idlehero

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So I bottled my stout almost a month ago. I crack one open today hoping to get a taste, and I hear a very faint *psst*. I pour it into a glass, and it looks like COFFEE. No head or carbonation at all.

When I was racking both times, I was very careful not to disturb the sediment layer on the bottom. Is it possible that all the yeast settled out after both transfers, and there was so little left in the beer when I bottled that it just didn't carbonate? I used WLP005, which has high flocculation, so I am thinking this might be the case. Do you normally transfer a small amount of sediment when racking?

Also, is there anything I can do with this beer? I thought about making another stout/porter and mixing my uncarbonated beer in with the new beer at bottling time. Ideas?

idlehero

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gah, I posted in the wrong forum. Can a mod kindly move this thread for me? Thanks

Beer Snob

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Well, till one does I have a responce

I had/have this same problem. I did a test on three bottles and it seems to work. I used these "carbonation drops". Opened the bottle and added one. Tested a bottle last Tuesday and it was nicely carbonated. Going to test another one tomorrow and if all is well do the rest of the bottles.

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Michael

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disaffected

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I brewed my first stout almost two weeks ago, so I don't know that much about how they should carbonate. But a lot of the commerical stouts that I buy don't seem all that carbonated. They usually have a creamy head, but not a lot of carbonation. Maybe it's normal for the style?

I don't know. I've never really seen a fizzy stout.

idlehero

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Unfortunately it doesn't have any head at all. Doesn't it need to be a little bit carbonated for head to appear when pouring? It looks a lot like flat soda.

Beer Snob

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Yes the general rule of thumb is 1/2 cup of corn sugar for stouts as apposed to 3/4 cup. But remember, to each his/her own

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m3rkury

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I brewed an IPA this summer that took an extra month to carbonate. When I tasted it early on it was very sweet and flat, so I just kept all the bottles in a warm spot for 2weeks and moved them to cellaring temps for another 2. Now they are perfectly carbonated.

From the sound of it, the pssst when you opened the bottle lets you know carbonation is happening, just a bit slower than normal. Give 'em some time in a warm spot and let us know how it turns out.

simzy

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Just a question. What temperature are your bottles sitting at??

Brewsmith

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My question, not to sound like a jerk or anything, but did you add the priming sugar at all? It wouldn't be the first time someone around here did that.

If you did, move it to somewhere warmer.

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idlehero

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Room temperature. 60-70 degrees, depending on if I'm home with the heater on or not.

I remember having a good amount of alcohol to drink while bottling, so it's possible I messed up the sugar measurement or something. I'm almost certain I added it though.

Anyone have any idea why this happened? Brewer error, or is it possible that I just didn't transfer enough yeast over while racking?