Help, Ive lost my fiz.....

[RSNC]

Hi everyone, Ive been lurking in the shadows for a while now with nothing much to share but absorbing all your valuable information like a sponge.

A couple of months ago I uplifted all my worldly posessions, the wife, kids and dogs and moved from sydney to brisbane.

Since moving I have put down a few different beers and have even built myself a kegerator. but as the thread topic says. I have lost my fiz. that is, none of my beers are cabonating, either in the bottle or in the keg.

I haven't really changed any of my processes so I'm curious as to what else could be causing the problem. My thoughts tend to be toward the water quality or hardness but im not an alchemist so I don't know.

Any help you can offer I would be greatful for.

Cheers,
Ryan

[rotten]

G'day Ryan, welcome to the forum mate.
Would you like to post a recipe or two, and the process you went through? how long have they matured in bottle? how do you carbonate your kegs, serving pressure etc. The more info you provide the better so people who know more than me can help you

Cheers

[big dave]

Hey Ryan

My last brew turned out pretty flat and with virtually no head. I thought it may have gotten too cold in the shed to allow for the carbing up, so I moved all the bottles inside near the heater for a week or so. Problem solved.... This time of year the shed temperature put the yeast to sleep I reckon. You will have a warmer climate, but you haven't been carbing them in the fridge....?

Anyway, welcome to the forum. It is a great source of information.

BD

[RSNC]

Thanks for the response guys.

since moving to brisbane Ive tried to do 2 batches of coopers canadian blonde into bottles and one batch of mangrove jacks blonde into corny.
The fermenters are in the same wardrobe in the garage that I had them in out in the shed when I was in sydney, and they appear to be bubbling away fairly happily the whole time.

Process is generally as per the instructions that come with the tins of coopers, which have worked in the past. I generally aim for atleast 8-10 days in the fermenter and atleast 2 weeks in the bottle before I start chilling them and drinking. they taste okay but they are flat.
As for the keg I think I may have over-carbed because I'm getting all froth but no bubble, and when the head does dissipate it still tastes flat

[Oliver]

Hi Ryan,

Welcome from me, too.

This problem sounds most odd. You haven't changed your sanitation procedure, I take it?

Also, when you say they're flat, do they taste like beer and have no carbonation whatsoever on the tongue, or do they just have no head but are still fizzy?

Is there sediment in the bottom of the bottles, which would indicate that secondary fermentation has taken place?

Cheers,

Oliver

[jello]

Do you force carbonation of your kegs?
How much time do you let your bottles condition?

I'm just wondering it the Brisvegas climate is affecting your conditioning conditions

[RSNC]

Oliver, I you're right, I haven't changed my sanitation procedures. Yeah when I say they taste flat, that is exactly it, they taste like beer, they just have no fiz. they have a head when I pour them or pull them from the keg but no brilliance. There is a small ammount of sedimentation but not heaps.

Jeff, I have only done 1 keg so far. I tried to let it carb slowly at about 200kpa. But I got impatient, and dialled it up to about 400kpa and gave it a little shake.
I've dialled it back down to 40kpa to serve it and now I just get lots of froth which settles nicely to give me a reasonable looking beer, but again, no brilliance.

I thought it was meant to be warmer up here compared to sydney, but maybe I was wrong..... it has happened before.

[jello]

Can you post us a recipe of one of these flat brews?

[RSNC]

Can of coopers canadian blonde with yeast provided. (it is in date)
water
1kg body blend, (or coopers number 2 blend)

[emnpaul]

I wonder if, after the Queensland floods, with Wivenhoe dam being at capacity, they might be adding any additional chemicals to the water supply? Are any other Brizzy based brewers having problems?

Cheers
Paul

[bullfrog]

I know I'm late to the party here but when you say you get lots of froth from your keg when serving would say to me that you've over-carbed. Only thing to do when that happens is turn the gas of and vent the keg a couple of times over the space of a couple of hours then turn your gas back on at serving pressure.