No carbonation

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abrew2u

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Bottled an scotch ale 3 weeks ago and no carbonation I used 3.5 oz for five gallons does anyone have any idea why it wouldn't carb please help.
 
what temp are the bottles at? how long was the beer in primary and/or secondary? did you make sure to cool the priming solution down before adding it into the bottling bucket?

Need as much info as you can give on this.
 
My bottles are in the basement at probably between 60 and 65 degrees primary for 2 weeks and secondary for 2 weeks and yes the priming sugar was cooled down I was wondering if I used too little priming sugar?
 
I usually carb with 4oz . so 3.5 should still give a fair amount of carbonation. is it completely flat?
 
If it is a Scotch ale, it is high abv and will take some time to carb up,plus 3.5 oz for a five gallon batch will take awhile also.
 
The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, 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.

And just because a beer is carbed doesn't mean it still doesn't taste like a$$ and need more time for the off flavors to condition out. You have green beer.

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." ;)

If a beer isn't carbed by "x number of weeks" you just have to give them more 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.

I've carbed hundreds of gallons of beer, and never had a beer that wasn't carbed, or under carbed or anything of the sort (Except for a batch where I accidently mixed up lactose or Maltodextrine for priming sugar). Some took awhile, (as I said up to six months) but they ALL eventually carbed.
 

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