Does dextrose float?

[psyklopz]

Hi, all. Just registered on these forums. Seems very interesting so far.

So, I just completed my second brew. My first one came out just great, but the second time around, I forgot to add the dextrose to my bottling pail until just before I started to bottle...

See, for my first batch, I boiled the bottling dextrose in water and then added that mixture to my bottling pail while I was racking the beer over into the pail. So, I added the super-hot mixture when there was about 1/4 of the beer already transferred.

The second time around, I totally forgot about it until the very end and ended up just dumping the powder dextrose right into the pail after 100% had been racked over.

It started to foam as soon as I did it, and then I mixed up up as best I could with my spoon.

So, I bottled everything and now, one week later, I've got like almost no carbonation.

So, does dextrose float? Is it possible I didn't mix it enough and half my bottles are on the verge of exploding while the other half is basically flat?

I did notice it was a bit colder in my basement this time than the first time-- maybe that's a factor (the first batch was done in the summer, but now in the late fall it's getting cold here in Canada).

Much appreciated, all

 

[Revvy]

Well, the issue of the adding dry dextrose aside, that may or may not be the reason your beer is not carbed. 1 week is really NOT enough time for most beers to even begin to carb up.

The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer.

Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.

Temp and gravity are the two factors that contribute to the time it takes to carb beer. But if a beer's not ready yet, or seems low carbed, and you added the right amount of sugar to it, then it's not stalled, it's just not time yet.

Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found here Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience."

Read the above blog, and come back to the beer in a couple more weeks.

If a beer isn't carbed by "x number of weeks" you just have to give them ore time. If you added your sugar, then the beer will carb up eventually, it's really a foolroof process. All beers will carb up eventually. A lot of new brewers think they have to "troubleshoot" a bottling issue, when there really is none, the beer knows how to carb itself. In fact if you run beersmiths carbing calculator, some lower grav beers don't even require additional sugar to reach their minimum level of carbonation. Just time.


Before we can even "blame" how you attempted to prime your beer, we have to get to the point where we are sure thre is even a problem...and that is AFTER it has been three weeks.

So give them some more time. More than likey the yeast managed to find all the sugar and the beer will carb up.

 

[psyklopz]

Hi.

That makes sense. This batch did start with a higher gravity than the original batch. And it has been colder. And it's obvious that it's trying to carbonate because if I open a bottle, I do get a little pop.

I just cranked my heat in the basement and I'll let it develop a little further.

I'll re-post in a couple of weeks and we'll see how it turns out.

Thanks

 

[psyklopz]

So I got impatient and opened one 3 days early. Time heals all wounds. It's just fine now, but the carbonation is inconsistent from bottle to bottle (but they're all acceptable)

Lessons learned: let the beer have enough time in bottles before opening. And don't put the dextrose in the bottling pail at the last minute.

 

[devilishprune]

In my experience, dextrose will sink to the bottom of the bucket if anything.

That foam that you saw was probably CO2 that was in solution coming out because of the nucleation sites that you provided with all that sugar you added.