very little carbonation after 2 months

[johnnyt471]

It's been bottled for over 2 months now, and there's still very little carbonation (no head). When I bottled, I boiled 5 oz sugar for ~10-15 min and then added it to the bottling bucket, then bottled. I let it sit in my basement for a month, but it wasn't carbonated, so I moved it to a warmer room, and there doesn't seem to have been any improvement a month after that. I know the answer is always "wait, be patient" but no head after 2 months? Seems like something is wrong.

This was the kit I used: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/irish-red-ale.html

 

[Special Hops]

Did you stir the priming sugar in your bottling bucket?

 

[johnnyt471]

No. I put the priming sugar in, and then racked on top of it.

 

[flabyboy]

you need to sir gently to mix as evenly as possible.

 

[Yooper]

you need to sir gently to mix as evenly as possible.

I've never stirred my priming solution and beer, and my beer carbonates- over 250 batches so far.

I think the issue is was the basement. I've noticed that under 68 degrees, I've had some beers that take a LONG time to carbonate.

Maybe try a little experiment. Turn the bottles (gently!) end over end to resuspend any flocculated yeast and then store maybe 5 of them in the warmest place you can find. Above the fridge? next to the furnace? The bathroom? Anyway, anyplace that might get 72+ degrees. After a week, put one in the fridge overnight and try it. I'm betting that will solve the problem. My house is COLD in the winter, and even next to the space heater my bottles don't want to carb up.

 

[johnnyt471]

When I moved the beers to a different warmer room, I turned each bottle on its side in order to resuspend the yeast. That was a month ago.

In addition to not being carbonated, the beer tastes bad. But that's a different issue.

 

[Smokeater233]

Stirring shouldn't have mattered, particularly if you racked on top of it. Have you seen any noticeable difference in two months at all? What does the beer taste like?

 

[flabyboy]

I've never stirred my priming solution and beer, and my beer carbonates- over 250 batches so far.

I think the issue is was the basement. I've noticed that under 68 degrees, I've had some beers that take a LONG time to carbonate.

Maybe try a little experiment. Turn the bottles (gently!) end over end to resuspend any flocculated yeast and then store maybe 5 of them in the warmest place you can find. Above the fridge? next to the furnace? The bathroom? Anyway, anyplace that might get 72+ degrees. After a week, put one in the fridge overnight and try it. I'm betting that will solve the problem. My house is COLD in the winter, and even next to the space heater my bottles don't want to carb up.

My bad. Seemed to make sense to me. I don't know how evenly it distributes by just racking on top, but can't argue with 250 batch experience. I understand that oxidation is a worry when stirring, but the risk has to be minimal if stirring gently

It amazes me how hard it is to get CO2 out when making wine. You basically need to whip the living s& out of it to degas it and with beer it seems a lot of people freak if you stir a little bit.

 

[Yooper]

My bad. Seemed to make sense to me. I don't know how evenly it distributes by just racking on top, but can't argue with 250 batch experience. I understand that oxidation is a worry when stirring, but the risk has to be minimal if stirring gently

It amazes me how hard it is to get CO2 out when making wine. You basically need to whip the living s& out of it to degas it and with beer it seems a lot of people freak if you stir a little bit.

Well, you don't rack on top really. You rack to the bottom, filling the bottling bucket at the bottom, where the priming solution was placed. It works great if you have a long piece of tubing, and curl it at the bottom so that the beer swirls into the priming solution, mixing as it fills from the bottom. It works very well, so there isn't a need to stir.

I'm pretty careful to not oxidize my wine, too, and use campden tablets (sulfites) if I have to rack or degas my wine. I never "whip" my wine or even stir it, actually. I rack quietly, and top up the carboy. I only degas kit wines that need it, and then use sulfites to help keep the oxygen from binding to the wine. Oxidation ruins both beer and wine, so it's always good to prevent aeration.

 

[flabyboy]

Well, you don't rack on top really. You rack to the bottom, filling the bottling bucket at the bottom, where the priming solution was placed. It works great if you have a long piece of tubing, and curl it at the bottom so that the beer swirls into the priming solution, mixing as it fills from the bottom. It works very well, so there isn't a need to stir.

I'm pretty careful to not oxidize my wine, too, and use campden tablets (sulfites) if I have to rack or degas my wine. I never "whip" my wine or even stir it, actually. I rack quietly, and top up the carboy. I only degas kit wines that need it, and then use sulfites to help keep the oxygen from binding to the wine. Oxidation ruins both beer and wine, so it's always good to prevent aeration.

I will have to disagree with you on the wine. That's something I have been doing for over 10 years and have tried with light to heavy degassing. My wines have been phenomenal since I started doing some very aggressive degassing. I followed the advice of the people at wine expert that said to use a whip that hooks up to a drill. We are talking full blown whirlpool degassing for 3 mins. The sulfites and isinglass are added at this stage as well. I've never had a wine ruined or age too quickly. The reds usually are fantastic in a couple years while the whites are ready in a few months.

Nothing worse than opening a bottle of bottle of wine and have fizz. Of course decanting will fix this over time. Not to mention the CO2 leaves a terrible taste when dissolved in wine.

Oxygen is important in the proper aging of wine. Hence the porous cork

 

[Yooper]

I will have to disagree with you on the wine. That's something I have been doing for over 10 years and have tried with light to heavy degassing. My wines have been phenomenal since I started doing some very aggressive degassing. I followed the advice of the people at wine expert that said to use a whip that hooks up to a drill. We are talking full blown whirlpool degassing for 3 mins. The sulfites and isinglass are added at this stage as well. I've never had a wine ruined or age too quickly. The reds usually are fantastic in a couple years while the whites are ready in a few months.

Nothing worse than opening a bottle of bottle of wine and have fizz. Of course decanting will fix this over time. Not to mention the CO2 leaves a terrible taste when dissolved in wine.

Oxygen is important in the proper aging of wine. Hence the porous cork

Well, first of all, if you're using sulfites you're preventing oxidation. so, that's one thing. Secondly, the ONLY wines you should be degassing for the most part are kit wines, not regular wines, and I rarely make kit wines. The only reason to degas a wine is if you're rushing it to bottle, or in a cold ferment where the co2 "holds" the co2. Often, warming up a carboy of wine will degas it naturally. As far as the corks, they really aren't porous. You can cap a bottle of wine that will age just as well, and some high-end wineries are forgoing corks to start with caps.

Anyway, that's a debate for a different thread under "wine making" and has absolutely no bearing on this. Sulfites can negate the risk of oxidation, but very few brewers sulfite their beer before racking to a bottling bucket!

 

[flabyboy]

Okeedokee. I make kit wine from winexpert so that would explain our differences. Hope I didnt offend you. Wasn't my intention.

As far as beer goes, I still find it hard to believe a gentle stir will drive out all the dissolved CO2 and introduce much O2, but I'm sure I will learn by trial and error over the years