19 replies to this topic

[SchwanzBrewer]

My first beer has been carbonating for a week, so I'm gonna throw a couple in the fridge and see how they are doing!Wish me luck!-Rich

[MtnBrewer]

I think you'll need it. A week is sometimes enough to carb a beer but don't be too surprised (or disappointed) if they're flat. If that's the case, wait another week or two and try again. They will carbonate...just be patient.

[ChefLamont]

I think you'll need it. A week is sometimes enough to carb a beer but don't be too surprised (or disappointed) if they're flat. If that's the case, wait another week or two and try again. They will carbonate...just be patient.

Are you kidding? He'll drink them like they are the best beer ever, declare them an absolute success, and maybe even drink a couple more warm, then proclaim he is, by God, a brewer. We all did it.THEN he might wait another week for them to actually finish carbonating. hahaEnjoy the first fruits.

[shmgeggie]

Congratulations on waiting a whole week. I think I tried my first batch after about 3 days!

[MyaCullen]

Congratulations on waiting a whole week. I think I tried my first batch after about 3 days!

yup 4 days on my first batch, I was truly amazed at how much better they were after 4 weeks in the bottle!

[Brian72]

So, how was it? The suspense is killing us!

[MakeMeHoppy]

Congrats on your first batch. I would also bottle the batch with 1 plastic soda bottle being the last to get filled. I would give it a couple of days until the plastic bottle was hard so I knew it was pressurized. I would then chill that one and sample it. Then about every 2 days I would take a bottle and chill and test it. I think as a new brewer it was a good lesson in learning to let the beer age a little. You should notice steady improvement in the beers over the first two weeks or so. You get some real 'green' hops taste early and some beers like Porters and Stouts and many others need a little time for all of the flavors to mature and meld. The important thing that you didn't mention is when you are starting your next batch!!!

[DaBearSox]

Are you kidding? He'll drink them like they are the best beer ever, declare them an absolute success, and maybe even drink a couple more warm, then proclaim he is, by God, a brewer. We all did it.THEN he might wait another week for them to actually finish carbonating. hahaEnjoy the first fruits.

I remember my first Mr. Beer Canadian Lager (Ale) I thought it was soooo good...then I got to the last few and could hardly drink them...which led me to research the craft of homebrewing and become obsessed with making the best beer I could possibly make....my wallet somewhat lighter and my studio apt over flowing with equipment I can now look back and say I am glad I made that crappy tasting pee water....just wait til you bring yourself to go all-grain....

[ncbeerbrewer]

Congrats on your first batch. I agree with the statments above. A week doesn't always work but give it a few more weeks and you will be golden. Hope it turns out like you wanted as well. Good Luck on the next brew as well.

[cbbrown40]

What ever it tastes like you will know it came from you. Congrats

[SchwanzBrewer]

Well, it was barely carbed at all. There was positive pressure in the bottle and a haze of CO2 , but it poured flat. On a positive note, it tasted pretty darn good for flat beer. You got a bit of the sensation of being carbonated when you drink it so it tasted better than when I bottled. This is week 6 of aging so its not too young, just flatish. Also it is pretty hazy, I was too lazy to cold crash it before bottling. It cooled for 4 hours in the frig before I tried it. The recipe was Ken Lenard's MLPA.Thanks for the advice, all!-Rich

[MyaCullen]

Well, it was barely carbed at all. There was positive pressure in the bottle and a haze of CO2 , but it poured flat. On a positive note, it tasted pretty darn good for flat beer. You got a bit of the sensation of being carbonated when you drink it so it tasted better than when I bottled. This is week 6 of aging so its not too young, just flatish. Also it is pretty hazy, I was too lazy to cold crash it before bottling. It cooled for 4 hours in the frig before I tried it. The recipe was Ken Lenard's MLPA.Thanks for the advice, all!-Rich

keep em off the floor, let em go for 3 weeks then chill for 2 days minimum, then be prepared for AHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I made that shit, wow <I am freaking awesome, damn I need to make another batch!!!

[Deerslyr]

I remember my first Mr. Beer Canadian Lager (Ale) I thought it was soooo good...then I got to the last few and could hardly drink them...which led me to research the craft of homebrewing and become obsessed with making the best beer I could possibly make....my wallet somewhat lighter and my studio apt over flowing with equipment I can now look back and say I am glad I made that crappy tasting pee water....just wait til you bring yourself to go all-grain....

Yay for Mr. Beer! {drips with sarcasm}I too followed Mr. Beer "By The FREAKING Book" and opened my beer after one week. Worst tasting thing I have ever had... completely flat and a bit sweet. My brother-in-law and cousins are the ones that "drank them like I was the best beer ever, declare them an absolute success, even drank a couple more warm, then proclaim I was, by God, a brewer".I didn't have the heart to tell them that I was sorely dissapointed in how they turned out and that possibly, quite possibly, they could have fermented a bit more and spent more time in the bottles. I did 2 more Mr. Beer batches and graduated from Pull-Up diapers to real underwear. Damn I love my Scooby Doo Underoos!

[Mudd]

Yay for Mr. Beer! {drips with sarcasm}I too followed Mr. Beer "By The FREAKING Book" and opened my beer after one week. Worst tasting thing I have ever had... completely flat and a bit sweet. My brother-in-law and cousins are the ones that "drank them like I was the best beer ever, declare them an absolute success, even drank a couple more warm, then proclaim I was, by God, a brewer".I didn't have the heart to tell them that I was sorely dissapointed in how they turned out and that possibly, quite possibly, they could have fermented a bit more and spent more time in the bottles. I did 2 more Mr. Beer batches and graduated from Pull-Up diapers to real underwear. Damn I love my Scooby Doo Underoos!

+1A definite Pond Water taste with aftertones of grey cardboard! On a bussiness trip, stopped at my brother's and described my _beer. He dragged me out to Cap 'N' Cork. Found an old family friend owned the place.He fixed me up!Haven't looked back..Hmm, I wasn't offered any Scoobie Doos

[SchwanzBrewer]

Keep them off the floor? Not sure I follow you there, but there are not on the floor anywho.I put 2 in the fridge, but only opened 1. Can I take the other out and let it resume carbonating without it tasting bad?I tried making a beer in college out of a box I bought in Wally world. It wasn't Mr. Beer, it was worse. The directions were clearly translated from chinese or korean and were pretty hard to follow. I did just about everything wrong including pitching the yeast hot, suck siphoning, no sanitizing, and I used city tap water. After 4 weeks I had pond scum, literally.My OG was around 1.048 and my FG was 1.008, target was 1.011, so I had some extra fermentables or my temp control wasn't good in this batch.Will the chill haze clear itself up after another couple weeks of carbonating, and then a couple days in the fridge?BTW: I have been pretty patient with this beer, its my friends and family that are pressuring me. They are like little kids; Is it done yet? When can I try some? Over and over and over...Thanks,Rich

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Are you kidding? He'll drink them like they are the best beer ever, declare them an absolute success, and maybe even drink a couple more warm, then proclaim he is, by God, a brewer. We all did it.THEN he might wait another week for them to actually finish carbonating. hahaEnjoy the first fruits.

I think you are correct I remember my first beer was one of my favorite beers ever. I have no idea what I would think of it now...

[Deerslyr]

Keep them off the floor? Not sure I follow you there, but there are not on the floor anywho.I put 2 in the fridge, but only opened 1. Can I take the other out and let it resume carbonating without it tasting bad?I tried making a beer in college out of a box I bought in Wally world. It wasn't Mr. Beer, it was worse. The directions were clearly translated from chinese or korean and were pretty hard to follow. I did just about everything wrong including pitching the yeast hot, suck siphoning, no sanitizing, and I used city tap water. After 4 weeks I had pond scum, literally.My OG was around 1.048 and my FG was 1.008, target was 1.011, so I had some extra fermentables or my temp control wasn't good in this batch.Will the chill haze clear itself up after another couple weeks of carbonating, and then a couple days in the fridge?BTW: I have been pretty patient with this beer, its my friends and family that are pressuring me. They are like little kids; Is it done yet? When can I try some? Over and over and over...Thanks,Rich

Couple of comments...1. Absolutely you can take the bottle out of the fridge, let it warm up and finish doing its thing. That bottle may take a bit more time.2. The .003 variance is well within acceptable parameters. I'd be more concerned if you went to .001 or got stuck at .019 or above. A couple of gravity points is absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Gotta remember... 1.008 is your "target" and the yeast will do what they want to do. If they decide to go all "Union Labor" on you and go on strike when they hit 1.011, that's what they are gonna do and there is no amount of coaxing that will get them to chew through unfermentable sugars. So I say... "Good Job! Unlike many of us, you let your first brew fully ferment!"3. Who cares what your family and friends say... If they want the beer so damn bad they can brew it themselves... or they can help you out and take some pride of ownership in what you are trying to accomplish. Brewing beer teaches you a great deal of patience. {Right now I'm concerned that the yeast I pitched into my Fat Tire last night (about 12 hours ago) has not taken off. But, frankly, I'll wait until tonight to get more concerned and will take a gravity reading.} But here is one trick that I came up with (and I think someone else mentioned it too) that will give you empirical data as to when your first bottle will be ready. Get a 12 ounce clear plastic soda bottle and fill it and cap it with the cap it came with (it's ok... go ahead... just be sure to clean it and sanitize it). You will be able to gauge how well it is conditioning by two means... first, the bottle will get rigid from the pressure that it is under... second, you will be able to see the slurry on the bottom much easier in the clear bottle than an amber bottle. Rigidity = Good! Slurry = Good! Once you get to that point, give it at least another week and then toss it in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Afterwards, taste it and see if you can declare it "Good Beer" and start patting yourself on the back because you are about to spend a lot of $$$.

[3rd party JKor]

Keep them off the floor? Not sure I follow you there, but there are not on the floor anywho.

He said that because, generally, the temp at the floor of a room is several degrees lower than the ceiling, particularly on the first floor. He just meant to keep it in a sufficiently warm place. The carbing is going to go MUCH slower at 62*F than at 72*F.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Not much worries of that in Tampa, plus there are carbing in the closet, in a case, sitting on carpet, so lots of insulators, no much conduction going on. I will wait another week and a half to try them again, no rush here.Must save $$ for kegging, waiting for bottles to carb sucks.

[MyaCullen]

Keep them off the floor? Not sure I follow you there, but there are not on the floor anywho.Thanks,Rich

Around here a lot of people do their brewing in basements and, make the mistake of place there 2 cases of beer on the concrete floor to carb, then wonder why the case on top carbed fine and the bottom one is still flat. But I see your in Florida, not an issue.