Flat bottled beer.

[Jimberbob]

Before I knew of this forum, I bottled a batch of beer up. I used no primings, as the book I was reading said that if the beer has been made correctly, you shouldn't need any.......especially if you wanted to keep it for some time.
Anyway. Six weeks has passed, I've opened a bottle, it's as flat as flat can be. (I've obviously done something wrong.)
There is a yeast sediment in the bottom, do you think I could get away with opening all the bottles and putting some sugar in each?
Or have I had it on this one?

[SteveD]

Could just be a dud bottle - maybe a defective cap seal. Open another one. If that's ok, then you're ok. If not, you probably let it ferment out too far, and the fermentable sugar was all used up. You could try priming with boiled sugar syrup, at a rate of 2.5ml (1/2 tsp) per pint of sugar made up so that you're only adding about 3 ml of solution to the bottle. If you carefully open the bottles and add with a syringe then re-cap you might not admit too much air, and get away with it. If you don't get away with it, you've lost nothing as the brew is knackered anyway.

As I'm on pub gas I'd gently purge the headspace in the bottle with CO2 - and most likely get away with it

Or drink it flat and repeat to yourself "Cask ale...cask ale"

[Jimberbob]

I shall give it a go, thankyou.
I can see a gas bottle coming on next pay day.

[Calum]

Before I knew of this forum, I bottled a batch of beer up. I used no primings, as the book I was reading said that if the beer has been made correctly, you shouldn't need any.......especially if you wanted to keep it for some time.

Is that the Wheeler book? I did that with my first couple of AGs a few years ago. I experienced something similar to yourself in that the beer was a bit flat. However, if left for an extended period of time it does eventually condition.

[SteveD]

Before I knew of this forum, I bottled a batch of beer up. I used no primings, as the book I was reading said that if the beer has been made correctly, you shouldn't need any.......especially if you wanted to keep it for some time.

Is that the Wheeler book? I did that with my first couple of AGs a few years ago. I experienced something similar to yourself in that the beer was a bit flat. However, if left for an extended period of time it does eventually condition.

It's to do with bottling when still 2-3 points above final gravity, which will leave just enough fermentables to condition the beer. But, it's a tricky one to judge. Beer formulation and mash conditions are a factor, as is temperature and it's effects on dissolved CO2 levels in the green beer, and the attenuative power of the yeast, and what the yeast concentration is....and..and...as I said, it can be tricky to judge

[Jimberbob]

It is that book, yes. In the book it tells of long maturation periods of maybe a month or more before you bottle.
Bottling is something I would like to get the hang of, I can keep bottles in the fridge during summer and use kegs during the winter, that was the plan anyway.

[Calum]

It is that book, yes. In the book it tells of long maturation periods of maybe a month or more before you bottle.
Bottling is something I would like to get the hang of, I can keep bottles in the fridge during summer and use kegs during the winter, that was the plan anyway.

That is what I have been doing up until now (although a beer fridge with all the shiny trimmings is on the cards as a winter project ). I now have a bit of a standard system for priming:

40-60g of sugar per 23l for long term storage
80g of sugar per 23l for short to medium storage
160g per 23l for Hefe

You will soon gauge what is best for your palate.

[Jimberbob]

Thanks Calum, I shall write that in my book. I've always used Gervin yeast, I think I may try Safale-04 for my next brew. I'm sure the lads here say it packs down nice and hard.
Might even have a bash at the world famous Styrian stunner!