OG VS FG and Carbonation time

[nolimits67]

I went to make a suped up NB Snow Day clone a few weeks ago.

Steep at 155F
1 lbs 8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L
1 lbs Midnight Wheat

Boil
9 lbs 2.4 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter
0.80 oz Cascade [6.40 %]
0.80 oz Centennial [10.50 %]
0.50 oz Styrian Goldings [3.40 %]
0.50 oz Styrian Goldings [3.40 %]
0.50 oz Styrian Goldings [3.40 %]
0.20 oz Cascade [6.40 %]
0.20 oz Centennial [10.50 %]
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05)
1.50 oz Styrian Goldings [3.40 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 12 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [7.70 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 13 0.0 IBUs

I didn't intend to use the full 9.1Lbs of Maris Otter, but I was making a late extract addition, and well, you know how that goes.

Anyway, OG was 1070. I fermented at 67 for 2 weeks before dry hopping. Gravity at that addition was 1019. After week 3 it was still at 1019. I'm assuming most of my residual gravity is due to the darker malts, but one thing I haven't been able to find answer to is this:

I understand the high gravity = long [natural] carbonation time, but when final gravity remains high like that, does that change this understanding? I primed with 3.4oz corn sugar and it's hardly carbed after a week. I'm just curious about the relationship between the statement that high gravity slows carbonation, and how this statement is true for a beer that starts high and finishes high.

 

[peterj]

High gravity beers generally take longer to carbonate because of the increased alcohol content and the fact that they are often left to bulk age longer than lower gravity beers. The higher alcohol puts more stress on the yeast, so they're not able to work as quickly. The longer aging allows more yeast to fall out of suspension, so there is less yeast to consume the priming sugar. As far as I know the FG doesn't really have an effect on carb time.

Your beer is only ~6.7% and it sounds like you didn't let it sit for very long, so it shouldn't have much trouble carbonating fairly quickly. 1 week isn't really long enough to have full carbonation. I always wait a minumum of 3 weeks.

Carbonation time is affected by temperature though. It will take longer if it's cooler and shorter if it's warmer. What temp are these at?

 

[nolimits67]

Thanks for the reply. I've got the boxes of bottles wrapped in an electric blanket I'm cycling on and off to keep them around 75F. I know I jumped the gun on the first bottle, but I'm watching the progress so I know what to tell people when I'm handing them out as Christmas gifts... you know, "put this some place warm for another week or two" or something.. which I really want to avoid. It's been bottled for 10 days now.

I know I'm just cutting it too close to Christmas.. I'm just curious about these higher FG brews with the high OG length of carbonation issue more than anything else.

 

[peterj]

I would think they should be good and carbonated by Christmas. Sitting at 75F will definitely help.