Bottle Conditioning And Flat Beer

[TheCrowBrew]

Hello fellow brewers!

I tried to search for something like this but could find nothing. I brewed an all grain Coffee Stout. Was in primary for 3 weeks, secondary 1 week and in the bottle @70F for 3 weeks. I put it in the fridge the morning and drank it the night, AMAZING but kind of flat? The head retention wasn't good, it went away right after i poured it. I managed to get a pic.

The question is what went wrong? (I calculated my priming sugar.) The retention is NOT GOOD and the beer is a little flat...?

 

[CUrchin]

One week in bottle is not enough. Try 3 weeks and you will probably be much better off. Also,after that three weeks chill as long as you can bear (at least overnight or longer) so the CO2 has some time to go into solution

 

[althalos]

What was your original gravity? If it was high, your yeast might be a little sick from alcohol poisoning. The fact that it was carbonated at all means they are still working. Give it some more time in the bottle, it'll get there. How much priming sugar did you add? Also, try keeping your glasses for beer separate from your other household glasses if you're not already - the surfactants in commercial dishwasher detergent that leave the dishes sparkling clean have a tendency to kill head retention. Wash your glasses with PBW.

 

[TheCrowBrew]

Hello! It was in the bottle for 3 weeks The OG was 1.060

 

[CUrchin]

My bad. I read the post wrong.

More time will probably help as stated.

Glassware and dishwasher chems can be an issue. I have a pint glass that for whatever reason kills the head of my beer.

Your recipe can make a difference also. Certain grains can help with head retention.

 

[Glynn]

depending on the co2 vol you used it may just need more time. some stouts are meant to have low carbonation for the style. try cold conditioning a sixer for a week to help absorb the co2. can you tell us by weight how much sugar you used. I prefer to weigh my sugar as volume can be inaccurate.

 

[BigFloyd]

depending on the co2 vol you used it may just need more time. some stouts are meant to have low carbonation for the style. try cold conditioning a sixer for a week to help absorb the co2. can you tell us by weight how much sugar you used. I prefer to weigh my sugar as volume can be inaccurate.

+1 on longer refrigeration and weighing your priming sugar. I've also found that these more complex beers take longer to carb. Give it a few more weeks at room temp then stick a bottle 3 or more days in the fridge and try it.

What volume of CO2 did you plug into the calculator? 2.4-2.5 is what most of us are accustomed to for regular drinking purposes. If you entered 1.8-1.9 volumes, it's going to be a bit light on the bubbles.

 

[TheCrowBrew]

I did 100 grams or so for little less than 5 gal. I worked on 2.1-2.3 if i remember corectly. I think time is the answer... My previous batch was almost perfect on 50 days...

 

[nmendres]

I'm a new brewer and I'm having a similar problem with a Coffee Stout I just brewed. It was slow to start fermenting, but it finished OK. Fermentation temperature started out a little cool, about 60 -65 degrees. I moved it to a warmer spot, about 65-70 degrees, and everything went well. OG was 1.054 and FG was 1.016 (5.1% ABV). I used 5 ounces of corn sugar for priming. I boiled 2 cups of water and dissolved the sugar. Poured the cooled sugar solution into my bottle bucket. I siphoned the stout on top of the sugar, and then gave it several stirs with the auto siphon. I used 22 ounce capped bottles and let them condition at 70 degrees for two weeks. I put two bottles in the frig and tried the first one today: almost flat with almost no sediment. I tried the second bottle just to see how consistent things were. Same story, almost no carb and very very little sediment. I'm thinking that my Safale S04 is just a little slow, and I should give it another 2 weeks minimum. Any advice?

 

[boydster]

Yes, give it another 2 weeks and try one more. If still not ready, wait longer. 5oz of priming sugar in 5 gallons will give you good carbonation, it just takes time sometimes.

 

[flars]

Hello fellow brewers!

I tried to search for something like this but could find nothing. I brewed an all grain Coffee Stout. Was in primary for 3 weeks, secondary 1 week and in the bottle @70F for 3 weeks. I put it in the fridge the morning and drank it the night, AMAZING but kind of flat? The head retention wasn't good, it went away right after i poured it. I managed to get a pic.

The question is what went wrong? (I calculated my priming sugar.) The retention is NOT GOOD and the beer is a little flat...?

View attachment 163067

The bubbles in the head are quite large yet. Couple more days of chilling and the head will stay.

 

[BigFloyd]

I'm a new brewer and I'm having a similar problem with a Coffee Stout I just brewed. It was slow to start fermenting, but it finished OK. Fermentation temperature started out a little cool, about 60 -65 degrees. I moved it to a warmer spot, about 65-70 degrees, and everything went well. OG was 1.054 and FG was 1.016 (5.1% ABV). I used 5 ounces of corn sugar for priming. I boiled 2 cups of water and dissolved the sugar. Poured the cooled sugar solution into my bottle bucket. I siphoned the stout on top of the sugar, and then gave it several stirs with the auto siphon. I used 22 ounce capped bottles and let them condition at 70 degrees for two weeks. I put two bottles in the frig and tried the first one today: almost flat with almost no sediment. I tried the second bottle just to see how consistent things were. Same story, almost no carb and very very little sediment. I'm thinking that my Safale S04 is just a little slow, and I should give it another 2 weeks minimum. Any advice?

It's not your S-04 being slow. It's that these sorts of complex beers usually take a longer period to carb and condition than the normal 3 weeks at 70*F. The bigger bottles can take slightly longer too.

If you put those in a box, store them at 70-75*F, stick a few in the fridge just after Christmas, and they should be fine for New Years Eve.

 

[peroua15]

fridge for a week at least. should do the trick. almost guaranteed