Failed in Bottle

[s361673]

I recently brewed a 5 gallon batch of stout and everything went great in the primary and secondary. I added 1.25 c of DME (boiled in 2 C water for 10 minutes) at bottling in early October. Unfortunately, the beer is not carbonating in the bottle.

Should I open the bottles and add more DME, or inject some new yeast?

 

[danath34]

What temperature have you been storing them at?

Assuming the bottles haven't been too cold, I would uncap each one and put a small amount of dry yeast in each bottle and recap. I had to do this with a high gravity brew that wasn't carbonating. I used what I'm guessing was roughly 1/32tsp of dry CBC-1.

oh and before you do that, open another bottle ans make sure it's not just a problem of not having the priming sugar mixed in enough.

*edit*
If you do have to go about adding yeast, do it one at a time and do it quickly. Helps to have someone uncap and add yeast, and another person capping. The yeast will provide nucleation sites for whatever CO2 IS present to come out of solution, making foam. When i did it, i had about 5-10 seconds before the foam reached the top of the neck

 

[duboman]

If he bottles have been kept at lower than 70oF then you need to warm the up

 

[FarmerTed]

Yeast can have trouble refermenting in a bottle with malt extract. Simpler sugars work better. The yeast is stressed by the time the beer is in the bottle, and can balk at metabolizing maltose and maltotriose.

 

[s361673]

Replying to the questions posted:

1. The bottles have been stored in a room where the temperature ranges between 74F and 78F.

2. I have opened several bottles and none have been carbonated, so I dont think its an issue of mixing the priming sugars.

Im hearing 2 recommendations:

a. add some yeast
b. its a problem using DME, so add some simpler sugars (corn sugar?)

I tempted to do a combination of these. I can make a starter with existing yeast and some corn sugar and then add a little to each bottle. Any suggestions on how much I should add to each bottle? (I have a mix of 12 and 22 oz bottles).

 

[chuckcomm]

Im having the same issue with a Pumpkin Ale and DME for priming. Mine have been in bottles about 6 weeks.. Yesterday I got set up to add corn sugar to each bottle. As soon as the sugar hit the beer it was like a volcano. Put it in a glass and it wasnt bad at all and kept the head until I finished it. I put the rest of the bottles back in the brew room.

Maybe i will just put some corn sugar in the glass as i drink the rest of this batch. Not sure what else I can do at this point.

I already shook each bottle daily for 7 days hoping that would help but it didnt.

 

[jahdub]

Maybe using DME to bottle isn't a good idea

 

[Happywanderer]

I'd say try adding a bit of dry yeast as others have suggested. I had a batch that the priming sugar didn't mix evenly in the bottling bucket. Some were flat, some were great.

I don't use DME to prime. Too expensive. Straight table sugar for me.

I've been tempted to mix the priming sugar and water and add measured amounts to each bottle using a medical syringe instead of to the bottling bucket.

The problem is finding a syringe large enough to make this feasible. Would at least guarantee even distribution of priming solution.

To determine amount to add to each bottle, prepare sugar solution and measure volume in ounces after it is cooled to room temp.

Estimate your wort volume in ounces.

Determine how many bottles it will take for your wort volume.

Divide priming solution volume by number of bottles.

So, for 16oz of priming solution and 5-gallons of wort:

5 gallons * 128 ounces/gallon = 640 ounces

640 ounces / 12 oz/bottle = 53.33 or let's just say 50

16oz / 50 = .32 ounces of priming solution per bottle. In ml that is 9.463.

Seems easy enough.

I've rambled again... Apologies.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[trentm]

Replying to the questions posted:
I tempted to do a combination of these. I can make a starter with existing yeast and some corn sugar and then add a little to each bottle. Any suggestions on how much I should add to each bottle? (I have a mix of 12 and 22 oz bottles).

I would be concerned about adding more fermentables. It seems likely your DME is still there. If you get fermentation going again with added yeast, the DME will also start fermenting and over carb your beer. Just try more yeast.

 

[GrogNerd]

and start going by weight for priming sugar (corn or table) instead of volume

made a HUGE difference for me.

IF you've had the bottles stored at around 70° for the entire time, I would try turning them all upside down for 2 or 3 days, then back right-side up for another couple days, then check a few by refrigerating a few days, then trying.

this worked on a couple of my problem batches before I started weighing the priming sugar. the downside is you're going to see a little yeast gunk at the top of the bottles, along with the bottom. I see it as a small price to pay for getting the beer to carbonate.

good luck!

 

[s361673]

Update:

Based on the excellent feedback Ive gotten here, I tried the following and got the noted results:

1. I added 2 sugar drops to a bottle, recapped and waited 1 week. No additional carbonation.
2. I prepared a small batch of yeast starter, using washed yeast from a later batch with some boiled DME. I added a small amount (0.25 oz), and waited 1 week. Carbonation has occurred!

Im going to make up another batch of yeast starter and inject it into each of the remaining bottles.

My conclusion is that the yeast in the original batch was spent, or had settled out during the secondary fermentation.

Thanks to everyone that responded.