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Why is my lager/draught/ale much darker than normal? Why is my brew taking so long to ferment? Why is my beer frothing out through the airlock? My brew failed to ferment. Why is this so? My brew did not start to ferment OR started to ferment briefly and then stopped. Why is this so? How do I store or serve my beer from a keg?
Why is my lager/draught/ale much darker than normal? At the time of dispatch from the Brewery, the colour of our concentrates is within the range that will produce a beer similar in colour to the illustration on the can, when mixed with the recommended volume of water. Whilst they do have an indefinite shelf life, as with all malt extracts, they do progressively darken with age. Extended exposure to high temperatures will also quicken the darkening process. Although it is quite safe to use the concentrate in the darker state, it will develop a stronger taste with ageing (i.e. toffee/caramel type). Upon receipt of your advice of the can's 'best before' date, I will be able to establish the date packed and likely colour.
The most common causes of flat beer area:-
Lack of or too little priming sugar added to the bottles. Storing bottles at low temperature will not allow secondary fermentation to take place. As indicated on our instructions, bottles should be stored between 21(C and 27(C for 4 days. Leaving the brew in the fermenter too long after the completion of fermentation. Filtering the yeast deposit out of the brew or excessive use of finings. Allowing bottles to get too hot, thereby killing the yeast. Faulty crown seals. Poor head retention is most often due to:-
Polluted glassware (detergent, greasy foods, etc.) This can usually be removed by briefly boiling water in the glass in a microwave oven. Excess sterilant/detergent/finings in bottle. High alcohol content. This could occur if extra sugar has been added to the wort. Excessive yeast in bottle. Excessively rapid carbonation will not allow CO2 gas to be absorbed. Storing bottles "too warm" after carbonation, thereby killing the yeast deposit. Why is my brew taking so long to ferment? Provided you use product which is "within date" and maintain the brew constantly within the temperature range of 21 degrees Celsius to 27 degrees Celsius it is highly unlikely that you will experience any extended fermentation problems. The most common cause of this problem is lack of temperature control, particularly during the colder months. If the brew becomes infected, an extended fermentation can occur. An infection is indicated by a sour/off taste/smell. Also a white film usually develops on the surface. It is quite common for intermittent bubbling activity to continue through the airlock after the completion of fermentation. This is caused by CO2 gas remaining in the fermenter and does not necessarily indicate the brew is still fermenting. The only accurate method of establishing when fermentation is complete and the brew is ready to bottle is by measuring the specific gravity with a hydrometer. As part of our quality control program, we physically brew a sample from every batch produced, using the same yeast as packed with the product. These brews are maintained at a constant 25 degrees Celsius and are ready to bottle on the 5th or very occasionally the 6th day. Why is my beer frothing out through the airlock? The vigorous fermentation produced by our concentrates is directly related to the high quality of both the malt and yeast. We produce our own malt and it is used in our concentrates without being diluted with any other additives, i.e. it is pure malt. The success with home brewing depends very much on achieving a quick vigorous start to fermentation and our yeast strain was developed to do this. As this ideal vigorous start is very likely to produce a large frothy head, particularly if the temperature is above the recommended range, we do recommend that a 30 litre fermenter is used. Although we did recommend this size in our instructions with the previous 1.7kg cans it does become more important with the new 1.8kg size. Where a smaller size fermenter is used, as appears to be the case with you, I suggest that you place a towel only over it for the first 24 hours or so after mixing. After the head begins to subside fit the lid and airlock ensuring the airlock is not pushed down into the wort or head. Other options are to leave two litres of water out, then add it after a day or so (pre-boil the water) or fit glad wrap over the fermenter (secured by a rubber band) with a pin hole in the centre. Alternatively you may extend the airlock by fitting a tube into the lid hole and placing the other end into a container of airlock solution adjacent to the fermenter. Although the fermentation was vigorous enough to cause frothing out through the airlock, this will not have any adverse effect at all on the result brew. The aim should be to maintain the brew at a constant temperature during fermentation, the optimum being around 21(C to 24(C. Particular attention should be given to the temperature of the brew when the yeast is added, i.e. adjust the ratio of hot and cold water to achieve the correct temperature immediately mixing is complete, ideally at the lower end of the range. Do not mix it above the range and then let it stand to cool down. My brew failed to ferment. Why is this so? Quite often it is incorrectly assumed that fermentation has not commenced because of no bubbling via the airlock, when in fact the brew is fermenting and the CO2 gas is via a poor sealing lid or airlock. If you close ferment, I suggest with all brews you place a clean towel only over the fermenter for the first 24 hours or so after adding the yeast, then the next day fit the lid and airlock. By adopting this procedure you will be able to ensure that fermentation has commenced. At the Brewery, as part of our quality control program, we physically brew a sample from every batch produced, using the same yeast as packed with the cans. If any variation were to occur it would be picked up prior to being released for sale. This has not occured nor have we received by any other similar complaints. Provided you used yeast that was "within date" and it had not been exposed to high temperatures, it is extremely unlikely that it would fail to ferment. The only method of establishing whether the brew actually did ferment out is by measuring the specific gravity with a hydrometer. Did you do this prior to discarding it? If so what was the reading? The most common cause of fermentation failure is poor temperature control. If the temperature is too high, the yeast will become deactivated. This can be overcome by pitching another yeast at the recomended range, i.e. 21-27deg C. In the event the wort temperature is too low when the yeast is pitched, or allowed to get too low, it may be aroused by shaking the fermenter or stirring with a sterilised spoon and standing in hot water to raise to the correct range. It must then be maintained within the correct range. My brew did not start to ferment OR started to ferment briefly and then stopped. Why is this so? Once fermentation commences, the only reasons that it will cease prematurely is if the yeast is out of date (which could affect the viability) or the correct temperature range has not been maintained. The first day or two of fermentation is the most vigorous, following which it begins to slow down. As it begins to slow down, the amount of CO2 gas being produced also reduces and it is at this stage that bubbling through the airlock is likely to stop if the fermenter is not completely sealed. This is not uncommon with plastic fermenters and often leads the home brewer to believe that fermentation has stopped when in fact it has not. The only accurate method of establishing whether fermentation has completed is by measuring the specific gravity with a hydrometer. Did you do this after the 4-6 days referred to in our instructions? If so, what was the reading? This description is generally associated with bacteria getting into the brew and could be due to any of the following:-
The use of a scouring pad, stiff brush etc to clean the inside surface of a plastic fermenter, will leave minute scratches, thereby creating an ideal place for bacteria to harbour. The inside should only be cleaned with a soft cloth. Leaving the prepared wort too long prior to pitching the yeast, i.e. waiting for it to cool. Yeast should be pitched within an hour of preparation. To achieve a more realistic temperature for pitching the yeast it may be necessary to use less boiling water and more cold. This may apply in hot climates. By leaving the brew too long in an open fermenter after the completion of fermentation. The higher the temperature the quicker the wort will ferment out. Ideal fermenting temperatures are between 21(C and 27(C (70-81(F) and should be maintained 24 hours of the day. Infections can occur if temperatures are too low, "Off flavours" can result from uneven or high temperatures. With open fermenting, bottling should take place as soon as fermentation ceases otherwise your brew will become infected. With a closed fermenter the brew can be left until it has finished fermenting, plus one or two days for the yeast to settle, but should not be left on the dead yeast for lengthy periods. Insufficient temperature control. Air entering a closed fermenter. By opening a closed fermenter to take a hydrometer reading. This disturbs the CO2 layer which is protecting the brew from infections. Lack of sterilisation of immersion heater (pull back rubber flange at the top and sterilise with methylated spirits). Lack of or poor sterilisation in either bottles or equipment e.g. tap, bottling valve, syphon tube. By using "spent" sodium metabisulphite or other sterilant. How do I store or serve my beer from a keg? In replying to your question regards kegging, I suggest the following method:-
Allow the primary fermentation to completely finish, then, transfer the brew to the keg without aerating it. To do this the tube used to transfer it should be placed in the bottom of the keg to minimise the air contact. i.e. do not allow brew to pass through the air. It is important that the headspace in the keg is kept to a minimum. Whilst it is not essential to add priming sugar to the keg I suggest that you do so at the rate of 60 grms per brew. Allow the secondary fermentation to take place in the keg by storing it at a temperature between 21(C and 27(C for 4 days, then store it at room temperature for a further 10 days for maturing. The beer can now be discharged for consumption with either soda bulbs or beer gas at a pressure of approximately 100KPA (you will need to experiment to find the correct pressure). There are several causes of gassy beer/exploding bottles. These include-
Too much priming sugar added to the bottle. The amount should be 3grms per 375ml and 6grms per 750ml bottle. It is important that the sugar is measured accurately. This can be achieved by using a measuring scoop designed specifically for this purpose. They are available from Home Brew specialist shops. The beer did not fully ferment out before bottling. In this situation unfermented sugar is carried over into the bottle and when combined with the sugar already added to the bottle, an excess is created and consequently excess gas is produced. If the gas pressure is high enough the bottles will explode. (This is a very dangerous situation which can cause injury). The problem is best avoided by using a hydrometer to check that the brew is ready to bottle before proceeding. Bottling too soon is generally brought about by brewing at low temperatures or lack of temperature control. The brew has become infected. When this occurs the beer is likely to become overgassed. If bottles are stored in an area which becomes hot, i.e. an iron shed during summer months, they will build up pressure and are likely to explode.
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