dougdecinces
Well-Known Member
I brewed a big (9.5% ABV) barleywine in April. I bottled in September after bulk aging about 3 months. I checked on a bottle after 40 days to see how it was progressing and there was no carbonation whatsoever. Not even a hiss from the bottle. My assumption at the time was that the yeast had all died/settled out and, of course, I forgot to repitch. I uncapped all my bottles, added 1/8 t Nottingham to each and recapped.
It has been another 40-something days, so I cracked another bottle and got the same problem. Now here is where I really feel like an idiot. In my notes I usually include how much I carbonate each batch to. And, of course, I fail to do this for my barleywine. So it could be that I completely forgot to add priming sugar, or that I merely forgot to document it. It's been so long that I can't remember. So I guess I want to know if,
1) 40-odd days with no sign of carbonation is normal and I should give more time.
2) I should add carbonation drops and recap, assuming I forgot to add priming sugar. I'm leaning towards this option as the complete lack of carbonation here is worrisome.
It has been another 40-something days, so I cracked another bottle and got the same problem. Now here is where I really feel like an idiot. In my notes I usually include how much I carbonate each batch to. And, of course, I fail to do this for my barleywine. So it could be that I completely forgot to add priming sugar, or that I merely forgot to document it. It's been so long that I can't remember. So I guess I want to know if,
1) 40-odd days with no sign of carbonation is normal and I should give more time.
2) I should add carbonation drops and recap, assuming I forgot to add priming sugar. I'm leaning towards this option as the complete lack of carbonation here is worrisome.