do bigger beers take longer to carb?

[jigidyjim]

I brewed my first sorta big beer - a weizenbock that came out at around 7.4-7.6%... not a huge beer by any means but bigger than I usually do.

It's been in the bottles for three weeks now, and they still aren't very carbonated. When I open them, there's a hiss of gas, but very few bubbles once it's in the glass.

Just curious if it's normal. I used the same amount of sugar that I normally do, 3/4 of a cup.

 

[JoeMama]

*Waits for Revvy to chime in*

But the short answer is (I think so)
-Me

 

[Pommy]

if you stop to think about the physics of it then i would have to say.. probably

 

[flamewing]

I'm pretty new to these part but I've noticed the reoccurring theme seems to be, "When in doubt, wait".

 

[Grizzlybrew]

Depending on the yeast you used, they could be reaching the high end of their alcohol tolerance and just slowing down.

Also, don't use volumes to measure priming sugars, use weight (it's more reliable for consistency) - that being said, I would think a weizenbock would have a higher carb level anyway to suit the style.

 

[jigidyjim]

Also, don't use volumes to measure priming sugars, use weight (it's more reliable for consistency)

I totally agree - which is why it drives me crazy that every recipe I've read in several different books always use volumes... anyway, it was 3.5 ounces, give or take a bit. I used the same amount in my 5 gallon porter which was bottled 8/21, and the last two bottles of that have gushed out when I opened them.

So basically I have one beer right now that is gushing way too much and one that is flat. Grrrrr... I just hope the gusher doesn't end up being bottle bombs, I'm really confused as to why that one is so ever carbonated.

 

[yeoldebrewer]

Since some brewers regularly add additional yeast at bottling for huge beers and barleywines, I'm gonna' give this one a "probably".

 

[Gremlyn]

Revvy talks about it here (amongst a lot of other things): https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/revvys-tips-bottler-first-time-otherwise-94812/

 

[C4PNJ4ZZ]

People are dancing around the answer. Yes, big beers can take much longer to carbonate.

 

[Grizzlybrew]

I totally agree - which is why it drives me crazy that every recipe I've read in several different books always use volumes... anyway, it was 3.5 ounces, give or take a bit. I used the same amount in my 5 gallon porter which was bottled 8/21, and the last two bottles of that have gushed out when I opened them.

So basically I have one beer right now that is gushing way too much and one that is flat. Grrrrr... I just hope the gusher doesn't end up being bottle bombs, I'm really confused as to why that one is so ever carbonated.

Remember, there is a certain amount of CO2 present before you even add priming sugar, depending mostly on the temp of the beer. Also, if you were to de-gas the beer (by shaking, for example) just prior to adding priming sugar, you would have less in total

Like the last poster said, I guess the easy answer is... yes.

 

[Revvy]

People are dancing around the answer. Yes, big beers can take much longer to carbonate.

Yeah I noticed the dance too. What were they waiting for, ME to answer? Geez, guys I can't answer every thread.

Gravity and storage temp are the biggest factors in carbonation/conditioning times...Less than seventy severely slows down the yeast...2 degrees may seem like nothing to us, but to micro-organisms that could be like 10.

ALL beers will reach their level of carbonation eventually. In fact, it's possible (and proven by running the numbers in beersmith) to NOT add priming sugar and get minimal carbonation/style of a few volumes in time (in old brewing british brewing books they didn't add sugar to some ordinary bitters, and milds and relied on time and temp to do the work naturally.)

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.

More info can be found here....Revvy's Blog, Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning.

Lazy Llama came up with a handy dandy chart to determine how long something takes in brewing, whether it's fermentation, carbonation, bottle conditioning....