Norfolk Nog

Rorie

Hi folks,

My Norfolk nog has been sitting for about 4/5 weeks now, and i finally got to try it the other night!

I took a few bottles to a friends place a few hundred miles away (in the car). When we opened the beer (500ml flip top bottles with one carbon drop per bottle) there was a clear 'pop'. I poured them carefully and stopped before the sediment flowed. The beer tasted good.

But when back home, i opened a a bottle (and later a second bottle) that hadn't been on the long journey in the car. There was no 'pop' from either bottle! But the beer actually tasted better…or so i thought!

So my questions are -

1) Can moving the bottle, and hence the sediment, create fizz?
2) Although i only put one carbon drop in, should i expect a pop from the other bottles?! Is there a problem that there was no pop from the other bottles?
3) Is it likely that the beer tastes better if it hasn't been disturbed?

Finally, i only bottled half as i kegged the other half. I added one CO2 pod at the start. How do i ensure i don't get sediment when i pour? Or should it just naturally stay behind?

HBO_Staff

Great news on the success of the Nog, what it sounds like happened is much like with a bottle of fizzy drink, lemonade etc, it had a bit of movement and this created extra pressure in the bottles and made them pop with a little more pressure - much like if you gently shook a bottle or can of coke. The moving around in the car would shake it up a bit and give it a little more pressure, though this will reduce if left to settle for a while again. It will often make it a bit cloudy if you disturb any settled sediment - disturbing a little sediment will affect the appearance but not particularly the taste, unless you mix it up quite a bit then you can get a taste from the yeast, but again if left to settle this will sink to the bottom of the bottle and if poured carefully should not be disturbed. Some high quality yeasts will compact better such as the Danstar range, this will reduce the amount a brew goes cloudy when transporting/pouring. You can use 2 drops per 500ml bottle if wanting more fizz.

When using a barrel you need to prime with a little sugar so it carbonates the brew, any sediment will settle to the bottom so you can just pour a glass as and when required, topping up with CO2 if the flow stops. If you move or disturb the barrel then it needs to be left to settle for another couple of days and it will clear again