

 

[Wade E]

If it has not been room temp and went from bottling right to fridge then it either will take quite sometime to bottle carb or wont at all. Is this a Lager by any chance?

 

[Brad Simmons]

Chocolate Porter it is. I fermented it - and should have probably bottled after a week, but I was busy, so I let it in the primary fermentor for 2-3 weeks. then we bottled and put it in the cellar - not warm, but not cold.

My beers usually carbonate in two weeks. We will see.

GREAT tips and input here - I have hope now - wait a couple more weeks and I will update you all.

So much to this - I couldn't do it without great guys like you all. Brad Simmons

 

[Tom]

For beers I keg. I can then carbonate ib 48 hours