Beer Re-Mix

[MT's AZ Ale Haus]

I have a crazy question.

I have a small batch of beer in bottles about 1.5 gal, they've been in bottles for 6 weeks now and still won't carbonate. I believe I know the reason why they won't carbonate, so my question is.
Can I, should I make a small 2.5 gal batch and pour the 1.5 gal of old beer in during the boil, bringng it to a total of 4 gallons.
Chill it and pitch the yeast then ferment the batch?

 

[JohnSand]

I don't think so. You can do it, but the alcohol will boil off, and the rest of it won't ferment, because it already has.
You can open the bottles, add a sugar cube and a pinch of yeast, recap and let it carb.
Keep us posted.

 

[WBB]

No when to fold them, know when to walk away.

If you know why they won’t carbonate, there’s no sense in wasting more resources. Lesson learned.

What do you think you did wrong?

 

[FatDragon]

You believe you know the reason they won't carbonate. It would probably help us to know that reason as well.

I suspect you'd have issues with oxidation in the new batch if you tried what you're suggesting, along with the fact that you'd be boiling the alcohol off of this beer so it would basically just be beer flavored mash water at best. If you want to mix and re-bottle the batch, you'd be better off brewing a new batch and ferment it as normal, then when it's time to bottle that batch carefully (to minimize oxidation) pour the bottles of beer in the bottling bucket with the finished beer and bottle it all together. Of course, you could do the same thing without a new batch of beer to redo your batch priming and bottling with the batch in question, or do what @JohnSand suggested and add sugar and yeast to each bottle, and you would avoid risking unnecessary oxidation to a fresh batch of beer by mixing them.

 

[MT's AZ Ale Haus]

No when to fold them, know when to walk away.

If you know why they won’t carbonate, there’s no sense in wasting more resources. Lesson learned.

What do you think you did wrong?

1. It's an IPA that I let ferment for 4 weeks, which in and of itself was not bad.

2. It was a big beer, >1.055 OG and I only pitched 1 yeast pack.

So based on my deductions, the beer went terminal in under 2 weeks and in the following 2 weeks everything went dormant and settled in the bottom of the fermenter. So when I racked into my botling bucket there was nothing left to charge with priming sugar.

The beer taste pretty good, just flat.

I think I'm going to cut my losses and chock it up to lessons learned. I may use a couple bottles in a beef stew or to boil some brats.

 

[madscientist451]

A great beer with beef recipe is Belgian carbonade, which I have made several times.
I brown the meat, saute the onions and make a reduction with the beer and herbs on the stove but then finish it in a crockpot:

https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Classic-Beef-Beer-Stew

I'm skeptical there wasn't any yeast left in your bottled beer, perhaps you should try the sugar cube trick on 3-4 bottles and see what happens?
I've stopped using a bottling bucket and rack from primary to the bottles using the sugar cube method. So far its bee working for me.

 

[FatDragon]

1. It's an IPA that I let ferment for 4 weeks, which in and of itself was not bad.

2. It was a big beer, >1.055 OG and I only pitched 1 yeast pack.

So based on my deductions, the beer went terminal in under 2 weeks and in the following 2 weeks everything went dormant and settled in the bottom of the fermenter. So when I racked into my botling bucket there was nothing left to charge with priming sugar.

The beer taste pretty good, just flat.

I think I'm going to cut my losses and chock it up to lessons learned. I may use a couple bottles in a beef stew or to boil some brats.

1. Four weeks in the fermenter won't drop out or kill nearly enough yeast to prevent bottle carbonation.
2. Underpitching might cause some ester production, but it won't prevent bottle carbing. Neither will sitting in the fermenter for a couple weeks after fermentation has finished. I've made beers >1.100, slightly underpitched, and racked to secondary for 6+ months, and they've always carbed up just fine without any added yeast. Many brewers cold crash with gelatin for super-clear beer, but there's still enough yeast in suspension to bottle carbonate a beer with no trouble.

There's no reason, from what you've shared, that it shouldn't have carbed. Are you sure you primed this batch? Got the caps sealed on properly? Not using screwtop bottles, I assume? You didn't bottle it and toss it right in the fridge?

 

[MT's AZ Ale Haus]

1. Four weeks in the fermenter won't drop out or kill nearly enough yeast to prevent bottle carbonation.
2. Underpitching might cause some ester production, but it won't prevent bottle carbing. Neither will sitting in the fermenter for a couple weeks after fermentation has finished. I've made beers >1.100, slightly underpitched, and racked to secondary for 6+ months, and they've always carbed up just fine without any added yeast. Many brewers cold crash with gelatin for super-clear beer, but there's still enough yeast in suspension to bottle carbonate a beer with no trouble.

There's no reason, from what you've shared, that it shouldn't have carbed. Are you sure you primed this batch? Got the caps sealed on properly? Not using screwtop bottles, I assume? You didn't bottle it and toss it right in the fridge?

1. 5oz corn sugar in 3.5 gal beer
2. Yep, seated properly, they do have a tiny little psst. When I crack the cap so they are sealed..
3. They have been sitting in a dark pantry at 79°F.

Not sure what went wrong, this is only my second brew, my first brew carb'd just fine.

I'm brewing my 3rd batch on Sunday, I just don't want to make the same mistake twice.

I'm going to be super meticulous on this next batch [emoji482]

 

[Jtk78]

1. 5oz corn sugar in 3.5 gal beer
2. Yep, seated properly, they do have a tiny little psst. When I crack the cap so they are sealed..
3. They have been sitting in a dark pantry at 79°F.

Not sure what went wrong, this is only my second brew, my first brew carb'd just fine.

I'm brewing my 3rd batch on Sunday, I just don't want to make the same mistake twice.

I'm going to be super meticulous on this next batch [emoji482]

I honestly think you have a guardian angel looking over you and that's why this batch didn't carb. 5oz of corn sugar in a 3.5 gallon batch is dangerously too much! Use an online calculator to determine required weight of sugar for the volume you are bottling. I use brewersfriend.com but there are others. This will ensure you get correct carbonation level without the risk of bottle bombs. Buy a food scale and weigh it out.

I don't know what you're bottling process is, but I can only assume something during the process might need improving. I've had beer in carboys longer than 4 weeks carb just fine at 68F.

 

[MT's AZ Ale Haus]

I honestly think you have a guardian angel looking over you and that's why this batch didn't carb. 5oz of corn sugar in a 3.5 gallon batch is dangerously too much! Use an online calculator to determine required weight of sugar for the volume you are bottling. I use brewersfriend.com but there are others. This will ensure you get correct carbonation level without the risk of bottle bombs. Buy a food scale and weigh it out.

I don't know what you're bottling process is, but I can only assume something during the process might need improving. I've had beer in carboys longer than 4 weeks carb just fine at 68F.

Oh I know 5oz was too much, I prepared the solution thinking I had 5 gal in the fermenter, I was fully aware of the potential for bottle bombs >3.5 co2 volume.
They were in a safe space in the pantry.
My process is pretty straight forward, however the non carb is a big ???

 

[Jtk78]

Oh I know 5oz was too much, I prepared the solution thinking I had 5 gal in the fermenter, I was fully aware of the potential for bottle bombs >3.5 co2 volume.
They were in a safe space in the pantry.
My process is pretty straight forward, however the non carb is a big ???

One simple trick I did with all of my carboys (Fermonsters for reference) is mark the volumes with the white athletic tape at 1, 4, 5, and 6 gallons. The Fermonsters are marked at 5 and 6, but they're nearly impossible to see, especially with a dark beer in there. This allowed me to better determine how much I would loose to trub (1 gallon mark) and what my actual volume is. The tape does not come off when I clean the fermenter and has held up well.

Are you boiling the sugar water, adding it to bottling bucket and racking the beer on top in a swirling motion to promote a consistent mixture? When I bottled, I would give it a very easy swirl about half way through the process. Are you letting them chill for 24-48 hours prior to enjoying them?

 

[MT's AZ Ale Haus]

One simple trick I did with all of my carboys (Fermonsters for reference) is mark the volumes with the white athletic tape at 1, 4, 5, and 6 gallons. The Fermonsters are marked at 5 and 6, but they're nearly impossible to see, especially with a dark beer in there. This allowed me to better determine how much I would loose to trub (1 gallon mark) and what my actual volume is. The tape does not come off when I clean the fermenter and has held up well.

Are you boiling the sugar water, adding it to bottling bucket and racking the beer on top in a swirling motion to promote a consistent mixture? When I bottled, I would give it a very easy swirl about half way through the process. Are you letting them chill for 24-48 hours prior to enjoying them?

Yep, I boil the sugar solution, cool it to 70° and poor it into bottling bucket.

Then I drain my fermenter into the bottling bucket via a tube, as it enters the bucket it naturally creates a steady circular swirl as the bucket fills, so I feel it getting a full mix.

I will give it an extra little swirl for good measure on my next brew.

 

[FatDragon]

In your original post you said you had 1.5 gallons, where a later reply said 3.5 gallons. Does that mean some of the bottles carbonated when others didn't? If that's the case, I've been there myself: poorly-mixed priming sugar in the bottling bucket can cause this issue, where some of the bottles are overcarbed and others are undercarbed. I learned my lesson with a batch where half of the bottles were gushers and half were flat. Now I make sure to boil my priming sugar for a few minutes, in enough water to prevent it from becoming a syrup that might sink to the bottom of the bottling bucket, and I swirl the autosiphon (because it has already been sanitized and then in contact with the beer when I racked from the fermenter to the bottling bucket) around in the fermenter once every few bottles to keep the sugar mixed fairly evenly in the beer, but not vigorously enough to cause more than a tiny bit of oxidation.

 

[MT's AZ Ale Haus]

In your original post you said you had 1.5 gallons, where a later reply said 3.5 gallons. Does that mean some of the bottles carbonated when others didn't? If that's the case, I've been there myself: poorly-mixed priming sugar in the bottling bucket can cause this issue, where some of the bottles are overcarbed and others are undercarbed. I learned my lesson with a batch where half of the bottles were gushers and half were flat. Now I make sure to boil my priming sugar for a few minutes, in enough water to prevent it from becoming a syrup that might sink to the bottom of the bottling bucket, and I swirl the autosiphon (because it has already been sanitized and then in contact with the beer when I racked from the fermenter to the bottling bucket) around in the fermenter once every few bottles to keep the sugar mixed fairly evenly in the beer, but not vigorously enough to cause more than a tiny bit of oxidation.

So...

I've been sampling a six pack about every 1 and a half weeks.

I've been agitating them weekly, and recently they've been showing slight signs of carbonation.

So, I'm not sure...

The beer taste good, it "taste" better than my 1st brew minus the carbonation.

 

[Kharnynb]

big beer, over 1.055, how much over?

big beers tend to carb slower, my belgian triples and quads carb over 6-8 weeks.

 

[MT's AZ Ale Haus]

The [emoji482] finally Carb'd YAY!!! [emoji119]