Carbonation taking forever...

[joepfohl]

So I brewed Northern Brewer's Midnight Beatdown Wheaten Porter (http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/midnight-beatdown-wheaten-porter-partial-mash-kit.html) about 2.5 months ago. 10 days primary, 3 weeks secondary, and 3 weeks in the bottle and my carbonation is barely noticeable. I carbed to 2.1ish based on BeerSmith calculations. I'm gonna give it a few more weeks before I really feel worried but what do I do it she doesn't carb??? Before anyone says "Keg, Keg!," know that SWMBO is not on board with kegging...

 

[b-boy]

is it in a warm area above 70F?

 

[Yooper]

Carbing to 2.1 volumes means that the beer would be fairly flat even when fully carbed. My guess is that it's just about as good as it's going to get.

How much priming sugar did you actually use?

 

[kh54s10]

Carbing to 2.1 volumes means that the beer would be fairly flat even when fully carbed. My guess is that it's just about as good as it's going to get.

How much priming sugar did you actually use?

2.1 volumes is appropriate but low compared to most ales . If you are below 70 degrees it will take longer. Porters ARE often carbed to lower amounts than most ales.

You might be only experiencing the difference of the lower level.

 

[allenH]

So I brewed Northern Brewer's Midnight Beatdown Wheaten Porter (http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/midnight-beatdown-wheaten-porter-partial-mash-kit.html) about 2.5 months ago. 10 days primary, 3 weeks secondary, and 3 weeks in the bottle and my carbonation is barely noticeable. I carbed to 2.1ish based on BeerSmith calculations. I'm gonna give it a few more weeks before I really feel worried but what do I do it she doesn't carb??? Before anyone says "Keg, Keg!," know that SWMBO is not on board with kegging...

I brewed the same kit 5/12, carbed per calculator to style (3.5oz), it took 4 months to show proper carb.

 

[joepfohl]

b-boy: my house fluxuates between 60 (at night and when me and SWMBO aren't here) and 68-70.

yooper: I didn't record the weight of the sugar I used (I know... I NEED to develop proper habits of recording everything)

allenH: your experience matches that of others I had read on the NB comments section but is a relief none the less. I guess this one's gonna have to sit for a while... that just means I'll need to brew other stuff! (WOOT WOOT)

Sent from my TF300T using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Zepth]

My second batch was a Scottish Heavy carbed to 2.2. After about 3 weeks it seemed a little flat however I figured that "Hey I guess this is what 2.2 volumes is like." Tasted fine just less carbonation than I first expected. By the time the last couple of bottles disappeared around 6-7 weeks after brewing they were noticeable more carbonated.

 

[aiptasia]

I'd let it sit another week and then put a test bottle in the fridge to chill down cold for 24 hours before opening it.

You can attempt to boost the carbonation with an additional quarter teaspoon of sugar per bottle but you really do run the risk of oxidizing the beer when you do it. Move quickly by uncapping, dosing the sugar and re-capping as quickly as you can. You can try using oxygen absorbing caps (gold caps) but I haven't found they've made much of a difference.

After re-capping the re-primed beers, roust up any yeast deposits in the bottom of the bottle with a good shake and keep them warm. Allow a few extra weeks for them to carbonate and hope and pray you don't taste oxidized flavors.

The last time I had to do this was on a hunahpu clone. It was actually the yeast that farted out on me due to alcohol level (over 12%) so I had to re-pitch champagne yeast into each bottle. It did the trick and it carbonated back up in two weeks but it severely oxidized the beer. It completely killed the cinnamon flavor and gave the beer a vinous flavor (like wine). It's drinkable but it isn't an exact match for hunahpu any longer. My friends and I have named it "Huna-boo-boo" and I made a label for it with honey boo boo's face plastered over the hunahpu's day logo.

 

[b-boy]

yooper: I didn't record the weight of the sugar I used (I know... I NEED to develop proper habits of recording everything)

How do you know the carbonation level without knowing how much sugar you used? Was it part of the kit?