High Gravity aging/bottle conditioning

So, I brewed an (I)IIPA/Barleywine (seen here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/time-brew-some-big-beer-i-iipa-feedback-suggestions-welcome-161458/), let it sit in the primary for 1 month with no secondary and my final gravity was probably around 1.015 (if I remember correctly). It came out between 10.4-10.9%. I bottled it with the same yeast from the primary. It's been sitting in bottles for a month and 1-2 weeks and it is far from carbonating. I added around 4.2-4.6oz of priming sugar to the bucket gradually (the sugar amount and the way it was added to the bottling bucket was fine- that's not the problem). I'm wondering if my yeast will be able to continue eating the priming sugar or if they are just dormant and too tired from the conditions? I get a very very slight hiss from the bottle when I open it, but there are is no noticeable carbonation.

How long do high gravity brews generally take to carbonate? I'd hate to add more yeast, not only because I'd have to re-bottle, but I'm sure most of the original priming sugar is already still in the beer and I wouldn't know how much to add. I need Revvy around to reassure me, lol. Also, I used oxygen absorbing caps on these bottles/this brew because I figured it'd keep longer and it'd take a while to age. Thoughts? Help?

Is there any yeast sediment on the bottom of the bottle? If so I recently had success rolling the bottles to stir the yeast up and putting them in front of the fireplace to warm them up a little bit. My previously semi-flat beer was nice and carbonated in a couple days.

NorCalAngler said:

Is there any yeast sediment on the bottom of the bottle? If so I recently had success rolling the bottles to stir the yeast up and putting them in front of the fireplace to warm them up a little bit. My previously semi-flat beer was nice and carbonated in a couple days.

Click to expand...

Ah, that's what I forgot to list. Bottles have a very small layer of yeast (maybe 1/2 as much as usual- or less), barely covering the bottom of the bottle. I did turn them downside and back right-side up, but that's about it.

Edit: I did see a nice yeast cloud go back into the beer though!

Bumping for great justice

Had a similar worry, it should be OK. I transferred a Koelsch style and a Heffeweissen to Secondary Fermentation where they remained for over a month while I was called away to help aide in the Haitian Relief Effort. I kept my Temperature at about 71 degrees while I was away. I came back and with some advice, stirred up the sediment and yeast in the secondary fermentor. I then immediately bottled these beers and let them cure for three weeks. I then enjoyed two cold, delicious beers. My yeast didn't give up, I don't think yours will either.

BeerBaronHomer said:

My yeast didn't give up, I don't think yours will either.

Click to expand...

The speech of a hero.

It's been 2 months and there is still the same amount of carbonation and I know I primed it. Sucks. Any advice?

against some advice, i added gelatin to an IIPA and then cold crashed it for about a week. it sure was clear, but it wouldn't carb (after 3 months of patient waiting). can't recall the gravity right now, but it came out around 12%. mine also had some sediment in the bottom, but it was not nearly as much as normal. after adding about 1/4tsp of nottingham per bottle, it carbed in about 3-4 weeks. just pull 2 or 3 bottles, add some fresh yeast, re-cap them and see what they do.

My IIPA took a month or so to carbonate with 20Lbs pressure in the keg. It was very stubborn. That was ok, because it was not yet drinkable. After more than three months since brewing, it is starting to taste pretty good. I almost dumped it a few times, but now I am glad I didn't. As it turned out my other people liked it more than I did.

Looks like I'm going to have to pour the bottles into my bottling bucket, re-prime it, and add a packet of Nottingham. That or buy some of those carb pills/drops and add some yeast to every bottle. It's a good thing I'm physically away from my beer (I'm at college) or this brew would drive me nuts.

Thanks for the insight lpdb185

why don't you just pop 'em and sprinkle a few flakes of dry yeast in each bottle. you already have the priming sugar in solution, you just need new lively yeast to git 'er goin. i'd take some nottingham or other dry yeast, pop each bottle and sprinkle some in each bottle before going through the trouble of dumping back in the bottling bucket just to oxidize your beer and ruin it.

Do NOT pour the bottles out into your bottling bucket. You will get WAY too much oxygen into the beer if you do that. Open each bottle and sprinkle a little yeast in each one instead.

If you are getting a slight hiss, it is carbonating. I say you just wait another month or two and let it do its thing. You want to age them anyway.

My big imperial stout I brewed recently took almost 3 months of ~70F to fully carb. Big bottles took even longer. I agree that it is frustrating though.

bknifefight said:

Do NOT pour the bottles out into your bottling bucket. You will get WAY too much oxygen into the beer if you do that. Open each bottle and sprinkle a little yeast in each one instead.

Click to expand...

jessup said:

why don't you just pop 'em and sprinkle a few flakes of dry yeast in each bottle. you already have the priming sugar in solution, you just need new lively yeast to git 'er goin. i'd take some nottingham or other dry yeast, pop each bottle and sprinkle some in each bottle before going through the trouble of dumping back in the bottling bucket just to oxidize your beer and ruin it.

Click to expand...

Why would I want to do that if they have a slight hiss? It would just amount to even more yeast in the bottles and under-carbonated beer.

I'm probably going to let them sit a month in a warmer environment. All the beers I've brewed sit in my basement to carbonate. Its around 63 degrees down there at all times. All my other beers have carbonated just fine, and in only 2 weeks surprisingly. These little devils have been sitting for such a long time. I guess I'll just have to amount to more waiting.

It's funny how you question yourself when something seemingly goes wrong. I know I added the correct amount of priming sugar to the beer and that it was evenly distributed into the beer, but when you only hear a slight hiss after 2-3 months, you start to get a little angry and wonder wtf is going on.