no carbonation

I racked my bock off of the yeast after 3 days of fermenting.
5 days later (friday) I racked it again so that I didn't have a bunch of yeast taste when I bottled it on sunday.
On sunday I added the dextrose and then I didn't have time to bottle it so I let it sit in the bucket for 2 days until I could get to it.
I noticed that the bubbler (air lock) wasn't going but I bottled anyway.
I have tasted the beer since and it is flat, no carbonation in it.
What can I do now?

you racked a bock (lager) off of the yeast after 3 days???

If this is the case there are many things that you will need to do differently next time. I would recommend reading John Palmer's How to Brew. You can read the first edition for free online. Just google how to brew.

In regards to priming it takes at least 3 weeks at 70F for beers to carbonate properly. This is a low estimate. Three Weeks minimum.

If fermentation was finished when you bottled, and you bottled after adding the priming sugar two days before you bottled, the beer should remain completely flat. The priming sugar would have fermented out by the time you bottled.

That's just a guess, though. Did you take any hydrometer readings? It's possible that the beer wasn't finished, and if that's the case it'll still carb up because it'll finish in the bottle.

YooperBrew said:

That's just a guess, though. Did you take any hydrometer readings? It's possible that the beer wasn't finished, and if that's the case it'll still carb up because it'll finish in the bottle.

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Very good points!!!

I would be very careful with those bottles, if they are still fermenting in the bottle it is possible to have explosive bottles. keep them under cover.

Okay, some background;
I started the ferment in a 12 gallon crock, as I made 8 gallons and that was all I had to work with.
I stretched saran wrap over the top of this and poked a pin hole.
As the fermentation built the saran wrap rose up and the gasses were expelled thru the pin hole.
After 3 days the saran wrap collapsed, thus I made my first rack off of the yeast.
I have read several books, and websites, and internet groups and the sources I have read assert that this is fairly standard procedure.
What am I missing?

I have never seen that procedure, so I don't really think it's a standard way to do it.

My guess that the beer was done, and now it'll be flat in the bottle. You should bottle immediately upon adding the priming (bottling) sugar. I'd recommend buying a small item called a hydrometer so that you can know when the beer is done fermenting. Bottling it before it's done will cause bottle bombs, so it's an important item!

Here's how I make beer: http://howtobrew.com/section1/chapter1-1.html

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your beer!

greenspider said:

Okay, some background;
I started the ferment in a 12 gallon crock, as I made 8 gallons and that was all I had to work with.
I stretched saran wrap over the top of this and poked a pin hole.
As the fermentation built the saran wrap rose up and the gasses were expelled thru the pin hole.
After 3 days the saran wrap collapsed, thus I made my first rack off of the yeast.
I have read several books, and websites, and internet groups and the sources I have read assert that this is fairly standard procedure.
What am I missing?

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About 30 years of state of the art brewing wisdom, is what you missed. It really sounds like you are getting info from 1978 era brewing books.

Besides the fact that you moved your beer way to soon, did some questionable fermentation procedures AND added priming sugar two days before bottling....

I don't even know where to begin to help you.....

Um, ok, let's see;

Start with THIS book, it's online....http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

Read this; https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/multiple-questions-about-secondary-fermentation-140978/#post1601829

Read the info on bottling here, it explains the carbonation process in detail as well as some ways to make bottling fast and easy; https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/revvys-tips-bottler-first-time-otherwise-94812/ So you don't run into another situation where you start but run out of time to bottle.

This; https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/beginner-extract-brewing-howto-99139/

And this https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/stone-cold-lead-pipe-lockd-n00b-advice-54362/?highlight=stone+cold

Some of the info might correct some of the things you 'learned" for next time.....and bring you somewhat up to speed where a lot of things are concerned.

For example a lot of those books and info come from a time when yeast was crappy and travelled in hot cargo holds of ships, and where there were limited amounts of them. So folks brewed really fast and got the beer off the yeast before anything bad could happen....but now with modern yeasts, we've come to notice that "Slow is Better," that leaving the beer in the fermenter for 3-4 weeks and often skipping primary actually makes for better tasting and clearer beer...so we let things unfold on their own time.

This is a big change from the old school methods, and is only a couple years old, we're sort of the breaking ground for this, and it is only now starting to spread out to the larger brewing community through podcasts and articles in magazines.

Revvy said:

About 30 years of state of the art brewing wisdom, is what you missed...

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Sorry - had to laugh a little at that one.

I'll put in another vote for reading www.howtobrew.com

There's many different ways to make beer, but I think adding priming sugar 2 days before you bottle is not one of the better ways.

If by Sunday - you meant this last Sunday, Dec. 13th, I think you've got a few more weeks to wait before you'll get any carbonation. Like someone else mentioned, at least you've still got some fermentables that are probably left to create carbonation (maybe TOO much!).

Greenspider,

don't feel like everyone is laughing at your expense. We've been there. Do some reading, ask some questions, and start your next batch!

Good luck.

HickoryMike said:

Greenspider,

don't feel like everyone is laughing at your expense. We've been there. Do some reading, ask some questions, and start your next batch!

Good luck.

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+1 on that. Some people come across the wrong way, but really, everyone's trying to help. There's beer at stake here, after all!

HickoryMike said:

Greenspider,

don't feel like everyone is laughing at your expense. We've been there. Do some reading, ask some questions, and start your next batch!

Good luck.

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I don't think ANYONE is laughing at his expense......We're all trying to figure out a way to help. It's just difficult to figure out where to begin...to tackle the issues with this current batch or to provide some info to unlearn what it sounds like he learned.

It's not uncommon on here to get a person every now and then who just discovered a bunch of 30 year old brewing books at the library and made their first batch that way and ran into trouble....because they didn't necessarily realize that a lot has changed in the last few years.

Like not fermenting in crocks with saran wrap for example.

Or they found hooch brewing websites online, and thought that bread yeast and other question ingredients are the standard ingredients.

I'm wondering where he got a 12 gallon crock. That is one big ass crock!

Crawland said:

I'm wondering where he got a 12 gallon crock. That is one big ass crock!

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Perfect for a wine primary! I'm jealous- I'd love to have one.

Let's do our best to be helpful here, and provide some good information.

Greenspider, let us know if you have any questions, we'll be glad to help.

I have several corny kegs.
Could i put this brew into those now and carbonate with CO2?
What pressures would I need?
should I let it set for a longer period now?
I started this beer on thanksgiving 11.26.09
I put the dextrose on it on 12.05.09
I will definitely read some current books before my next brew but I sure would like to salvage what I can here.
BTW, I DO have AND use my hydrometer

Yeah I am no pro but yeah it does sound like if you waited two days you must have already fermented out all your primming sugar. Priming sugar is to create carbonation. So after primming you want to get the beer in bottles right away. Then you need to wait a few weeks you can not start drinking them in a few days or even a week. My standard is at least 2-3 weeks in bottles before drinking.

What was the FG when you bottled?

If it's still flat today, I'd go and buy some "priming tabs" at the homebrew store. They have a couple of kinds, one is called "carb tabs" I believe. Anyway, they are tablets of priming sugar/DME and you add them directly to the bottle. You'd have to uncap, add the tablets and recap, but that would work just fine. (I had to do that once when I had a beer that just never carbed).

I'd be concerned about uncapping and pouring into a keg- that would oxidize the beer and ruin the flavor.

Revvy said:

I don't think ANYONE is laughing at his expense...

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Well...it's pretty funny! I know the airlock-bubble-counting types must drive you experienced brewers crazy...now you have a guy who apparently doesn't own an airlock, much less a carboy!

osagdr, and all,

It IS funny.
But there IS another side to the whole story.
I have 1 five gallon carboy with airlock (locks really, as I have 8) and
I have 4 four liter wine jugs with bungs.
I made 8 gallons of beer and didn't know if it was better to ferment it alll in the 12 gallon crock, or separate them into carboy and wine jugs.
I opted for the former.
I also have 3 corny kegs and a tank of CO2.
Less than $125.00 for it all.