Did I forget to add priming sugar?

[Calder]

4 weeks ago I bottled 4 gallons of Arrogant Bastard Clone. I moved 2.5 gallons onto oak. The oaked beer was bottled a week ago.

Since bottling the initial beer I have opened a bottle each week, and it has been flat. I opened a bottle of the oaked beer this evening (well half a bottle - it was the end of the bucket), and it had some carbonation. Bothe beers are stored in the same place (low 60s, basement, PacMan yeast).

I am seriously wondering if I forgot to prime the initial 4 gallons. I have a higher gravity beer bottled since then that has carbed OK.

Any suggestions on what I can do with the remaining 36 bottles I have, or do I just drink them flat. I thought about carb tabs, but my KHBS is not very near here. Maybe add some sugar to each bottle and re-cap.

 

[bovineblitz]

What temp are your bottles being stored at?

I had a batch that didn't carb up at all until 5 weeks, I was freaking out like you are. It turned out fine... I think the bottles were being stored at around 60 degrees which makes for some slow carb'ing. The warmer, the faster.

 

[superjunior]

yep, I'd move those bottles somewhere that's closer to 70 before trying anything else

 

[Crazybrew04]

I've done that before had a couple of brews before bottling. Only got about 12 done though before i realized that my sugar was still siting on the counter. could you dump them in a sanitized bucket then add you sugar and bottle again. I started with a mister beer kit and thats how you carb the beer by adding a measured amount of sugar to the bottle problem is that they are not always the same you might spill a little on this bottle add to much to that bottle and so on.

 

[djnorberg]

I like the idea of moving it to a warmer spot. I bottled a porter about five weeks and put in my 59-61 degree basement. At the four week mark it was barely carbonated. I moved it to a slightly warmer spot (68 degrees) and it has a nice head now. Maybe it just needed the extra time, but I think the warmer temps helped.

 

[dvdanny]

Yea I have a 10% abv wheat beer has been in the bottle for 2 months now with no carb. I've since swirled the bottles and stored them upstairs, which is a few degrees warmer, reason I am not worried is because I made that beer last year and it took 4 months for some of the bottles to fully carb.

Worse case add sugar to each bottle, might not be that consistent unless you make a sugar syrup and use a pipette to measure each addition (might be a good time to experiment with maple syrup or honey!).

 

[chilort]

My barleywine takes months to carbonate. And the longer it sits the better it gets.

 

[Calder]

Thanks.

I'll move one bottle to a warmer room and leave for 2 weeks to see what happens.