Tripel 10 days in bottles, no carbonation

Should I be worried? I know it's only been 10 days, but I did this same recipe in May and bottles were fully carbed in 7 days. Granted, the bottle conditioning temp was in the 70's in May, about 63 degrees F on average now.

Yeast is Wyeast 1388. Primary fermented for 3 weeks, secondary for 4 weeks.

I shouldn't say there is NO carbonation, but I poured a bottle vigorously into a bottle and no head formed whatsoever. There are small amounts of bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass, but nothing near a head.

Any comforting advice would be appreciated!

Well, sometimes w/ a big beer, the yeast you used can't eat anymore due to the high abv... or if it does, its really slowly. You may need to add some champagne yeast to the bottle to get it to eat some more... not sure... but time will work, just may take a while for the mostly dormant yeast to eat enough sugar at that point... I sadly can't give you a 100% happy joy joy...

I would seriously look at the temperature difference. Try warming the bottles up a bit, cover with a blanket and set them near the radiator or heat vent. 63 is pretty chilly for a Belgian yeast.

Also, are you giving your beer enough time in the fridge to absorb the C02?

I've been racking my brain thinking about how to warm the temp up (besides cranking the thermostat obviously). Unfortunately, all heat vents are in inconvenient areas to put 50 bottles next to. The only convenient place in my small apartment is in a closet. Also, the heat vent only blows heat about 5 minutes every hour or 2. My basement next to the furnace is currently only at 50 degrees.

And no, I'm not giving the beer any real time in the fridge to release CO2. Can you explain how this works (scientifically)? I tested 2 bottles, threw them in the fridge 30 minutes and then cracked them open.

give it time, absolutely nothing is wrong. If it already started to carb then it WILL CARB. My high gravity brews take months to condition if the temp is too cold.

dvdanny said:

My high gravity brews take months to condition if the temp is too cold.

Click to expand...

+1, this has been my experience

Thanks for the replies, looks like it will just be slow, which is fine. It's just such an enormous difference 10 degrees makes I guess.

Triocd said:

Thanks for the replies, looks like it will just be slow, which is fine. It's just such an enormous difference 10 degrees makes I guess.

Click to expand...

10 degrees is actually a lot as far as brewing is concerned. 10 degrees is the difference between steam beer and Lagers fermentations temps, and it's also the difference between steam beers and Ales. Mashing 10 degrees off can be a complete disaster.

right now my house doesn't ever get above 65 and doesn't drop below 55, but even at the highest temps that's still cold enough to hinder bottle conditioning.

I am in the same boat as you though, I don't really have the room for any temperature control during fermentation or bottle conditioning, I just roll with what ever I get.

WAAAAYYYY too early bro... search Revvy's bottle conditioning blog.

3 weeks minimum, could take months with a big beer. Yes temp will affect carbonation, but the yeastie beasties will work in their own time regardless of temp. In a big beer they have been stressed to hell and back so give em time to wake up, get a cup of coffe, and realize they are hungry

RDWHAHB

Another good read would be "Brew Like a Monk." Practically every brewery discussed in that book adds fresh yeast at bottling and they keep the bottles in a warm room.

BigB said:

Another good read would be "Brew Like a Monk." Practically every brewery discussed in that book adds fresh yeast at bottling and they keep the bottles in a warm room.

Click to expand...

+1...SWMBO got it for me for Christmas and I have already devoured it. There is a TON of great info in there.

BigB said:

Another good read would be "Brew Like a Monk." Practically every brewery discussed in that book adds fresh yeast at bottling and they keep the bottles in a warm room.

Click to expand...

True, but they're operating under different conditions.

On the homebrew scale, you should have enough yeast left. Also, as OP is probably aware tripels taste best after a long period of conditioning, so time to relax for a few months.

Triocd said:

Should I be worried? I know it's only been 10 days, but I did this same recipe in May and bottles were fully carbed in 7 days. Granted, the bottle conditioning temp was in the 70's in May, about 63 degrees F on average now.

Click to expand...

You answered your question yourself - - cool temps will take longer to carb.

TANSTAAFB said:

WAAAAYYYY too early bro... search Revvy's bottle conditioning blog.

3 weeks minimum, could take months with a big beer. Yes temp will affect carbonation, but the yeastie beasties will work in their own time regardless of temp. In a big beer they have been stressed to hell and back so give em time to wake up, get a cup of coffe, and realize they are hungry

Click to expand...

That revvy post is a big pile of #@* , fresh yeast & warm temps will carb the beer in a few weeks. NO beer should take months to carb, thats a classic sign of weak-not enough-yeast or too cold.

< Edit to add >
Conditioning is not the same as carbonation.

I've been having a hard time with a tripel myself, except mine has been in the bottle much longer than 10 days. part of it was I was stupid and stuck it in the basement after about 2 weeks, so I just pulled it back upstairs, and gently upended and rolled each bottle to try to resuspend the yeast. I will try one in a couple weeks, and hopefully see more life in it.

Heres a simple rule of thumb:

SG1.070 and above or 4 or more weeks in secondary

Add fresh yeast at bottling, a couple grams of dry yeast is all it takes- I like Nottingham 5grams for 5 gals. Others use even less - 2grams/5gals
Store @ 70F or higher till carbed ->75F is perfect
After that store cool or in the beer fridge.

Houblon said:

You answered your question yourself - - cool temps will take longer to carb.






That revvy post is a big pile of #@* , fresh yeast & warm temps will carb the beer in a few weeks. NO beer should take months to carb, thats a classic sign of weak-not enough-yeast or too cold.

< Edit to add >
Conditioning is not the same as carbonation.

Click to expand...

OK, BUT WHY BREW A TRIPEL OR BARLEYWINE OR OTHER BIG BEER AND TRY TO FAST CARB IT?

If you drink your tripel before 6 weeks in the bottle, you are a fool and maybe a lush.

Doh! I guess your edit sorta addresses that.

rexbanner said:

True, but they're operating under different conditions.

On the homebrew scale, you should have enough yeast left. Also, as OP is probably aware tripels taste best after a long period of conditioning, so time to relax for a few months.

Click to expand...

True, they are operating in different conditions (they have bigger tanks and sometimes better temperature control) but they are likewise operating in high alcohol conditions. Further they are also operating in MUCH SHORTER conditioning times which means that they would likely have more viable yeast than the homebrewer who conditions for a long period of time. The brewers interviewed (the ones that didn't filter after primary) all were of the opinion that primary fermentation is very stressful on the yeast and that fresh yeast assures a good bottle conditioning phase. Now granted the professional breweries have the ability to top crop and pitch that fresh yeast on the batch that is about to go into the bottles, but the rationale is sound.