Last straw

[The_Dutch]

Hey guys, I’m having an ongoing issue and I’m starting to get irritated with my final products.

So I brewed this beer in time for Christmas.. pretty much it’s a spiced ale.

OG 1.056
Primary ferment for about 1 1/2 weeks
FG 1.011
Held for 2 days so I racked it into my bottling bucket and bottled. It is clear as can be. Well I added 5oz of priming sugar to the 4 1/2 gallons of wort. The bottles have been conditioning in my basement for about a week. Well I just poured a glass and there is minimal carbonation. And no head. This is the 2nd batch i have done that has ended up this way and it’s starting to frustrate me. I’m doing kits for now because I’m not equipped to do all grain yet and I’m getting tired of spending 30-50 bucks on something that just isn’t working out. If you guys have any tips or tricks to help me in the future or to try and save this beer please let me know haha I’m starting to get desperate. Thank you

 

[GreenGoatee]

Could be the temperature in your basement is on the colder side and the bottles just need longer to carbonate? Typically I give 2-3 weeks before opening a bottle to make sure it ready.

 

[The_Dutch]

Ideal temp should be around 70 right?

 

[GreenGoatee]

That should work yes.

 

[passedpawn]

1 week isn't enough. I probably bottled 100 batches before I started kegging, and each batch I'd open a bottle at 1 week. They were only barely carbonated, sometimes not at all.

Also, I found that below 70 and carbonation was a LOT slower.

 

[The_Dutch]

How much slower would you say? Weeks? Months?

 

[passedpawn]

How much slower would you say? Weeks? Months?

Always fully carbonated at 3 weeks. After that, bottled beer improved a lot in flavor over a month, but it's much faster with kegging. Reason? Lots of stuff in suspension, mostly yeast, that takes forever to settle out at room temperature. Kegs are cold and schtuff drops quickly. I also highly recommend finings like gelatin that clear the beer for bottling and kegging. Ignore the naysayers, it's a difference-maker in flavor.

I live in FL, so even indoors it's always a nice warm temp. Get those bottles as warm as possible for quick carb.

 

[thehaze]

I brewed 19 batches until now ( new brewer ) and I bottle. All my beers show strong carbonation signs at just 5-6 days in the bottle. I currently have a 9.2% Dark ale which had " decent " carbonation at 6 days in the bottle, but it is nowhere near ready to drink, as it has to come on its own.

My beers carbonate at around 71F ( 22C ) in cardboard cases which I cover, so no light reaches in.

5oz in 4.5 gallons will yield good levels of carbonation, so that is not the issue.

I think a stable warmer temperature will do better for your bottles. Try to hold at a constant 70-72F for 7 days.

Come back and let us know how it went.

 

[jalc6927]

To be clear did you boil the sugar in 2 cups of water then let it get to room temp before adding to wort?

 

[RM-MN]

Hey guys, I’m having an ongoing issue and I’m starting to get irritated with my final products.

So I brewed this beer in time for Christmas.. pretty much it’s a spiced ale.

OG 1.056
Primary ferment for about 1 1/2 weeks
FG 1.011
Held for 2 days so I racked it into my bottling bucket and bottled. It is clear as can be. Well I added 5oz of priming sugar to the 4 1/2 gallons of wort. The bottles have been conditioning in my basement for about a week. Well I just poured a glass and there is minimal carbonation. And no head. This is the 2nd batch i have done that has ended up this way and it’s starting to frustrate me. I’m doing kits for now because I’m not equipped to do all grain yet and I’m getting tired of spending 30-50 bucks on something that just isn’t working out. If you guys have any tips or tricks to help me in the future or to try and save this beer please let me know haha I’m starting to get desperate. Thank you

While a thermometer mounted on the wall may show that the temperature is OK for carbonating your beer, down on the floor where you likely have the beer it may be quite a bit cooler. That would be a great place to let the beer sit to mature but it needs warmer to carbonate.

 

[The_Dutch]

To be clear did you boil the sugar in 2 cups of water then let it get to room temp before adding to wort?

Yes I did sorry I should have said that

 

[myndflyte]

You said this is the second batch this happened to. Did the first one ever fully carbonate? I agree with everything said so far that get them warmer and they need a little more time. When I bottle, I wait 3 weeks before cracking one.

 

[IslandLizard]

What others said, it needs about 3 weeks at ~70°F. Much longer, the colder it gets.

So bring them into a warmer environment to carbonate, 3 weeks or until good, then store cool.
You may need to invert the bottles a few times to rouse the yeast, to get them to carbonate now. Especially if there's any sediment on the bottom, otherwise it may take longer. They should be ready by Christmas.

You're not using twist-off bottles are you?

 

[The_Dutch]

What others said, it needs about 3 weeks at ~70°F. Much longer, the colder it gets.

So bring them into a warmer environment to carbonate, 3 weeks or until good, then store cool.
You may need to invert the bottles a few times to rouse the yeast, to get them to carbonate now. Especially if there's any sediment on the bottom, otherwise it may take longer. They should be ready by Christmas.

You're not using twist-off bottles are you?

So your saying if I turn them all upside down it will help re suspend the yeast?

 

[IslandLizard]

So your saying if I turn them all upside down it will help re suspend the yeast?

Yeah! Now, after inverting once or twice, store them straight up (bottom down, lids up).

Unless the cap seals are leaking, you should have some carbonation after a week, definitely after 2 weeks at ~70F or higher.

I guess you have found kits selling at a much better price than compounding your own and buying loose ingredients.
NB (and others) put kits on sale for $20 regularly, even with free or one price shipping. Those are very decent, hard to beat deals, especially if they are higher gravity and/or higher hop content. Know that you can pull them apart and/or add some extras to them to customize the recipes more to your liking. At the same time, disregard the instructions, at least most of it, especially where they let you ferment for "21 days" and throw in a "rack to secondary" for good measure.

Do you use steeping grains along with your extracts?

 

[Elvis_on_Bass]

I've never had problems carbonating an ale under 70, usually in a week in the mid to lower 60s.

I'd say to check the capping of the bottles, I've had some bottles that I've had to toss because of bad sealing with my capper and bottle shape. Or because they're simply a pain. You can do this by putting a balloon over the neck and cap within reason after bottling to see if it inflates. Soapy water would work if you have a bad leak.

It doesn't sound like your issue is in the priming process.

 

[balrog]

Oooh, I like the balloon idea to check for cap leaks, but I will bet his issue is more cold basement floor, esp this time of year.

 

[The_Dutch]

Yeah! Now, after inverting once or twice, store them straight up (bottom down, lids up).

So how long should I leave them inverted?

 

[IslandLizard]

So how long should I leave them inverted?

I didn't say to leave them inverted, just invert once or twice (a twisting motion) to agitate the contents. Store normally with caps pointing up.