IIPA No Carbonation - Need Advice!

[Chris5899]

I bottled my AG Maharaja IIPA clone 6 weeks ago and it has not carbed at all.

ABV: 10.1%
Yeast: San Diego Superyeast
Volume: 5 gallons
Priming Sugar: 4.2 oz. Corn Sugar

When I transferred into my bottling bucket, I strained the beer with panty hose (I know...I know) to keep the trub out. It is possible to have strained out too much yeast as well? The beer tastes sweet, I just don't know if the yeast is viable. Or am I impatient and is it too soon?

Please advise!

 

[tnbrewer371]

6 weeks seems like you should have something....i guess your options are:
1. carefully un cap it all and pour back into the bottling back and add some yeast and rebottle...(personal last choice)
2. add a granule or two of yeast to each bottle and recap (personal second choice)
3. drink flat dips.....(personal first choice)

also.....didnt see this till after, but quantity of carbing sugar seems low to me....

 

[sniperd]

I made a barley wine that clocked at 9% 18 months ago. After a month, nothing, I had the same concern. I moved my 2 cases to the 2nd floor of my house where the temp was a little warmer (68 I'd guess? basement was about 50) and 2 weeks later I had a little carbonation. It took 3 months total to carb like a proper beer.

The straining won't strip out your yeast, you'd have to use a micro filter to do so. Don't worry about that.

4 to 5 oz seems standard to me for priming sugar.

The only other concern could be if you somehow killed all the yeast in secondary, like let it get close to 100 degrees somehow, or left it for a year. I suspect that's not the case though! So, make sure they are in a warmish sort of place and wait. In the basement might be too cold, and it will take longer.

 

[g-star]

Flocculent yeast + high ABV = slow/difficult bottle conditioning. When I bottled, I would always add a few grams of dry yeast to the bottling bucket in these situations.

It may take several months to carb at warm temps if you didn't do that. Not ideal for IPA's unfortunately.

 

[ManhattanProjectBrewing]

To quote my response from a question of this nature previously....

Oh snap! I Had the EXACT same issue with my last TWO IIPA’s…. Your brew buddy was right. Those little guys are all pooped out after primary and secondary (Especially after extended periods of dry-hopping). I haven’t gotten into kegging yet (Yes, I know…I know) as I exclusively bottle all my beers so I’ve done all the research I can regarding carb problems with bottle conditioned beers. My fix:

The first batch I just rode it out (Took over a year but eventually carbed up to about 2.0 Vco2 – drinkable but not true to style). I’m sure it would have eventually achieved better attenuation but I drank it before that point. HA! The sulfates started reacting with the hops giving it that soapy character at a year in so it was time to kill the batch….In my belly.

The Second batch I re-pitched (one pack of dry champagne yeast rehydrated in 1.040 DME solution) at bottling with my priming sugar (Dark Brown Sugar) and was ready to go in two weeks. I just let it go an extra week in primary (three weeks) then dry-hopped seven days in secondary (68deg) added more hops, dry-hopped an additional 5 days (68deg) cold crashed three days at near freezing (IIPA’s are great beers to do in winter! HA!) racked then bottled with my sugar and yeast (One pack dry champagne per 5-6 gallons – Batch primed). Damn. Good. IIPA.

As far as where you are now, you can either:

1.) Sanitize caps as usual / use LIQUID champagne yeast or rehydrated dry (I’d use liquid for ease of use) and drop 0.5-1ml per bottle, recap, gently shake back and forth, condition @ 72-75deg for a week and check co2 levels…Continue to condition as needed / desired for that perfect Vco2 you are after per style.

2.) Ride it out…It’s a crap shoot but patience is a virtue. I have none so…..

3.) For the impatient / brewed a good beer but it’s not carbed / NEED to drink NOW you can always decant. Good ol’ Coors light works very well for this application. Simply poor 12 ounces Coors Light or other heavily carbonated, tasteless light beer into a pitcher or “decanter” s-l-o-w-l-y then pour in your bomber of IIPA…Ta’Dah! Carbed beer! Tastes like a draft… Seriously it works in a pinch for us impatient people.

To eliminate all the rigmarole just re-pitch at bottling (Batch priming). Since I started doing this I have yet to have a problem and because the added yeast is fresh you carb up in typically a week. Do your flavor conditioning in secondary for an added two to three weeks then crack those babies open in a week after bottling! The yeast addition is well worth the effort for an almost guaranteed perfect carb.


Cheers,

-JM

 

[Cathedral]

I'm having the same problem with my 90' clone. ABV is 10% and after four weeks, nothing. I'm not worried about the time it takes to carb, and if it were anything but an IIPA I would just let it ride, but this beer took a lot of hops to make and I want to drink it before the flavors and aroma start to disappear.

I guess I'm going to try repitching and hope I don't eff up the beer.

 

[duboman]

Get them in a place that's above 70 and be patient, a beer that big could take a while. My 9.5% Belgian IpA takes 3 months on average.

 

[Glynn]

your priming sugar does look low. should have been closer to 4.9 - 5. i would give ea bottle a good shake and store em in a nice warm place

 

[g-star]

I thought I'd seen every dumb idea in homebrewing over the years. Then I read a suggestion to mix an IIPA with Coors Light to carbonate.

Wow.