Fizz

[carllancaster1977]

Sherwoods Orchard Cider, brewed, now in keg and quite drinkable, head is sore this morning and missus said I was putting the world to rights last night so it does have alcohol in!

However, its been in the Keg now for approximately 16 days,(was in fermenter for approx 12 days) but it still is not fizzy (hardly).

How much priming sugar should I use in order to make this happen (for a 25 litre batch)? Or can I not carbonate home brew?

I ask this because soon I want to do a lager but am worried it will be flat.

Any tips / pointers would be useful...

[Hoppkins]

I made up a coopers bitter kit and despite being in the keg for over 6 weeks it isnt "fizzy" it is ... KINDA fizzy. E.g. you can hear a slight efferescence and see bubbles but its not like fizzy like pub beer.

I did a geordie lager kit with spray malt and bottled it. 2 weeks and this is fizzy as hell.

Go figure.

[carllancaster1977]

Well mine has no bubbles, no fizz.

Flat as the preverbial pancake.

More priming sugar?

Am new to this game as you can probably guess...;..

[ColinKeb]

usually for a 5 gallon batch youd put in around 2oz of sugar , maybe a little more for a lager or cider. ive seen a guide saying 1/2 an ounce per gallon before but thats a bit much for bitters. I dont think youll be able to force carbonate with co2 using anything but a corny either was there any yeast/slurry still in the cider when you racked it off or was it totaly clear ? you need a tiny bit of yeast to work with the sugar you see , not much tho. some people have added a teaspoon of slurry to the secondary to make sure things kick off properly with the sugar.

also are you sure your keg is airtight? if youve got a leak that would explain why its flat .

[carllancaster1977]

When I transferred from Fermenter to Keg I tried not to take any slurry....could I pitch in more yeast and add more sugar? Or do I just deal with flat cider?

[Stonch]

E.g. you can hear a slight efferescence and see bubbles but its not like fizzy like pub beer.

Whoa, whoa! Pub beer's not meant to be fizzy (unless it's lager).

A slight efferescence is about right, in an ale or in a cider. Anything else messes with your taste buds and gives you hiccups!

[carllancaster1977]

I dont even have efferwhateveryoucalledthat....

[ColinKeb]

i would check you havent got a leak first, even a very gradual one as its odd that its totaly flat really

[ColinKeb]

When I transferred from Fermenter to Keg I tried not to take any slurry....could I pitch in more yeast and add more sugar? Or do I just deal with flat cider?

most people dont but if its especially clear and youre worried there is too little yeast left in the brew you can add a teaspoon in just to make sure , usually you wouldnt have to do this though. I'd double check the leak situation first , make sure taps and lids are on tight and add some co2 .the cider will absorb some of the gas but it should not go flat again.

or just drink it flat of course

[Hoppkins]

E.g. you can hear a slight efferescence and see bubbles but its not like fizzy like pub beer.

Whoa, whoa! Pub beer's not meant to be fizzy (unless it's lager).

A slight efferescence is about right, in an ale or in a cider. Anything else messes with your taste buds and gives you hiccups!

I meant pub lager not bitter. Sorry for the confusion.

[tubby_shaw]

Draught cider should be flat Read all about it
If you really must have it carbonated, your best bet is to bottle it with 5g / litre of sugar that should give a slight sparkle without destroying the flavour

[Richy]

Hey guys I have the same problem when getting fizz in my lagers.

I have checked for leaks but couldnt find any. I was told to put some vaseline around the screw top where the valve is on the barrel to stop air escaping.

I'd like to try adding a little more yeast with the priming sugars. Is there a certain yeast a should use for this?

many thanks

Richy

[ColinKeb]

I may be wrong but i would just get a teaspoon of the slurry at the bottom of the fermenting bucket and use that

[prodigal2]

Hey guys I have the same problem when getting fizz in my lagers.

I have checked for leaks but couldnt find any. I was told to put some vaseline around the screw top where the valve is on the barrel to stop air escaping.

I'd like to try adding a little more yeast with the priming sugars. Is there a certain yeast a should use for this?

many thanks

Richy

With the lager I did it took nearly 2 months before the carbonation was right, sadly this was also when it was nearly finished

[mysterio]

If you're talking about pressure barrels, you're not going to get a lager like fizz in them. They are designed to release pressure so it's always going to have a low level of carbonation like you'd find in a real ale. You need to use a cornelius keg or bottle to get lager-like fizz.