Carbonation problems

Hi everyone.

I just sampled a bottle of my second batch of pale ale, and there is barely any carbonation. I thought my first batch had a bit too much carbonation (3/4 cup of corn sugar to 5 gallons), so I primed this one with 1/2 cup boiled in a pint of water.

I bottled some of them in 35 oz. PET bottles, which have the benefit of being able to squeeze them to see if pressure is built up inside. After two weeks at room temperature, they still had more give than ones from the first batch, but they were pretty firm. I figured they were ok.

After another week of cold-conditioning in the fridge, they actually felt like they had less pressure than before. I don't see how the CO2 could have escaped.

Anyway, so now I have a bunch of brew that tastes pretty good, but has just the ever-so-slightest hint of carbonation.

Should I take them out of the fridge and bring them back up to room temp, or add a little dry yeast to each bottle (how much?) or corn sugar, or is there a chance that they just need more time?

I'll drink these bitches flat if I have to, but I'd love some bubbles... Thanks, everyone.

IMO you made a mistake by using less priming sugar.

With experience you'll improve all of your processes except when it comes to bottle conditioning (carbonating). Conditioning is mostly a guessing game.

However, you'll soon learn when it's the best time to place your beers in the fridge.

You should leave your bottles in about 70-75F for about a week or so to build up the carbonation. Your beers should have been carbonated, but by using PET bottles and placing them in the fridge I would say the built up pressure was absorbed by the beer, which should give you more carbonation.

If your beers are flat then you definitely placed them in the fridge too soon.
You should always pour them in a glass and sample them prior to placing them in the fridge.

I would not open them up and add anything to the bottles. I would take them out of the fridge for a couple of weeks. I would also sample one in 1 week then another in 2 weeks. If the carb level is acceptable to you then place them in the fridge again.

If that doesn't work then you can always mix them with another highly carbonated beer or a commercial brand (yech!).

The CO2 didn't escape. Cold ale holds more gas than warm ale, so the pressure dropped. If you let them warm up, the pressure would go back up.

Too much carbonation is easier to deal with than not enough, so maybe you should go back to 3/4 cup. You can always pour your brew roughly & de-carb.

david_42 said:

The CO2 didn't escape. Cold ale holds more gas than warm ale, so the pressure dropped. If you let them warm up, the pressure would go back up.

Too much carbonation is easier to deal with than not enough, so maybe you should go back to 3/4 cup. You can always pour your brew roughly & de-carb.

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Thank you both for the response.

David42 - what you said was proven true. I took them out of the fridge, and a few hours later, the PET bottles were noticeably firmer.

The bottles had two weeks at room temperature before going in the fridge. Do you think leaving them out at room temp for another week or two will build up enough CO2, or do you think the yeast has eaten all of the priming sugar already?

I'd love to avoid having to add sugar to the bottles, or dumping them all back into the bottling bucket...

homebrewer_99 said:

You should leave your bottles in about 70-75F for about a week or so to build up the carbonation...If your beers are flat then you definitely placed them in the fridge too soon...I would not open them up and add anything to the bottles. I would take them out of the fridge for a couple of weeks. I would also sample one in 1 week then another in 2 weeks. If the carb level is acceptable to you then place them in the fridge again.

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You're welcome...