Newest Threads

DurtyChemist · 10-19-2012, 10:34 AM

Third time making this amber ale. Fermentation went fine but every single time I bottle it won't carbonate. I can't figure it out. I reused the yeast for a batch rot now that fully fermented and I'm trying to understand what is wrong. Slight bubbles when I open it but nothing big. Pour it into a glass and it has NO head. Clear as can be but just tastes sweet and flat.

Bottled with 1 cup water and bottling sugar from LHBS who told me to use one cup.

**BrewerBear** · 10-19-2012, 12:30 PM

How long have they been in the bottle and at what temps?

TxBrewHouse · 10-19-2012, 12:56 PM

One cup in how big of a batch?

**Revvy** · 10-19-2012, 12:59 PM

How long have they been in the bottles and at what temperature are they at right now. Three weeks at 70 degrees is about the average minimum.

DurtyChemist · 10-21-2012, 01:24 PM

1 cup for a 5 gallon batch
Bottled them 2 weeks ago. This seems to be the only batch that's has stayed flat tasting after 10 days. When I shake the bottles it acts like a 2 liter of soda. Bubbles up to a maximum point then gets quiet. I shook one then poured it and it had a lot of head and no flat & sweet taste.
EDIT: temps around 70. It's been 80 here most of this week in the afternoon and I've kept them inside.

**Pappers_** · 10-21-2012, 01:33 PM

In your first post, you say all of the batches don't carbonate. In the post above, you say just the latest batch hasn't fully carbed. This is an important distinction - please clarify.

leaf · 10-21-2012, 02:36 PM

Could be the caps/capper. Try to twist the crimped cap on the bottle with your hand. It shouldn't move.
Also make sure you stir the priming sugar into the bottling bucket although I would've expected some foamers if you didn't evenly distribute the sugar.

Look into a buying a scale so you can measure out in grams and ounces, a "cup" can sometimes be a very inaccurate measurement when you really require sugar weight.

DurtyChemist · 10-22-2012, 12:24 AM

Clarification: All three batches of this Amber Ale Extract recipe I've made have had the same flat & sweet taste out of the bottle. Other bottled batches have not had carbonation problems.

Caps are tight. They won't twist and I can shake the bottles and see the carbonation bubbles rising to the top. They pop off and give the usual sound you'd expect from a bottled beer.
I have a scale. It measures ounces grams and something else I think. How much would I use for an amber ale? I've never thought about a specific weight of sugar/dme to add to 5 gallon batches of beer to give the correct carbonation levels. I always read cups of ____ for carbonation.

**Revvy** · 10-22-2012, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DurtyChemist

Bottled them 2 weeks ago.

The only problem you have is a patience one....despite having some "fizz" at 10 days that doesn't mean your beer is fully carbonated...and not being carbed at two weeks, is still not a problem.

The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer.

Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.

And just because a beer is carbed doesn't mean it still doesn't taste like a$$ and need more time for the off flavors to condition out.

Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found here Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience."

Carbonation is actually foolproof, you add sugar, the yeast eats it and farts co2 which carbs the beer. It's not a complex system, and there's very little that can go wrong...It just takes time.....

**unionrdr** · 10-22-2012, 11:40 AM

Just to clarify to some,he used 1C of water with the small bag of priming sugar. Sounds to me like not enough yeast was left to do the job. Did you cold crash or something?