Monday, September 7, 2009

Homebrew Digest #5602 (September 07, 2009)

HOMEBREW Digest #5602 Mon 07 September 2009


FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


***************************************************************
TODAY'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Sponsor The Home Brew Digest!
Visit http://www.hbd.org/sponsorhbd.shtml to learn how

Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********

DONATE to the Home Brew Digest. Home Brew Digest, Inc. is a
501(c)3 not-for-profit organization under IRS rules (see the
FAQ at http://hbd.org for details of this status). Donations
can be made by check to Home Brew Digest mailed to:

HBD Server Fund
PO Box 871309
Canton Township, MI 48187-6309

or by paypal to address serverfund@hbd.org. DONATIONS of $250
or more will be provided with receipts. SPONSORSHIPS of any
amount are considered paid advertisement, and may be deductible
under IRS rules as a business expense. Please consult with your
tax professional, then see http://hbd.org for available
sponsorship opportunities.
***************************************************************


Contents:
Flat beer (Tom Puskar)


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* The HBD Logo Store is now open! *
* http://www.hbd.org/store.html *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy! *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

NOTE: With the economy as it is, the HBD is struggling to
meet its meager operating expenses of approximately $3400
per year. If less than half of those currently directly
subscribed to the HBD sent in a mere $5.00, the HBD would
be able to easily meet its annual expenses, with room to
spare for next year. Please consider it.

As always, donors and donations are publicly acknowledged
and accounted for on the HBD web page. THank you


Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org

If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
"subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org FROM THE E-MAIL
ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!!**
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, you cannot subscribe to
the digest as we cannot reach you. We will not correct your address
for the automation - that's your job.

HAVING TROUBLE posting, subscribing or unsusubscribing? See the HBD FAQ at
http://hbd.org.

LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL USED EQUIPMENT? Please do not post about it here. Go
instead to http://homebrewfleamarket.com and post a free ad there.

The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright
HBD.ORG. Individual postings are copyright by their authors. ASK
before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content
cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.

More information is available by sending the word "info" to
req@hbd.org or read the HBD FAQ at http://hbd.org.

JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
and Spencer Thomas


----------------------------------------------------------------------


Date: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:31:45 -0400
From: Tom Puskar <tpuskar at optonline.net>
Subject: Flat beer

I've been having a round of flat beers and can't figure out why. My latest
is a Belgian Dubbel which doesn't seem to be carbonating. Its been in the
bottle for 2 weeks. Am I being impatient?

The one before that was an IPA sort of beer and it is flat too. Its been in
the bottle for about 6 weeks. The fermentation on this one was a bit
strange and it may never carbonate but the Dubbel went perfect.

The starting OG was about 1.07 and it finished at about 101. It spent about
10 days in the primary and about two weeks in the secondary. When I racked
it to the bottling bucket it was crystal clear and tastes great--but its
flat! I hear a bit of a "pfft" when I open it but no detectable
carbonation.

I boil my bottle caps and use a bench type capper. I prime with a packet (5
oz) of corn sugar which I also boiled and cooled before adding it to the
bottling bucket. I sanitize my bottles with bleach and rinse thoroughly so
I don't think residual bleach is the problem I bottled a few bottles in
Grolsch bottles to see if maybe I'm being too hard on the stoppers and
haven't opened it yet.

I'm not a novice and have successfully brewed close to 50 batches over the
past 12 years. I did take a break for a few years as I worked out a medical
issue and just started brewing again about 18 months ago. Have I forgotten
something obvious?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Tom in Howell, NJ


------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5602, 09/07/09
*************************************
-------