No carbonation, advice?

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TomA

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So I bottled this pilsner 3 weeks ago. Took gravity readings, everything looked good. Kept it in the basement where I had all my other brews. Bottles have the film on the bottom I've come to expect but the 3 I've popped open each week have been completely flat and it still tastes off/green.

Did a search and saw a post from 2005 where it was suggested to stick them in a warmer area after swirling it a bit so I will try that, but is there some way I killed this batch in the bottling process?

It was an "easy" batch I may have screwed up - I got a prehopped can of Pilsner LME on sale and added 2 lbs DME. I would assume the gravity readings over a month would have reflected any screw up there, though. I'm fairly certain if something happened it would have been the bottling but I have no idea, since I've never had a batch just sit there flat.
 
+1 on shaking up and moving to a warmer space (at least 70 degrees) for a couple of weeks.

From what you said in your post, it doesn't sound like you did anything wrong, assuming you added the proper amount of priming sugar. Good luck!
 
the three weeks at 70 we recommend is just a rule of thumb, And factors like temp during storge, ad gravity of beer factor into it.

I have a detailed blog about carbonation and conditioning here. Revvy's Blog, Of patience and bottle conditioning.

Your issue is like 99% of them...it really is a matter of patience.

I have had stouts and porters take 6-8 weeks to carb, and had a 1.090 belgian strong not carbonate for 3 months.

When in doubt, wait it out.

:mug:
 
I decided to carb a stout to style. Well I thought I screwed up because after 3 weeks it was still flat. Took mooooonths for any signs of bubbles to show up. It was light on the carbonation for sure, but it fully carbed to what I had put in there. Just took a long time.

I did notice that taking each bottle out and tipping them upside down and back up helped a lot. Like they said gently agitate the yeast to get em goin.
 
Yow, 3 months. I cringe, but it gives me hope. Thanks for the reassurances!
 
Is there ANY pfft when you pop the top?? I had an IPA that was taking forever to carb. I moved it upstairs to a warmer area (like 78 degrees) and it finally started to carb. It's been almost 3 months in the bottle!

Also, some of the bottles that were bottled later in the session carbed up just fine, so make sure you try a few.
 
Well, three weeks later, after bottling my honey ale, I think I realize with horror what the problem is, as I glanced at the bag of what I thought were carb tabs.

The brewshop sold me a bag of potassium metabisulphate, not carb tabs.

Two batches, five gallons each hosed because they look identical to the Muntons tabs and I didn't think to look at the label. Frustration does not begin to describe it. My fault, but.. badwords.
 
OMG... That's got to stink!

If you've got a keg system...or know someone that does...

Empty a couple of bottles into a very clean PET bottle...attach a carbonator cap (TM) and apply pressure to artificially carbonate. Once it's good and chilled...and been under pressure for a few days...pop it and drink! If it's YUMMY! Then put all the remaining bottles in a corny keg...and artificially carbonate. If it's not yummy...I guess it's destined for the scrap heap.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune with the YEAST KILLER. Maybe your homebrew shop will feel sorry for what they did to you and give you some credit toward a new batch of beer.

Someone with more wine experience...might know of some technique where the metabisuphate can be neutralized and a new batch of yeast added...but it would be news to me --- if that could be done.

Good luck
 
Well, three weeks later, after bottling my honey ale, I think I realize with horror what the problem is, as I glanced at the bag of what I thought were carb tabs.

The brewshop sold me a bag of potassium metabisulphate, not carb tabs.

Two batches, five gallons each hosed because they look identical to the Muntons tabs and I didn't think to look at the label. Frustration does not begin to describe it. My fault, but.. badwords.

Oh crap...

Well if it's any consolation I once bottled a batch of beer with lactose instead of priming sugar...they both sort of look alike....both white powder.

Now I make sure each is clearly labeled.
 
Well, three weeks later, after bottling my honey ale, I think I realize with horror what the problem is, as I glanced at the bag of what I thought were carb tabs.

The brewshop sold me a bag of potassium metabisulphate, not carb tabs.

Two batches, five gallons each hosed because they look identical to the Muntons tabs and I didn't think to look at the label. Frustration does not begin to describe it. My fault, but.. badwords.

This is the perfect time to bring out my favorite swear phrase . . . Sum Brick!

Sorry about this, I can almost feel your frustration over the interwebz.
 
OMG... That's got to stink!

If you've got a keg system...or know someone that does...

Empty a couple of bottles into a very clean PET bottle...attach a carbonator cap (TM) and apply pressure to artificially carbonate. Once it's good and chilled...and been under pressure for a few days...pop it and drink! If it's YUMMY! Then put all the remaining bottles in a corny keg...and artificially carbonate. If it's not yummy...I guess it's destined for the scrap heap.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune with the YEAST KILLER. Maybe your homebrew shop will feel sorry for what they did to you and give you some credit toward a new batch of beer.

Someone with more wine experience...might know of some technique where the metabisuphate can be neutralized and a new batch of yeast added...but it would be news to me --- if that could be done.

Good luck

I might give that a shot, but I think I'm just going to accept the loss and try to do a quickie prehop LME can with some adjuncts to have something by the end of the month. Nothing ready now and nothing in the pipe.

While I'm perturbed that I got handed that stuff instead of the tabs I usually get, I should have had the sense to read the label of the stuff I put into my beer before I put it in - not at bottle 64 of batch two when my 7 year old is reading out "Daddy, what's po-tass.. potass-ium.. "

Oh crap...

Well if it's any consolation I once bottled a batch of beer with lactose instead of priming sugar...they both sort of look alike....both white powder.

Now I make sure each is clearly labeled.

Yeah, these tabs literally looked identical to the muntons. Hard lesson I guess.
 
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