Bottles not Carbing

[ZenGeek]

First Brew is ordinary....
by that I mean not great.


Coopers Dark Ale Kit (Yes I used the dried coopers ale yeast, no starter)
+ 1kg Dextrose

OG 1040ish
FG 1004ish

Ferment about 7days at 22-26
Bottled with Coopers carbonation drops at appropriate rate 2 per 700.

Three weeks later, I've cracked my first brew and there was no magic at all.
It was beautifully clear, tasted lovely. Quite a bit of banana aroma but to be honest, I like fruity ales.

No Head.

From what I've read here on the topic, over-carbonation is the main concern and I've probably not sealed the bottles properly (though I don't see how you can mess up a screw top plastic bottle).

Is there anything else that could have gone wrong?

 

[ZenGeek]

Pic Unrelated. It's just a pic of the first day of the brew. After such a vigourous 24hrs, I had expected alot more carbonation.

Also to clarify, *three weeks later* refers to three weeks after bottling. Not sure if that was clear.

 

[Revvy]

The three weeks at 70 we talk about is just the miimum many beers take. Storage temp and grav have a bearing on how long. If it's not ready check in another week, and another until they're done.

If you added the sugar they will carb up when they're ready. I've had beers nbeed 8 weeks or more.

 

[ZenGeek]

Thank's for the reassurance revvy.

I know you're not supposed to pay any attention to the instruction on the kit, but it suggested 7 days for carbonation. I thought I was being generous with 3 wks. I guess I'll just wait.

I'm prepared for my next brew to run for at least 3+3, but it sounds like it may be even more on the bottling end.

 

[pabloj13]

Thank's for the reassurance revvy.

I know you're not supposed to pay any attention to the instruction on the kit, but it suggested 7 days for carbonation. I thought I was being generous with 3 wks. I guess I'll just wait.

I'm prepared for my next brew to run for at least 3+3, but it sounds like it may be even more on the bottling end.

A few other things...

That fermentation temp is quite warm for ales. That is where the esters are coming from. Keep in mind that the wort will run 3-5 degrees C over ambient temp `during active fermentation.

Also, the way you described "Cooper's dry yeast without the starter" IS the right way. Dry yeast does not need a starter and doing one would actually be counterproductive.

Was the extra kg of dextrose part of the recipe or did you add that yourself?

 

[ZenGeek]

That was the temperature from the 'stick on' thermometer. I assume that's the temperature of the brew, not ambient. I have really cold nights here and I thought that constant-but warm would be better than a 10deg variation throughout the day.

Like I said, I like fruity ales, and it's still quite alcoholic. Next time I might try to find somewhere a few degrees colder.

Good to know that I'm not supposed to make a starter for dry yeasts. From the photo it seems pretty healthy.

The dextrose was in the "recipe" I think.

 

[ZenGeek]

I went and squeezed all my bottles, and I found 3 that were rock hard, some that were firm, and some that were very squishy. I'm saving the three firm ones for showing off. The rest I'll just drink as swill throughout the week. Maybe I'll just put ice in it and pretend I'm in thailand.

 

[Revvy]

I went and squeezed all my bottles, and I found 3 that were rock hard, some that were firm, and some that were very squishy. I'm saving the three firm ones for showing off. The rest I'll just drink as swill throughout the week. Maybe I'll just put ice in it and pretend I'm in thailand.

The squeezing the plastic bottle as a sign of carbonation being done thing is a bit of a myth. It's not always accurate. They can be hard because the co2's in the headspace but NOT in solution.


Seriously, just give the beer some more time AND THEY WILL ALL CARB UP.

I gave you the short answer, maybe I did you a disservice they other day, here's the info I post about 10 times a day to new brewers like you. And I've been right nearly 100% of the time.

Here's how you carb beer.

1) Bottle it.

2)Stick it in a place that is above 70 degrees

3) Check it after A MINIMUM 3 weeks. If it's carbed fine, if not proceed to step 4.

4) Check it in another week or two , if it's carbed fine, if not repeat step 4 until it is.

It's not rocket science, it's patience.

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.

 

[ZenGeek]

Thanks for the info Revvy,

I'm sure that all new brewers get the panics on their first brew and ask stupid questions like this. I really appreciate that you take the time to answer them. I know it must be annoying.

Patience is definately a virtue, especially in homebrew from what I can tell, but I'm really excited about starting homebrew and really anxious to see some results.

 

[Friedclutch]

If you have not already, go through and re-tighten all of your bottles. My first batch of coopers was not carbing. A few of them were rock hard and carbed well in 2 weeks. The others I tightened up a bit and are now slowly carbing. My bottles were a little wet when I was filling and they were not very tight.

EDIT... btw. this is my first post. I am an atomic noob. Just bottled my second batch and have been lurking here for weeks. haha

 

[unionrdr]

True that. I found out very quickly with the Cooper's PET bottles that,once filled & capped,you have to go back & re-tughten them all. The caps must be gorilla tight to hold the co2 pressure properly. That could well be your problem. Go back through all the bottles & make sure they're very tight. But don't worry,I never striped one doing this. The caps are good,but a bear to get really tight to hold carbonation so as to make the bottles hard to the touch.
And at 25.16oz for the Cooper's PET bottles,that's about two 12oz glasses. They're something like 740ml.

 

[ZenGeek]

Re-tightened all the bottles on the first day, after I opened my first flat beer...

I've had them somewhere warmer lately and everything is going much better. They've been in the laundry (my brew room) which is warmer than most of the house due to the presence of the hotwater system. However, I had somehow got it in my head that they needed to be stored somewhere cool and dark, so they were in a cupboard under the laundry sink on the concrete floor.

As soon as I read Revvy's post about 3 weeks at 70 again, I thought about it and decided that despite the warm room, the floor was probably too cold. Daily temp at the moment is 8-22 C (46-71F), but inside... in a cupboard...on concrete the yeast probably went dormant in the first few days - even if it is the warmest room in the house.

FYI - Bottles seem to be carbing up much better now.

 

[BeerChef17]

Good to hear. Let is know how it goes in another few weeks. It's a great idea if u can save a few bottles to try in a few months so u can see the difference. The last homebrew is always the best!

 

[Friedclutch]

Today I went through and checked on the bottles. After re-tightening them a couple weeks ago most of them are getting pretty hard. I may have only lost 5~8 beers. Might be they all carb up eventually. Temp also may have been an issue as well. It is now getting pretty hot outside and the temp in the house is getting higher. It's possible that the bottles were tight enough from the get go but I dont know how some bottles carbed up in 2 weeks and the others are taking so much longer.

 

[ZenGeek]

...I dont know how some bottles carbed up in 2 weeks and the others are taking so much longer.

This.

I'm chalking it up to the mysteries of homebrew. The Alco-gods don't want us to know ALL the secrets...