Carbonation Issues

[Riley Henderson]

So I currently have 2 batches currently bottle conditioning and they have been for about 2 and a half weeks at around 70F. Of which I used 1cup of dextrose for priming with just enough hot water to dissolve it all and when bottling would give my beer a stir every 6-8 bottles as I do with all my batches. So in turn I haven't done anything differently from any of my other batches excluding the extract kit and yeast I used. With these 2 batches I used 11g of Lalbrew premium ale yeast as opposed to the supplied 7-5g yeast packets that I would use in the past.

I use plastic bottles so that I can try squeezing them too see how much pressure is built up within the bottle to get an idea about the condition of the carbonation which is usually a pretty good indicator I have found.
These bottles are rock solid and have been for about a week and a half...

Here is my issue, after putting 1 or 2 in the fridge for 3 or so days to cool, they are still rock solid but are barely carbonated. There is little to no head.

Can anyone shed some light on where I might be going wrong with these batches? Is it just the yeast?

 

[IslandLizard]

If they're still hard, at least you know they're not leaking.

Sounds like they're not fully carbonated yet. The cold of the fridge makes more CO2 go into solution. IOW, cold beer absorbs more CO2 than warm beer. There's a balance between carbonation level (absorption), pressure (gas in headspace), and temperature of the enclosed system (inside your bottles). Leave them out to carbonate for another week.

BTW, how cold is your fridge?

 

[IslandLizard]

Of which I used 1cup of dextrose for priming

Use a priming calculator such as this one on Brewer's Friend, and weigh your sugar rather than measuring sugar by volume, to get more predictable carb levels:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

There's no need to stir every 8 bottles, you may introduce more air (oxygen) into your beer than necessary. Sugar, as long as was all dissolved, doesn't settle out.
It's best to add your priming solution to the bucket before racking the beer on top of it. Curl the hose on the bottom of the bottling bucket so the beer swirls, mixing in the sugar solution while being siphoned. When all beer has transferred, stir well once, and gently. That should make it homogenous.

 

[Riley Henderson]

Use a priming calculator such as this one on Brewer's Friend, and weigh your sugar rather than measuring sugar by volume, to get more predictable carb levels:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

There's no need to stir every 8 bottles, you may introduce more air (oxygen) into your beer than necessary. Sugar, as long as was all dissolved, doesn't settle out.
It's best to add your priming solution to the bucket before racking the beer on top of it. Curl the hose on the bottom of the bottling bucket so the beer swirls, mixing in the sugar solution while being siphoned. When all beer has transferred, stir well once, and gently. That should make it homogenous.

But would there be a reason why aging these batches of beer compared to my other batches turned out with significantly different results with all the other processing the same other then the yeast and the kits?

 

[IslandLizard]

But would there be a reason why aging these batches of beer compared to my other batches turned out with significantly different results with all the other processing the same other then the yeast and the kits?

Certain yeasts carbonate faster than others. It also depends on how flocculant they are, how long and how much remains in suspension.

So yes, it can make a difference.

Beer that's been in a fermenter or bulk aged/conditioned for longer than 2-3 months usually needs some yeast added when bottling. Stronger beers, say 10% ABV and up, would need a high alcohol tolerant yeast added.

You didn't age yours for long times, did you?

 

[Riley Henderson]

Certain yeasts carbonate faster than others. It also depends on how flocculant they are, how long and how much remains in suspension.

So yes, it can make a difference.

Beer that's been in a fermenter or bulk aged/conditioned for longer than 2-3 months usually needs some yeast added when bottling. Stronger beers, say 10% ABV and up, would need a high alcohol tolerant yeast added.

You didn't age yours for long times, did you?

Typically it would be the primary for 2 weeks. then a secondary carboy for 2 weeks before bottling.

 

[Riley Henderson]

And thank you for confirming about different yeasts responding differently come the carbonation process.

 

[IslandLizard]

Typically it would be the primary for 2 weeks. then a secondary carboy for 2 weeks before bottling.

Maybe start thinking about omitting that secondary all together, they're really not needed and are a main cause of oxidation, which is bad for all beer, especially hoppier ones. Maybe condensing your fermentation time too. 3 weeks in a fermenter is usually adequate. Whatever yeast is still in suspension will drop out after carbonation, and settle on the bottom of the bottles.

I like brewing 3-day IPAs... Grain to glass:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/3-day-ipa.674733/