Bottling mistake - no carbonation

I brewed a batch of Graff and secondaried it with some cinnamon sticks (it's quite yummy).

When bottling time came around my brain, over-joyed at the amount of alcohol it saw, turned off, or perhaps, more likely, fainted.

I put the dextrose priming sugar in the bottle of my bottling bucket and racked over the top of it.

Slightly stirring or someway dissolving the sugar would have been a good idea at this point (albeit a boiled already dissolved sugar mix would've been better), but that didn't happen.

I happily went on bottling. It's been a week (I know it can take much longer) and I have absolutely no "fizz." Thin layers of sediment exist on some bottles, yet no carbonation.

I expect some bottles, the ones bottled last, to over-carbonate (as they would've pulled more sugar than necessary when the bucket was tipped) and the rest to not carb at all.

My idea was to carefully pour each bottle back into the bottling bucket, remix some priming sugar, emphasis on the mix this time, then re bottle.

Should I do this? Should I wait? Should I just start drinking flat Graff?

Thanks for comments, suggestions and ribbings.

I would just give it time. I don't think that in any way pouring them all out and rebottling will turn out well. Think of the work, and the potential of one bottle being infected and ruining them all.

After 1 week there is not going to be much action. If you racked your beer on top of the sugar it will mix up just fine. I rarely stir up the wort when I bottle just rack it on top and let the swirling motion take care of the rest. I also agree that try to "rebottle" is not a good idea. I've stopped even tasting my beer before the 3 week mark as it always tastes better at that time. The beer may taste ok but a little extra time will make it way better

You answered your own question with the statement "I know it can take much longer."

When we say "Three weeks @ 70," we mean three weeks at 70 is usually the minimum that it may take.

I have had stouts and porters take 6-8 weeks to carb...and my HUGE 1.090 Belgian took a full three months, but carbed up beautifully

read the blog that I usually link to: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/1030387-post8.html

Your issue is like 99% of them is more likely a matter of needing more time.

This chart really sums it up...



When in doubt, wait it out.

^^^^^^

I know I'm resurrecting here but I found this thread while searching for a solution to a similar problem and I have to say that the above "chart" really tickled my funnybone exactly the way I needed today! :fro: Thank you for that!

In my case, the fermentation is complete (yes...hydrometer...saynomore...) but Georgia was hit with an uncommon freeze this past week so in the last week or so the temp dropped to around 52* (from around 62* during fermentation). So I figure "this should be fine...just sounds like cold-crashing in a secondary". I bottle like always and my sleepy yeasts are just settling straight to the bottom of the bottle. They're sitting in a 69* room now so I bet they'll wake up and get busy soon.

Yes I'm planning to give it a lot more time before jumping to any conclusions but I'm gathering intel now so i can act quickly if i still see no action after 14-21 days. I really was just posting to express how much better my day is going because I got a laugh from that "chart" Revvy posted...

I love this video, fairly good source

just to let you know... I've successfully poured out 54 bottles and re bottled after a batch didn't carbonate...It wasn't fun but it really didn't effect the beer that taste much imo...I just brewed a very small beer in a glass container and then added it to the bucket after a week and then dumped all the beer in. Better than losing 2 cases of beer.

Not to hijack this thread but this is a related question. I bottled a winter warmer and have let it go for 4 weeks and it could take much longer. This brew I let sit in a secondary for 5 weeks and there was almost nothing left on the bottom when I bottled it. Do I have to be concerned about not having enough yeast to carb up the beer. I keg 95% of my beer so this is a first for me.

rwinzing said:

Not to hijack this thread but this is a related question. I bottled a winter warmer and have let it go for 4 weeks and it could take much longer. This brew I let sit in a secondary for 5 weeks and there was almost nothing left on the bottom when I bottled it. Do I have to be concerned about not having enough yeast to carb up the beer. I keg 95% of my beer so this is a first for me.

Click to expand...

After 5 weeks, no, after 6 months, yes.

One thing to do though when you are racking to the bottling bucket, is at the start very quickly run the racking cane back and forth along the bottom once, let some cloudy yeast go across for about 30 seconds, then lift the cane above the trub til it runs clean again, and slowly lower it back down, a little more yeast will go over, but then the beer should form a runnel in the trub to come through clean.

This way you know you are getting some extra yeast transffering over.

Thanks......My goal is to keep most of this until next fall anyway