shadygrove96
Active Member
Hey all. Been homebrewing for a number of years and started running into an issue I've never encountered before and could use some input/advice.
I all grain brew and have been using the same general procedure for years. I do both a primary and a secondary fermentation generally hitting pretty close to my intended gravities. However, in each of the last three batches I have brewed I have gotten zero carbonation out of my bottle conditioning procedure. The funny part is, I don't believe I've changed much about my process.
I use corn sugar to carbonate and use the Northern Brewer calculator to determine the volume of sugar needed for the style brewed. I generally keep the beer at fermentation temps in my basement, probably in the mid to upper 60's. The only difference in my process that I can think of is that i now use StarSan for sanitizing my bottles. Previously, I would use the bleach process Papazian describes in the Homebrewer's Companion. Could this have anything to do with it? Could it be bad bottle caps? I've been buying the same type from my LHBS for years.
I did move a little over a year ago from a place with no basement to a place with a basement where I now ferment and condition, but like I said, temps don't usually get down below the mid 60's. I've checked bottles after months and still nothing. I've even brought some bottles up to the main living area to sit for a couple of weeks in the hope that conditioning would kick start, but nothing. Admittedly though, it was after I had no carbonation in the basement for a few weeks. Should I start keeping them at 70+ deg for all of the conditioning time?
Any input/advice would be helpful. Thanks.
I all grain brew and have been using the same general procedure for years. I do both a primary and a secondary fermentation generally hitting pretty close to my intended gravities. However, in each of the last three batches I have brewed I have gotten zero carbonation out of my bottle conditioning procedure. The funny part is, I don't believe I've changed much about my process.
I use corn sugar to carbonate and use the Northern Brewer calculator to determine the volume of sugar needed for the style brewed. I generally keep the beer at fermentation temps in my basement, probably in the mid to upper 60's. The only difference in my process that I can think of is that i now use StarSan for sanitizing my bottles. Previously, I would use the bleach process Papazian describes in the Homebrewer's Companion. Could this have anything to do with it? Could it be bad bottle caps? I've been buying the same type from my LHBS for years.
I did move a little over a year ago from a place with no basement to a place with a basement where I now ferment and condition, but like I said, temps don't usually get down below the mid 60's. I've checked bottles after months and still nothing. I've even brought some bottles up to the main living area to sit for a couple of weeks in the hope that conditioning would kick start, but nothing. Admittedly though, it was after I had no carbonation in the basement for a few weeks. Should I start keeping them at 70+ deg for all of the conditioning time?
Any input/advice would be helpful. Thanks.
