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- Nov 24, 2020
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Hi All, I'm a relatively new homebrewer and I've got a question about a recent brew that's not carbonating.
I brewed a brown ale on 21NOV. I pitched a full packet of S-04 into 2.5 gallons of wort. The OG was 1.059. On 24NOV, the gravity was 1.015. The fermentation occurred in a closet where the ambient temperature was around 66F. I bottled on 09DEC at the same gravity as before using carbonation tablets. I put the bottles away in the same closet but by that point the temperature was around 64F. I tasted on 25DEC (16 days post-bottling) and the beer was almost completely flat. I decided to be patient and waited until today, 08JAN (just shy of one month) to taste again but the beer is still almost completely flat. I know that the 16 day taste was early but I've had good luck in the past (when it was warmer, of course). After a month though, I'm starting to get a little concerned. I'm also concerned because I've got a second batch that was bottled on 28DEC and I don't want it to suffer the same fate as the first batch. I tried to not worry and have a homebrew, but the homebrew I had was flat, so that wasn't as helpful as it could have been.
I've tried to do my homework on the subject and my first thought is that the temperature is too low for these poor tired yeast to get the job done. I know that I the recommended conditioning temperature is around 70F and that I'm considerably below that, but it's hard to find a place in the house that will be warm enough . At this time of year, the house is around 67-ish during the day and cooler at night.
At this point, is it still worthwhile to try to warm the beer a bit? Or rather, how likely is that to fix the situation? I can try to rig up a box, heating pad, and thermostat to target ~70F. Is it too late for that or should I just be patient and wait for my beer? I could open the bottles, spike in a bit more yeast, and then raise the temperature. Would that be helpful or would it be more likely to cause harm? There's been just the slightest bit of carbonation so I wouldn't think that I should add more sugar. Is that right?
Thanks for your help.
I brewed a brown ale on 21NOV. I pitched a full packet of S-04 into 2.5 gallons of wort. The OG was 1.059. On 24NOV, the gravity was 1.015. The fermentation occurred in a closet where the ambient temperature was around 66F. I bottled on 09DEC at the same gravity as before using carbonation tablets. I put the bottles away in the same closet but by that point the temperature was around 64F. I tasted on 25DEC (16 days post-bottling) and the beer was almost completely flat. I decided to be patient and waited until today, 08JAN (just shy of one month) to taste again but the beer is still almost completely flat. I know that the 16 day taste was early but I've had good luck in the past (when it was warmer, of course). After a month though, I'm starting to get a little concerned. I'm also concerned because I've got a second batch that was bottled on 28DEC and I don't want it to suffer the same fate as the first batch. I tried to not worry and have a homebrew, but the homebrew I had was flat, so that wasn't as helpful as it could have been.
I've tried to do my homework on the subject and my first thought is that the temperature is too low for these poor tired yeast to get the job done. I know that I the recommended conditioning temperature is around 70F and that I'm considerably below that, but it's hard to find a place in the house that will be warm enough . At this time of year, the house is around 67-ish during the day and cooler at night.
At this point, is it still worthwhile to try to warm the beer a bit? Or rather, how likely is that to fix the situation? I can try to rig up a box, heating pad, and thermostat to target ~70F. Is it too late for that or should I just be patient and wait for my beer? I could open the bottles, spike in a bit more yeast, and then raise the temperature. Would that be helpful or would it be more likely to cause harm? There's been just the slightest bit of carbonation so I wouldn't think that I should add more sugar. Is that right?
Thanks for your help.