failed bottle conditioning. Beer CPR

[Jako]

well 3 weeks in now, i thought it was due to the basement being too cold so i moved the beer up stairs next to the vents so keep warm 2 weeks later and its still flat. after the gym my brain was chalk full of thoughts about what i could do. (drunk sink was not an option for me) so i started to think well i can open the bottles add yeast and prime again.... naaaa not my cup of tea.. then i thought well shoot i can sour this bad boy and see how that goes, and well i love that idea. i dont have a glass carboy so a long long age is not an option.

my question, will a sasion yeast give me enough funk to save this beer?

part 2 to this question its a spruce beer would that just be super nasty?

beer finished at 1.020 so i have some sugar to play with not much

 

[bradleypariah]

If you like the beer the way it is, I wouldn't add a different yeast. Do you own a SodaStream?

 

[Gnomebrewer]

A saison yeast won't add much flavour now. Maybe brett, but that would take time.

If there's sugar in there (priming sugar....you didn't forget it, did you?) they will carbonate. Give them time - your yeast is probably snoozy after the cold spell.
The only reason they might not carbonate is if there is too much alcohol (what ABV?) or (unlikely) they were fermented for so long before bottling that too much yeast dropped out (I say unlikely because even beers that I've lagered for 8 weeks have carbonated without a problem in the bottle).

 

[RPh_Guy]

If you like the beer and you want it carbed, you will need to add yeast to the bottles. The priming sugar should still be in there.

You CAN dump it all into a fermenter and add Brett, which will eat sugar that Sacc left behind. Over a period of months this will add complexity (not sourness) that may completely change your beer's character. I'm just not sure WHY you would do this if you already like what you have.
Also... you'd still be opening the bottles ... and adding yeast....

 

[Gnomebrewer]

I just noticed that it's a spruce beer. I'm not sure about spruce (never brewed with it - don't even have it where I live apart from in a few gardens) but many spices/plant stuff have anti-fungal properties that can slow down fermentation to the point that bottle carbonation could take much longer than normal. A Belgian pale ale I brewed with Tasmanian Pepperberries a couple of years ago took 10 weeks to carbonate because the berries messed with the yeast. It still carbonated though.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Also, is your capper working properly? Many un-carbonated beers have been due to faulty/leaking caps.

 

[Jako]

thank you for all the ideas.

1. the caper is working great all bottles are tight. i brewed two beers and bottled both on the same day and my other beer is fine.

2. the beer is around 5.5% ish and only fermented for two weeks. primary ended and that was it could have bottled week one if i wanted.

3. never thought about the spruce having an effect on things. flavor wise i cant taste the spruce so not sure how much was added from my clippings.

4. no soda stream

5. i was wondering about the effect of a new yeast at this point and i was worried that could be the case. if i add bret in a plastic bucket will the oxidation be so extreme its not worth it?

6. i also thought about just letting it ride out a little longer. but its holding up lots of bottles. i have enough for 3 5 gallon batches and my belgain blueberry witbier needs a home soon.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I agree with the others that maybe you missed the priming sugar or maybe the spruce is having some kind of impact.
If I were in your position I would try to salvage the beer in the bottles by adding fresh yeast and probably more priming sugar if there's any chance it was missed.

if i add bret in a plastic bucket will the oxidation be so extreme its not worth it?

That's difficult to predict. Like any other yeast, Brett should consume at least some of the available oxygen. So theoretically no, it should be fine, especially if it's PET which has minimal oxygen transfer.

 

[jalc6927]

Could you add some carbonation drops and see if that helps

 

[Jako]

after all the advice i think i plan to add more yeast and some sugar. i used maple syrup and it was some fancy organic nonsense that could also be the problem. thank you for all the advise i will update in some time.

 

[Jako]

just an update. i opened a bottle to see if i had any progress. it looks like some time has helped. very slow but i think in a few more weeks it will be good to drink.

 

[ncbrewer]

just an update. i opened a bottle to see if i had any progress. it looks like some time has helped. very slow but i think in a few more weeks it will be good to drink.

Did you add more yeast and/or sugar, or did it start carbing on its own? If you haven't added more sugar yet, I would advise against it. Once the yeast kicks in, more sugar could cause bottle bombs.

 

[BrewerE]

I just noticed that it's a spruce beer. I'm not sure about spruce (never brewed with it - don't even have it where I live apart from in a few gardens) but many spices/plant stuff have anti-fungal properties that can slow down fermentation to the point that bottle carbonation could take much longer than normal.

I do an IPA with spruce tips and have never had an issue with it bottle carbing (including a cold crash).

I'm thinking the bottles were too cold or you forgot/didn't add enough priming sugar.

 

[GHBWNY]

Did you add more yeast and/or sugar, or did it start carbing on its own? If you haven't added more sugar yet, I would advise against it. Once the yeast kicks in, more sugar could cause bottle bombs.

@ Jako, this^^^ Keep the bottles at 70F for 3 weeks and then check one. By that time, they should be fully carbed if they are going to. Not necessarily recommending it, but I've heard that laying the bottles on their sides for the first week helps distribute the yeast better. Priming is a [mini] fermentation and it requires generally the same conditions that your primary fermentation required. All things being equal, right temp + right amount of time = good beer. You simply can't rush the process --- the beer will tell YOU when it's done, and not the other way around.

 

[Jako]

@ Jako, this^^^ Keep the bottles at 70F for 3 weeks and then check one. By that time, they should be fully carbed if they are going to. Not necessarily recommending it, but I've heard that laying the bottles on their sides for the first week helps distribute the yeast better. Priming is a [mini] fermentation and it requires generally the same conditions that your primary fermentation required. All things being equal, right temp + right amount of time = good beer. You simply can't rush the process --- the beer will tell YOU when it's done, and not the other way around.

thank you for the good advice.