Ahhh???? If it is done properly, it does it it's self-Willow wrote: My father makes home made wine, in University we always tried to make our own beer, but we could never figure out how to carbonate it,
Right.
IF you start with raw hops. You boil the right weight of hops that are in a muslin bag, so it is like a large tea bag.
Then you turn the heat off. Mix in the sugar/Malt/honey, whatever you are using as sweetner. (Saccharine does NOT count!!!).
Then you put the kettle in a warm place, next to the hearth normaly. You then add the yeast, and cover the kettle LIGHTLY. A cloth with tape around the rim or something.
You then leve it for the required time (depends on the recipie). THEN you decant the must (green beer), into GAS safe bottles.
To each half liter bottle add a half to a third of a teaspoon of sugar. THEN you put "gas safe stoppers on. Put the bottles in a cool DRY place, and leave until you can not resist them any more.
THEN they are AUTOMATICALLY carbonated.
Sugar + yeast + heat = Alcohol and CO2.
If you were not getting CO2 then something was VERY seriously wrong from the start.