Carbonation happening slowly - any tips?

My dad and I just bottled our second batch of beer together (bottled on July 26th). It was a summer ale, somewhere around 5% ABV and we each took some with us to condition.

I live in West Covina which is pretty warm for conditioning beer. Temps are usually 90+ during the day and around 65 at night. I've kept the beer in a closet in the middle of the house to try to achieve a better temperature. He lives in San Diego which has a much better temperature for making beer. I tried a beer after 10 days just to check and it turned out completely flat. He calls me last week, 3 weeks after bottling, to tell me that his is ready. I pop a bottle that I had left in the fridge since 10 days out and mine is still flat. A beer that was stored in the closet, although showing a few signs of carbonation, was also flat.

How much longer should I wait before I test again? Is the yeast ever "dead" or is it just working slowly? I gave them a shake today and put them back in the closet, is there anything else I can do to help it out?

Yeast can go dormant or drop out but usually only happens in beers that are in secondaries for long periods of time.(6 months long or longer)

Im not sure what else you can do other then waiting. Do you know waht temp the beer was at in the closet?

Is there a layer of sediment on the bottom of the bottles?



-Nick

Well on the plus side, 20 days will give me plenty of time to work on my 22oz bottle collection.

I would suggest not letting them get to 65 if you can help it. That would make it take longer.

I also edited my above post. I missed that you bottled it almost a month ago(im a lil drunk right now.)

I don't think the beer is getting down to 65 at night, the temperature outside is hitting around 60 but the closet should be warmer. I'll make sure I keep the closet door shut at night (I've been opening it at night and shutting it in the morning). Temperatures in the day have been getting up to around 90% (outside). I don't really have a thermometer to keep an eye on the temp in the closet, but I may get one just so I can see what is going on.

To answer your previous question: Yes, there is a layer of sediment on the bottom of the bottles.

Also, should I be shaking them? In other topics people say they swirl theirs rather than shake.

I wouldn't shake, just swirl. Get the yeast resuspended. Try to get the bottles over 70-72* if you can. Just give it some more time.

Man, I had to type that like 4 times to get it right. Damn apfelwein!!!

Proper carbonation can take a month or more. Just wait a little longer.