Flat Lager and Cider

[sonicated]

The girlfriends mum stayed in the brewery (spare room) for 3 weeks so my rolling stock was ruined. I therefore decided to brew a lager, cider and bitter all at once. Five weeks later the bitter is great but the lager and cider have not carbonated. They just have minimal sediment at the bottom of the bottles which I assume is just suspended yeast.

Could anyone explain why? Can I save them?

I have played everything by the book and this has never happened before. All the bitter bottles are carbonated but none of the lager or cider bottles are - I can tell as they are in PET bottles. They were all left at 21C for a week then half of each batch placed in a fridge and half left in the warm (it's a lot of booze!).

I put 160 grams of sugar in each which was zapped in the microwave with water and then added to the bottling bucket before syphoning. Through paranoia I have weighed the left over bag of sugar and it is missing 450g (160 and 160 plus 130 for the bitter - I like fizzy beer) so I didn't forget to add the sugar.

The beer doesn't taste sweet but 160grams of sugar in 5 gallons of beer doesn't to me.

I sterilised all the bottles in videne (1.25ml in 1 litre of water, measured with a syringe) and rinsed them just to be paranoid. There are no off flavours.

I'm completely lost for an explanation!

[trucker5774]

I also like a fizz in my lager and cider.............that still sounds like a lot of sugar though (about double) Is it possible the brews have been exposed to any extreme temperature...hot or cold. What type of yeast was it. How old was the yeast. What temperature was it pitched. Have you any nuts and bolts left over, or left a spanner in the engine These are the questions I would normally ask myself. I'm sure there will be far more knowledge than I have, Just wait for the posts. I have a lager which is less than lively.............may try your high sugar approach next time.

[sonicated]

The yeast was fine. I had a good primary fermentation and bottled after seven days. I can't remember exactly what the hydrometer reading was but it was normal. There was definitely yeast in suspension because some has now settled on the bottom of the bottle - a lot less than after a good secondary fermentation though.

The temperature was also a steady 21C which is in the recommended range both both yeasts.

Apparently Coopers recommend 160grams of sugar for their lager and I would agree. It comes out of the bottle with the same fizzyness of lager from a can. I usually pour from a 2 litre PET bottle into a jug and then pour into glasses from there. It retains a nice fizz for an hour or so in the fridge until the last glass.

[mat69]

The girlfriends mum stayed in the brewery (spare room) for 3 weeks so my rolling stock was ruined.

what happened? did she drink it all

[sonicated]

I'm pleased to report that they have now carbonated! I wanted to throw them all out but as I was curious why they had no fizz I put them in the loft. I went up there a few days ago and the plastic bottles had pressurised. I put a few in the fridge and had them last night. The John Bull Country cider isn't all that nice, but drinkable. The Coopers Mexican Cerveza and the Geordie Bitter with Crystal Malt (250g) and Goldings hops (50g) are very nice!

They did spend a week in the warm at 21C and half of them also further two weeks at room temperature whilst I was on Holiday. It appears they needed a bit more heat - bizarre.

[moobli]

ive just had a similaer thing happen with my lager apart from it being in a keg
see "dead beer"



just bottled 12 with 1/2 tsp of sugar in to see what happens leave them for a week
room is a constant 22%

[sonicated]

I hope it goes well for you, moobli. I have always bottled lager and a few friends who use kegs have said they will now bottle after trying mine.

If it doesn't work out don't let it put you off homebrewing. I was planning to put on a brew as soon as I got back from holiday (three weeks ago) but I was stumped why my previous batch didn't carbonate so it put me off. I wish I had got a brew going now.

I'm off to order a beerkit at Stonehelm!

[moobli]

no it hasnrt put me off
got another kit
a coopers australian ale and some newcasle yeast
got my feelers out for demijohns
but just picked up a shoe box of bits for wine making at a carboot for two quid including two books of recipes

too slow for the demijohns he had
apparently there is a bloke in hull buying all the second hand demi johns he can find

fo his collection of pickled pets
formeldahyde creatures

[timothio]

pickled pets
formeldahyde creatures

Wow!! I like the sound of that... I wonder if you can ferment beasts?

*looks longingly at his annoying smelly rats and wonders if they'll fit through the neck of a demi-john...*