Bottle without priming sugar! YES!

[mbritojr]

I have a bottling hint that I learned of recently for all my fellow home brewers. Using this method you can bottle your beer without priming sugar, so you don't hve to put up with settled yeast. Plus, it will cost about 1/1000th of a filter/carbonation set up. Here is what you do:

- Goto your local super market and buy a case or two of generic soda that comes in those massive family size 3 Liter PET (special high pressure plastic that almost all soda comes in) bottles.

- Get some kids from your block to come over and pump them full of all that lemon-lime and cherry soda, then tell them your toilet is broken and watch them run screaming home with wet pants! Then rinse the bottles and store them.

- When your beer is ready to bottle, sanitize the bottles and caps. Prime the 3 Liter bottles with the appropriate ammount of priming sugar, fill with beer to eithin 2 or 3 inces of the top, and cap. Let the bottles sit the appropriate amount of time for your beer.

- Now here is the cool part: Carbon Dioxide is a funny thing. It is a gas at room temp and pressure, but a liquid when cooled or under pressure. So grab those two liter bottles and freeze the sh*t outta them. Get the beer to about 28 degrees F. The alcohol will keep the beer from freezing (for those of you who noticed 28F is below the water freezing temp of 32F). Freeze your final glass bottles as well.

- Get a friend to help in this step: Line up a buncha your glass bottles on the table, with you buddy right behind them armed with the hand capper. Take the plastic bottles outta the freezer one at a time. Open the plastic bottle and, in one smooth tipping motion, quickly fill and cap each glass bottle, trapping all those happy bubbles in the beer. Do it quickly because CO2 turns to a gas really quick when decompressed or warmed up! TA DA! Carbonated beer in a glass bottle for your enjoyment, and no nasty yeast!

Now you may be asking yourself, "Mike, how the hell can I pour all that beer into a tiny bottle, and in one tipping motion?" Well buddy, I am gonna tell you. First of all the one-motion-tipping is important because if you tip the beer back and forth you will stir up the yeast on the bottom, which would make all this work pointless. What I did was sanitize a small funnel and had friend number two hold onto it while I poured. Friend number three, in addition to capping, moved the glass bottles under the funnel spout in a smooth motion. Although this might seem messy (cause you can't stop pouring through the funnel or you will stir the yeast), get over it...you just made beer yourself that you can drink right outta the bottle!

Somebody try it and lemme know how it goes, it worked great for me!
:p

[Richard English]

If the yeast sediment offends then it is quite simple to get rid of it by using the same method that Champagne makers have been using for centuries.

But is it worth it? The finest bottled beers in the world are all bottle-conditioned and they throw a sediment. If you don't like it, then you can decant it when you pour it into your glass. As it makes no difference to the taste, I tend to pour the last few drops into the glass since they will do little more than discolour the head.

If you wish to drink beer straight from the bottle, then I suggest you stick to the execrable products of A-B and clones of those. Proper beer deserves to be treated with proper respect. Few people would glug a fine wine from the bottle - so why do it with a fine beer?

[mbritojr]

First of all, the intent of my post was to inform the readers of this forum as to an easy and inexpensive method for removing the yeast from their final product, not to impress my opinion on the proper serving method for home brewed beer. When the yeast is removed from your bottled beer, it creates a more easily portable product (no need to worry about bottle tipping) and makes your beer a great gift (no need to explain to the recipient of your gift the role of the yeast and how to pour). You are right, yeast makes no change in the beers taste if it makes it into the glass...but it does change the beers appearance (presentation). I for one would rather eat rabbit de-boned & fillet, rather than straight off the carcass (just because the head is attached doesn't mean it isn't still delicious rabbit right?).

And Richard, no need to pretend you have alot more class than you do...because if you had any class at all you would be more educated. An educated individual would know that the pressure that exists in a champagne bottle greatly exceeds the pressure in a beer bottle (due to the increased sugar content of the beverage, or brix, which the yeast eat resulting in more gas). The champagne method would be unsuitable for beer (specially a porter) because you would almost certainly lose most of your carbonation (and some of your product) while ejecting the yeast.

An educated individual would also know that there are serveral ways to properly serve a beer, some of which vary by country and by (of course) style of beer. In some societies, it is perfectly acceptable to drink certain styles of beer from the bottle. An American Light, for example (such as A-B), was practically designed to be easy drinking right from its container. Is an A-B drinker who insists on a glass better than any other A-B drinker? I think not.

And finally, an educated individual would know not to take cheap shots at other beer drinkers because of their tastes unless he wanted to get a whole-lot of hate e-mail and alienate himself from the entire message-board-reading community on "realbeer.com".

As a final note, I just wanted to add that if you have to (or prefer to) drink beer straight from the container, you should drink bottled beer and not canned beer. The taste of bottled beer is slightly different from the taste of the kegged product becuase the beer has sat in the bottle for weeks with all that air in the bottle neck, but you will find when drinking from the can the taste is ALOT different from kegged beer. Why? As you drink canned beer, your tounge rubs up against that metal can....there is an alkali reaction between the two, changing the taste buds perception to the beer. So what is the best method for drinking beer that isn't kegged? From the can into a glass. The can has been packaged almost just like the kegged product and has no air exposure. Pour that baby into a glass and it is the next best thing to kegged beer (specially when we are talking about the "keg can" technology used in some European beers).

Mike

P.S. By the way Dick, the Guinness bottled product was designed to be drunk from the bottle. The little nitrogen rocket inside has twisted wings, causing it to spin inside the bottle as it is tipped, distributing the N2 evenly throughout the beverage. So much for the "glass-only" beer theory huh?

P.S.S. Sorry for my spelling, I am in a rush to make it to work! Cheers!

[Richard English]

As one who is both well-educated and well brought up I do not intend to respond in kind to your insults.

I would though, like to correct some matters of fact.

The amount of sugar in the champagne must (its original gravity) is not necessarily greater than that in beer. As has been mentioned in these boards, there are beers available of far higher strength than that of champagne.

Whether the pressure in champagne is greater than that in beer is, in any case not a factor; it is the method that is used to disgorge the yeast that preserves the carbonation, not the pressure. Little pressure is lost when a bottle is opened, as can clearly be seen when a bottle of soft drink (soda) is uncapped. Although the pressure in such drinks is lower than either beer or champagne, they remain fizzy for days providng they are resealed after a drink has been poured.

I suggest that the reason that champagne is disgorged wheras beer is not is simply a question of economics. Disgorgement is a very labour-intensive process and there is probably not enough profit margin in a bottle of beer to absorb such a cost. It is the cost of disgorgement that makes champagne more expensive than non-bottle-fermented sparkling wines.

As I suggested, and as you confirmed when you said, "...An American Light, for example (such as A-B), was practically designed to be easy drinking right from its container...", bottle drinking should be the preserve of the drinkers of chemical fizz. Fine beers, like fine wines, deserve better than to be glugged from a bottle.

One final point I would make. If your homebrew throws a very heavy sediment it might be worth trying a different yeast. They vary tremendously in the behaviour. The yeast that Goose Island use seems to throw very little sediment and I think that, were I to brew an IPA, I might well try some of their yeast to ferment it.

[mbritojr]

See Rick, isn't informing the people of the message board so much more fun that taking digs at peoples drinking tastes? I thought your response was well thought out & devoid of personal opinion....YUMMM! Goes down smooooooth......

Now that THAT is over, ya think you could detail that process for those of us that don't know how to go about using the chamagne method on beer? Because I sure as hell would rather use the champagne method you describe than the one I am currently using....it is cheap, but what a pain in the ass!

And for those of you who don't know about the champagne method, I will describe it for you in a nutshell: the new method (after about 1930 I think) involves using a device (mostly now done by automated machine) to quickly uncap (yes, a metal cap) the inverted champagne bottle -- sending the sediment flying -- and immediately cork the bottle to preserve carbonation.

The reason I criticized the method in Richards previous posting is that I know what keeps the product in the bottle during that process is speed and the vacuum momentarily created when you blow out that high pressure bottle (after the sediment & neck pressure is ejected, the vacuum creates a split second of inward pressure). Without enough pressure what happens to the product? If I tried this at home my beer would almost certainly hit the floor. That is, assuming I had a chamagne rack handy to condition my bottles inverted in.

By the way, I was serious...please explain and I will try this and get back to everyone.

[Richard English]

The champagne method is simple enough although time-consuming. The bottles, once the secondary fermentation has finished, are gradually turned and inverted until they are upside-down and the yeast has settled on the stopper. The refinement used nowadays is to freeze the neck so that the yeast is contained in a plug of ice.

When the bottle is uncapped, the ice plug is ejected, along with the yeast. The bottle is then topped up if necessary and recorked and wired.

For home winemaking it is possible to obtain special closers which have a plastic trap that projects beyond the cork. Once the yeast has settled into the trap, the projection is twisted off and discarded, along with the yeast.

As I said, I doubt it's worthwhile for beer - the sediment in a properly brewed bottle using a good yeast will be slight. Of course, if there are any of you using bakers yeast, you can be assured of a vast deposit...

[toneyc]

Although Richard may be somewhat stiff at times, I believe that he is correct in this case. The sediment in a beer bottle is insignificant and if you have to explain it to someone when gifting them with a bottle or two, perhaps you are wasting your time. On the other hand, you may be initiating someone into the best experience of their lives. Do you enjoy good beer? Do you think that your friend may enjoy a hand crafted beer? Then maybe it is worth the effort to educate them in the pouring of such a beer. You may be changing someone's life, and I mean that literally. I think that homebrewing has made my marriage much more harmonious. We all enjoy beer here, including the very British Mr. Richard English. I do not mean to denigrate your method of removing the sediment from a batch of beer, I just feel that your reaction to Richard's comments might have been a little on the harsh side. As it says in the homebrew book that came with my first kit: Relax, have a homebrew.

:) Toney.

[mbritojr]

Oh Jezz, here we go again. Yes I enjoy Richard's very English personality too. What got my panties in a bunch was the ball busting of A-B drinkers. No need.

As for bottle fermented beer changing someone's life...Ummm...I dunno about that. I am glad homebrewing has made your marrige more harmonious, but my buddies just wanna be able to split a homebrew and not have to worry about setting back down the bottle between pours. Ya know what I am saying? I think it is possible to enjoy a homebrew without the "single-tip" pouring ritual...although if I do end up experiencing enlightenment on behalf of some bottle-fermented sediment, I will let you know....:p

P.S. I thought realbeer.com applied to all beers?

[mountain beer]

I truley enjoy these posts--i sitting here trying to watch the simpsons and am actually laughing more at these posts then watching tv----i have had too many homebrews---since i have been kegging, my sediment is long gone by the 2nd or 3rd glass.

whats wrong with the sediment anyway---isnt it just good vitamin B----my first homebrew book, i think, said that it was better for the hangover.

cheers,
Mountain

[Richard English]

I had assumed it only referred to Real Beers - hence its title.

The products of A-B and others like them are not Real Beers (or Ales) by most of the many definitions of Real Beer. The oldest purity law in the world - the Bavarian Rheinheitsgebot - only acepts as beer drinks that contain hops, malt, yeast and water - and nothing else.

Budeweiser contains rice (check the label) and thus is not beer according to the Reheinheitsgebot nor according to CAMRA's definition of Real Ale - check their site at http://www.camra.org.uk

[drstandley]

Richard I enjoy your posts, but you're splitting hairs a bit on the A-B thing aren't you? I mean who cares, it's beer, and if some like it, then great. I do realize it's below most standards (However they do sell a lot of it in the UK too).

And who the heck made the Germans the world wide beer experts anyway. Those people can't even run their own country.

[YamahaXS]

Hi guys, this was the first thread i read after signing up to the forums!


1) I found the original mbritojr "how to" immensly impractical, yet thouroughly enjoyable! Hey if someone wants to go to all that work, more power to em.

2) I found the ensuing flamefest also enjoyable, though i suspect that maybe a few beers were consumed prior to some of the replies! :D

Looking forward to meeting all y'all (yep I'm from Texas)

[Richard English]

Hopefully, many of those who post here!

Budweiser (the A-B variety not the genuine Czechoslovakian article) is not a good drink. Those who have been fortunate to discpver how wonderfull beer can be will vouch for this. A-B Buswesier is made largely of rice, simply because rice is cheap, not because it's good for making beer.

A lot is sold, but it is sold primarily because of excellent marketing and financial muscle. If the product were not marketed so well it is unlikely that it would have been so successful as it is. It is also true that A-B sell a lot of their prodcut in the UK and this is entirely marketing-driven. Before the marketing push of about ten years ago they sold very little here.

The Reinheitsgebot was adopted in 1516 and is the worlds oldest purity law. It is also considerably older than the United States. Whereas this does not guarantee its legitamacy, it does, surely, add a modicum of credence.

If you do not accept the Bavarian definition, then have a look at CAMRA's.

Whereas tastes will vary, the results of many competitions would suggest that the beers that win the priozes tend also to be those whose recipes accord to the several definitions of Real Ale.

[drstandley]

Did you lose your sense of humor while reading the Reinheitsgebot? Lighten up. We all know bud sucks, don't need you telling me. I grew up with the $hit. and worse.

And I spent some time in England with the Air Force in the mid 80's, and found Bud in ever pub in every town I went to. It's not good, but you people drink as much of that as you do "real beer".

Yes, what I make in my kitchen is Real Beer. I love it. What my club brews is Real Beer, and we will drink that before any of us touch a bud. And there is a lot of real beer brewed by real brewies in the USA.

Yes you and the Germans have been making beer since before we were a country. So what? There were people making it before you and Germany were countries too. once again, who cares.

Thank you for your continued enlightenment. How did we ever survive the last 227 years.

[Richard English]

I did not post my reply to insult your country or its traditions, nor will I start to do so. I simply posted points of fact which I had assumed, from your posting, you were unaware of. It was, after all, you who said "... I mean who cares, it's beer..." not I.

I did not suggest that what you brew at home is not good beer; that will depend on its recipe and I am not privy to that so cannot comment.

As for who cares about tradition - maybe those countries whose tradition it is. I do not propose to enter into pointless arguments of that nature; I a interested only in speaking about good beer and trying to promote its growing consumption.

It is, of course, quite true that there are now many good beers brewed in the USA - around about 1500 by my latest figures. That is a phenomenon that has arisen only in about the past 15 years or so with the craft beer revival and is clearly a good thing for consumer choice.

So far as humour is concerned - I don't think it is a question of my sense of humour - it is more of a question of what the British and the Americans regard as funny.

[drstandley]

I will try to remember that our senses of humour are different. And if by chance you can remember that although we are a very serious culture, we don't always choose to show it. What you seem to take so seriously, we write off as friendly banter.

And by the way, on my trips to England I've enjoyed some of the best beer in my life. As a young airman I learned to appreciate very good beer and have searched it out ever since.

My point with regards to countries is just this: Germany's traditions are wonderful. And so is the beer, but it's a big world and they don't necessarily have the last say in what the rest of us choose to call or not call, good beer.

I'll quote a good book, and in a few hours I'll follow it. "relax, have a home brew".

[Richard English]

I am delighted to learn that you have enjoyed our beers. We have probably 5000 different kinds and so feel justifiably proud!

If tou get the chance, try some Fuller's 1845 - it's supposed to be available over there. It's bottle-coditioned and wins numerous prizes in its class.

[drstandley]

While I was there, when I couldn't get to the pubs to drink draft beer, I was drinking Ruddles. OMG. I liked it, but I think that stuff could put a bull down.

[Richard English]

Ruddles was at one time an excellent brewer and its "County" flagship brew was, as you discovered, very strong.

Sadly the brewery was taken over and closed down and the beer now sold under the Ruddles brand name, while respectable, is not the all-conquering beer it once was.

[drstandley]

Probably because I like the name ( and the beer) I tried to duplicate Old Speckled Hen a few weeks ago. I did a mini-mash, meaning some DME but a lot more grain. I bottled this week, so we'll see how she turns out. I hit the color dead on, and the gravity was what they said it should be. The pre-bottled beer tasted good. In a few weeks I should know how I did.

It's all fun.

[Richard English]

Not many people, even in the UK, know the origin of the name of this beer, which has nothin at all to do with chickens!

Although it is not a very old brew, it was named after a famous pre-war MG Brooklands racing car - called the Old Speckled Hen. Morlands, the brewers, were based in Abingdon which is where the old MG factory was situated.

The MG lieange can be seen on the beer engine pump clips which are, like the MG badge, octagonal.

OSH is not bottle-conditioned and a better bet if you want a taste neare to the orginal is to buy Morland's "Hen's Tooth"

[drstandley]

Thanks for that tid-bit of info. I'll look like quite the authority when I explain that to my fellow brew club members next month. That's when I plan to taste my OSH for the first time. I did notice the octagon logo, but didn't realize it had a story. I bought an OSH beer glass just so I can drink in fashion.

I'll look for Hen's Tooth. Can't say I've seen it here before, but one of my favorite pubs can usually get things that nobody else can.

Well it's probably "Happy Hour" where you are right now. A few hours off for me, but this is my free evening of the week, so I can't wait to tip a few.

[Richard English]

Hen's Tooth is, as I said, bottle-conditioned and, remembering the earlier part of this thread, I would also mention that it one of the bottle-condtioned beers that throws a heavy sediment - much more than, say Goose Island IPA.

There is an interesting article on the Old Speckled Hen car at http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgcc/sf/sf001103.htm

[mbritojr]

Oh man! Looks like I missed some good posts while I was away! $hit man, I love this thread. Can we get any more random?

I think somewhere back there Dr. Stanley referred to my sediment removal method as "impractical"....Damn, you got it man. What a pain in the a$$!!!! But being a college student in my last year of schooling and with loans up to my knickers (that is those tight little short pants you Brit's wear, right Richard?;) Just kidding man), I cannot afford a filtering system! So in my case, the "freeze" method advantages (low cost) seem more appealing than shelling out some $$$ for a filter. Like I was saying, I can live w/ the sediment but I just love to give away my beer and others find the sediment annoying.

And what was that you said about a club? Do you belong to a brewing club?

P.S. Yeah, most of the time I have had a few before I reply to my posts. Can you tell?

[drstandley]

It was a fun thread. And my speckled hen came out great by the way :)

I nailed the color and the taste. The head retention wasn't quite as good.

We need a few more fun threads.

[matt]

I meant it, only two of them... :-)

1. Old Speckled Hen is not available in Britain as a bottle-conditioned product. However at times it has been availble in the United Stated as a bottle conditioned product through the distributor B. United.

2. Mr. English, several posts ago, you indicated that you thought that since the URL for this community is realbeer.com that it only refered to "real beers". I assume by "real" you meant the CAMRA defenition of "real". If you did, then you are misinformed. realbeer.com is the domain-name of this community because beer.com was already taken by a group of folks who weren't really so much interested in the culinary enjoyment of beer as they were interested in... to be perfectly frank, boobs.

See only 2, though the second cent was slightly larger than the first.

[Richard English]

I have learnt from other postings here and elsewhere that there are differences between what UK brewers supply to the USA and to the UK. Young's, for example, brew their oatmeal stout only for the USA - and having read the reports from those who have tried it I feel slightly agrieved!

It seems strange to me that Morlands supply Hen's Tooth as a BCA in the UK but not the USA and Speckled Hen as a BCA in the USA but not in the UK! There seems no rationale at all for the decision.

Thank you for putting me right about the "Realbeer" nomenclature. Obviously my assumption was wrong although I have noticed that most of those who post here seem to be interested primarily in "real" beers rather than the products of the likes of A-B.

[matt]

It is indeed strange that there are Brittish beers offered in the US that aren't available in the UK. If it makes you feel any better, I don't think the Speckled Hen is available any more. It was packaged in clear bottles and most of what came over was badly light struck. Now we have the nitro-cans. I remember having Young's Oatmeal Stout at their brewery a few years ago, it was a nitro-kegged product, but my memory is also telling me that I had it outside of the brewery pub at the Princess of Whales. (146 Lea Bridge Road, London 0181 533 3463) They carry a range of Young's seasonal specialties. I think Young's range of non-bitters are available more readily in London than elsewhere.

Fullers is also guilty of this pratice. Can you get Fullers London Porter in GB? When I took the brewery tour several years ago I had asked where I might try it cask-condtioned, and they told me it was only available in bottles and kegs and only in the U.S.

I had some further comments on the CAMRA idea of "real" beer though as it applies to the originator of this post. The method described does achieve a natural conditioning. In fact its very similar to a method used by a great many U.S. microbreweries, which is to allow the beer to develop natural carbonation in a conditioning tank. The beer is then fined, and racked off under pressure to the bottling line with alomst zero additional CO2 going into the process. This practice allows lagers to be bottled with their natural conditioning intact, and I believe many German brewers also keg beer in this fashion. To me this technique keeps the beer real enough. I find artificial forced carbonation to be the real flavor killer, not the absence of sediment.

Contrary to some of the other drinkers here I do think that sediment poured into the beer can have a deleterious effect on flavor. I notice this mostly in Belgian beers, to me it makes these beers take on too many of the characteristics one normally associates with a Heffe Weizen. Perhaps its the rather peculiar nature of Belgian yeasts. But there are times when I do intentionally avoid sedimented beer if I think for some reason they're going to get knocked about before consumption, because I really don't like yeasty beer unless that's specifically what I'm after. Especially because the more actual yeast I consume the less comfortable my stomach gets, which I imagine for many people is a valid concern.

So I for one applaud the original poster for the clever technique. To my palate, its certainly an improvement over forced carbonation. I will probably never use it because it just sounds like a ton of work, and I'm a lazy lazy brewer. I've tried the Champangne method, but most of the beers I brew are between 3-5% abv and all they managed to do was blow a hole through the center of the yeast plug and the sides sloughed down into the beer. The shape of the bottle most homebrewers use is also probably problematic for this technique, since they arch inward at the top. I would really like to hear a success story from somebody who has used the champagne method on weaker beers. Though I personally see no practical difference to the final beverage between the champagne method and the method described, which is basically tank-conditioning. The beer is allowed to develop its own carbonation through yeast activity in a sealed vessel and then the yeast is removed. Sounds tasty to me either way.

Sorry I seemed to have jumped from subject to subject in this post, I've just returned from the Chicago Real Ale festival (as in: the CAMRA defenition) and it may take several days before I'm able to write cohisively again, forgive me.

Slainte!

[Richard English]

Thank you for this comprehensive posting.

I can confirm that Fuller's London Porter is available over here but only as a brewery-conditioned bottled ale.

So far as sediment is concerned I suppose my stance will depend to some extent on the amount thrown. Goose Island IPA and Fuller's 1845 throw so little that it scarcely matters; Hop Back Summer Lightning and Cooper's Sparkling Ale throw much more and will make the beer cloudy. Having said which, if the bottle is stored upright and poured carefully, it's possible to decant the beer without wasting more than a teaspoonful of drink.

I agree to an extent about forced carbonation - it is surely the best way to destroy any flavour. However, I submit that bottle conditioning does add a roundness to the flavour of the beer (compare Champagne and tank-conditioned sparkling wine) for an analogy. Furthermore, BCAs will continue to develop and mature in the bottle, which brewery-conditioned beers will not.

The other problem with brewery-conditioned beers is that you will not know, until your tsate buds tell you, just what treatment they've had. Botlle-conditioned beers, you know, will have achieved their carbonation through the secondary fermentation.

[drstandley]

You can still get speckeled hen here, but you're right, it's in clear bottles. And it usually tastes like skunk piss. I have 5 left in the fridge that I bought a few weeks ago. Can't drink them. I brewed a batch of S H and bought some so I could compare. I nailed it, but was disapointed about the real stuff being so bad. I have had it when it's good, and I love it. Just wish I could get it consistantly. I'll look for it in cans. Never thought of that.

[toneyc]

Hmmmm..... I tried Old Speckled Hen a couple of weeks ago after reading about it here. I was sorely dissapointed. The beer was flat, thin, and wispy with almost zero head, much like weak tea. I put it down to a difference in tastes and thought no more about it until now. Is that what light does to beer?

:) Toney.

[matt]

I'm assuming you had it in a bottle? Generally light struck beer smells like Corona. Skunky that is, literally, it smells of skunk musk. But flat and light would certainly be good descriptors of Old Speckled Hen. In fact those two descriptors are two charactersitocs that I do in fact like about the beer, so that much could be chalked up to a difference in taste. I'm not sure what wispy means. The zero head aspect could be attributed to glassware with detergent remnants, or it could be that the beer wasn't kicked up enough when poured. As this is a relatively flat beer, if you pour the beer down the side of the glass, you won't agitate it enough to develop a proper head.

But if it smelled foul and tasted musty, you may have experienced the horrors of clear glass bottles. Seek it out in the Nitro Can and pour it into a pint glass, straight into the bottom. Its not the same as getting it from a cask, but I would say its about 90% of what this beer can be when at its best.

[toneyc]

Wispy means insubstantial, something frail, slight, or fleeting, like wisps of smoke.

No, it didn't taste foul or musty, you've pretty much described it accurately.

:) Toney.

[drstandley]

It is a little lifeless, but I've enjoyed on draft several times, and hoped to have the same experience out of the bottle. Didn't happen. I will try the can.

I can't say it's my favorite beer by a long shot, but I do enjoy the change of pace of it.

That skunk smell is awful however. Nothing I hate worse than paying 7 bucks for a 6 packs and have it smell like skunk piss. Don't know why they use clear or green bottles for beer.

[paul84043]

Hey all, I think that Mr. English and the Dr's (DrStandley)bantering is a ton of fun, and educational as well for the beginner like myself...

I have a question, if I bottle using Clear corona bottles, but keep the beer stored in a light free environment, it will be okay won't it? (AAUUGGHH please say yes....)

Also, when Richard equated "skunky" with Corona, did you mean Corona the beer, or Corona as in Ozone?

I was told that when bottling and capping, to let the beer sit for a couple of minutes to allow the headspace to fill with C02 before capping. Would this not minimize the amount of oxygen that gets into it?

I have resigned myself to dealing with the sediment and pouring into a secondary container before drinking (Not that there is anything wrong with that!!) I assume that sediment has been a problem for many many years and some have found a way to deal with it.

I also agree with the Classification of A-B as Sub-beer / crap / last resort filler, and am frustrated that I wasted this much of my life in self denial trying to believe the B.S. they show us on TV. When there were so many types of real beer out there that i could actually try to make myself!!

[matt]

yes clear bottles are perfectly fine if you keep the beer away from light. But do be careful, the skunking process can happen quickly.

And yes, I meant Corona the beer, the primary flavor of which is skunkiness. And I'm not Richard, but that's ok :-)

Even if you didn't let the headspace in a bottle vent for a bit, you still wouldn't have much of an oxidation problem. Not to worry.

I think most of the people in this forum don't really see sediment as a problem under normal conditions. But there can be times when you just don't want any sediment. Normally the quality of the beer and its shelf life are better if you bottle-condition, and the process is always much simpler than trying to remove sediment.

[paul84043]

Uh....sorry Matt...new to the forum, the names are still a bit of a jumble.

I use a conical fermentor, so the sediment is only a problem for the first 10 to 12 beers, after that, there seems to be very little, it's barely visible.
I say this from looking at my recently bottled little gems that have been aging in the bedroom for the past week....I hope that they don't explode....

Thank you for the reply, it makes me feel better! The Corona bottles are free....

[bmingee]

mbritojr, I have read all of your posts and have deducted that you must be from West Virginia.

[mbritojr]

bmingee: Nope, I do however meet your mom in W.V. on occasion. I go to watch her film her new beastiality epic, "Baaa-a-a-a-ack On All Fours: Woman VS. Sheep". Being an investigator for the Dept. of Agriculture, it is my job to make sure that she doesn't suffocate that poor mutton with her fat rolls during the salad tossing scene. We chat it up and have a few brews in between takes sometimes, nice lady....just have to ignore the smell. :eek:

[mbritojr]

Damn, I got distracted by that last post. I meant to comment on the Speckled Hen thing. My family owns a small chain of liquor stores and we carry Speckled. It does come in clear bottles but, knowing the effects of light on beer, we tend to only keep two, six-packs on the shelf at a time. Hen isn't that popular so it isn't really an issue. We try to keep it in the case box as long as possible in our cool store room away from light & heat, and it tends to taste fine. If you really like Hen I would suggest you just goto your local shop and buy it per case, from the cooler.

And what are you guys saying? You don't like Corona? I think it's world class! The clean, crisp taste and fruity finish makes me go, "Yummm". Didn't Corona just win that beer tasting contest in Germany? (Are you picking up on the sarcasm yet?);)