bottled an IIPA without adding yeast

Roamer · Feb 5, 2012

I did my first high gravity beer a couple months ago (a Boulder Brewery Mojo Risin IIPA clone) and bottled about 3 weeks ago. The beer should be around 10% alcohol and ended with a SG of about 1.030. The beer was in the secondary for about 3 weeks before I bottled.

I totally spaced adding any yeast at bottling and when I opened a beer the other day I was disappointed to find only a very small amount of carbonation. I thought about it for a moment and realized what an idiot I was and that with the high alcohol, the yeast would probably have a hard time kicking into gear again to turn the bottling sugar into the much needed carbonation!

So what should I do now? If I let it sit long enough on the bottles (and try to keep it warm... though it is hard to keep it much above 68 F in the winter in my house) is it likely to carbonate?

Can I use this as an excuse to start kegging and carefully empty all my bottles into a keg to carbonate?

I would hate to loose this batch as I am really looking forward to it and think once it carbonates it will be exactly what I was trying to make. Any help would be appreciated!

passedpawn · Feb 5, 2012

Let it go. Get it to the warmest place in your house. A IIPA shouldn't need additional yeast. I'll bet you come back and post here in another week or two that all is well.

[10%! That's a pretty strong IIPA. I see your point, but I think it will carbonate)

mccumath · Feb 5, 2012

3 weeks may not be enough time for your beer to carbonate. May already know this, but make sure your bottles are in a warm, room temperature area (66-68 degrees or so), and let them sit for a couple more weeks. If they are mildly carbonated now, they will carb up to where you are expecting. Some beers take longer than others.

Hope this helps!

Roamer · Feb 5, 2012

Thanks for the quick response! If it is likely to carbonate, I have no problem waiting.

I am a little disappointed not to have a good excuse to start kegging... but it leaves more $ for transitioning to all grain

greenbirds · Feb 6, 2012

What yeast did you use? Like others said, they should carb up. Put them in your closet with the water heater, around a heating vent (maybe in an insulated cooler/box so the temp doesn't swing up and down), near the refrigerator coils, etc.. Getting them up above 70 F often gets things moving. But I imagine they will eventually get there regardless.

Roamer · Feb 12, 2012

The beer yeast is American Ale II from Wyeast. I put a towel under my fermenting room door (the water heater closet) and the temperature is staying in the low 70's now. I opened another bottle yesterday and it had a little more carbination than the one I opened a week ago, so I am hopefull it wil be ready in the next couple weeks.

Thank you again for the replies... I will post again once it comes up to a normal carbination just to give others an idea of how long it took!

Calichusetts · Feb 13, 2012

I did a 9.5% a few months ago that took well over 6 weeks to carb. Still got two left, but I cracked one open Friday night that hardly carbed at all. Better safe than sorry, wait it out at the cost of some of your hoppy aroma

Roamer · Mar 26, 2012

Still very little carbonation... hard to say if it is getting any more now or not. I am starting to consider alternatives such as dumping it all out and kegging (would require investment in kegging equipment). I have been pretty active lately with brewing and have a good stock of beer on hand... so I will just give it more time... for now.

bottlebomber · Mar 26, 2012

More time isn't going to help it at this point according to my experience. If it isn't carbonated after 6 weeks it may not at all. The yeast in there aren't getting any stronger. You can either drink it like a man and chalk it up as a learning experience as I've had to do, or sanitize the bottles, open them, and use a turkey baster full of hydrated yeast to inoculate the bottles - as I've also had to do.