Homebrewers - Whats in the fermenter?

[kenstogie]

Forgop,
In my opinion a hefenwiezen is a great choice for a first batch.
I have never used a "mr beer" kit but have not heard the most complimentary things about them and am glad you are switching a better set up.
A sweet batch would indicate that it was not completely fermented, if at all. Poor yeast, tempurature issues could be some causes.

[forgop]

Originally Posted by kenstogie

Forgop,
In my opinion a hefenwiezen is a great choice for a first batch.
I have never used a "mr beer" kit but have not heard the most complimentary things about them and am glad you are switching a better set up.
A sweet batch would indicate that it was not completely fermented, if at all. Poor yeast, tempurature issues could be some causes.

My complete newb guess was that the keg lid had a pretty poor seal and caused the fermentation issues or lack thereof. It had 2 weeks in the keg and 3+ weeks in the bottle. However, when I had the lid on as I put it on the shelf for the 2 weeks to ferment, it would release air if you squeezed the sides of the keg. Obviously, a perfect seal and that doesn't happen. I just hoped for the best and that's what I ended up with.

[cobra03]

Originally Posted by forgop

My complete newb guess was that the keg lid had a pretty poor seal and caused the fermentation issues or lack thereof. It had 2 weeks in the keg and 3+ weeks in the bottle. However, when I had the lid on as I put it on the shelf for the 2 weeks to ferment, it would release air if you squeezed the sides of the keg. Obviously, a perfect seal and that doesn't happen. I just hoped for the best and that's what I ended up with.

I found from my 1st Mr. Beer batch that they tend to be sweet unless you use more/ better yeast or allow them to sit longer in the bottle before you put them in the fridge. As for the seal its supposed to do that. It has small slots around the cap to release pressure from the CO2 because it doesnt have a normal airlock. By squeezing out the CO2 theres a good chance it back filled with outside air which is not the best thing.

[ktblunden]

Originally Posted by forgop

My complete newb guess was that the keg lid had a pretty poor seal and caused the fermentation issues or lack thereof. It had 2 weeks in the keg and 3+ weeks in the bottle. However, when I had the lid on as I put it on the shelf for the 2 weeks to ferment, it would release air if you squeezed the sides of the keg. Obviously, a perfect seal and that doesn't happen. I just hoped for the best and that's what I ended up with.

A fermenter should never be completely air-tight or it's just a bomb waiting to go off. That's why we use airlocks, which allow the Co2 to escape, but don't allow oxygen to get in. The sweetness was most likely a yeast that had been on the shelf a long time and didn't properly attenuate.