• Welcome to the new forum! We upgraded our forum software with a host of new boards, capabilities and features. It is also more secure.
    Jump in and join the conversation! You can learn more about the upgrade and new features here.

NOOB questions

Hose a de RR

Apprentice
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
I am fairly new to home brewing with just 3 batches under my belt (well, actually 2 are under my belt and the 3rd is still bottle conditioning…soon to be under my belt). The first two were successful but I am concerned about the 3rd batch, an American Amber Ale.
The problem is it was left in the secondary for approximately 4 weeks. Spring break fell in middle of the conditioning; we were on a cruise and bottling got pushed to the back burner. The guys at AHS thought that most of the yeast would have settled out and there would not be enough for bottle carbonization. He suggested that I add a small amount of yeast to the priming bucket along with the priming sugar. We followed his suggestion and bottled the beer. When we completed bottling, we noticed a bit of yeast on the bottom of the bucket.
I have two questions:
1- Will the bottled beer be sufficiently carbonated?
2- And if not how can I save it?

Another question unrelated to the AAA dilemma. After 3 batches, I am tired of the bottle routine so I bought a 3 corny keg system from Keg Connection in San Marcos, Tx.

How well does a keg travel after it has been filled and carbonated?
I’m not talking about across the county but a couple of miles to a friend’s house.
 
Hose a de RR said:
......it was left in the secondary for approximately 4 weeks.  ....add a small amount of yeast to the priming bucket ..........noticed a bit of yeast on the bottom of the bucket.  I have two questions:

1- Will the bottled beer be sufficiently carbonated?
2- And if not how can I save it?

It would have been fine, and you likely did no harm adding more.  Even though much yeast flocculates in primary and secondary, still much remains in suspension.  The only time I've seen that recommendation really stressed is for high-gravity, long-term secondary brews, such as Russian Imp Stout, or big Belgians.  In those brews, the combination of higher alcohol, which degrades yeast health, and time, which drops more out, leaves too little healthy yeast in solution to carbonate. 

If I have a similarly-timed brew as your AAA, I may purposely siphon up a tad more yeast off the bottom of secondary than usual for the bottling bucket.  Presumably the top layer in the secondary was the last yeast to poop out, and so should be the strongest of the batch, hopefully ready to revive and eat the priming sugar.
 
Back
Top