JJWP
Well-Known Member
Hey guys
So I know that I should be patient, but 16 weeks and still no carbonation has me getting a little worried...
I brewed a russian imperial (OG 1.095 FG 1.018) back in sept/oct. About 3 weeks in primary and 6 weeks in secondary before bottling. On bottling day I only had about 4-4.25 gallons to package (I did a 90 minute boil on brewday and didn't nail my water needs as well as I should have) so I only used around 2 or 2.5 ounces of corn sugar for carbonation - I was going for a low to moderate carbonation level.
My concern is that, after around 4 months in the bottles I'm still not getting any carbonation. I've periodically swirled the bottles and stored them at room temp for the whole time. I did have one test bottle that had decent carbonation after 8 weeks, but all I've tried since have been almost totally flat. Maybe I used to little sugar and didn't adequately mix it? Although I used my typical bottling practices, which have always yielded good results in the past.
So - what to do? I know that higher gravity beers can sometimes take much longer to carb, but 16 weeks?
Did I secondary for too long maybe? I pitched three wyeast smack packs (london ale I think), so there should been plenty of yeast, at least originally right?
I don't mind waiting longer, but maybe its time to think about adding fresh yeast to each bottle and recapping? Anyone have any experience or success going that route?
Thanks
Jjwp
So I know that I should be patient, but 16 weeks and still no carbonation has me getting a little worried...
I brewed a russian imperial (OG 1.095 FG 1.018) back in sept/oct. About 3 weeks in primary and 6 weeks in secondary before bottling. On bottling day I only had about 4-4.25 gallons to package (I did a 90 minute boil on brewday and didn't nail my water needs as well as I should have) so I only used around 2 or 2.5 ounces of corn sugar for carbonation - I was going for a low to moderate carbonation level.
My concern is that, after around 4 months in the bottles I'm still not getting any carbonation. I've periodically swirled the bottles and stored them at room temp for the whole time. I did have one test bottle that had decent carbonation after 8 weeks, but all I've tried since have been almost totally flat. Maybe I used to little sugar and didn't adequately mix it? Although I used my typical bottling practices, which have always yielded good results in the past.
So - what to do? I know that higher gravity beers can sometimes take much longer to carb, but 16 weeks?
Did I secondary for too long maybe? I pitched three wyeast smack packs (london ale I think), so there should been plenty of yeast, at least originally right?
I don't mind waiting longer, but maybe its time to think about adding fresh yeast to each bottle and recapping? Anyone have any experience or success going that route?
Thanks
Jjwp