No carb after 41 days

[jturman35]

My second attempt at an Old Chub clone and still no sign of carbonation whatsoever after 41 days!

2.5 GAL Batch
8lbs Pale Malt
9.9oz Crystal 120
6.6oz Munich
3.3oz Special B
2.5oz Smoked malt
1.9oz Chocolate
.5oz Nugget
800ml starter WLP001

OG 1.081
FG 1.028

Brewed on 3/3/18
Bottled on 4/1/18

1.94oz Brewers Best priming sugar estimated 2.2 gallons of actual beer.

Beers is in closet which ranges from 68-75deg.

5/1/18 Beer is Flat
5/11/18 Beer is flat

 

[kh54s10]

Caps sealed good? It seems like plenty of time, not too high in gravity, not too long in fermenter, and proper priming.

 

[jturman35]

Only popped off two caps but they seemed to hiss very very slightly. At what point should I try adding more sugar to salvage this batch? Going to try warming up one bottle in the garage and try it in another week or two.

 

[homebrewer_99]

81 / 4 = 20.X (75% attenuation).

Odd...you bottled too soon (FG too high). That SHOULD mean the yeast was still active when you bottled. Even the priming sugar would have had some effect by now. (I prime at 1 oz per gallon).

I would think your caps are not sealed too.

 

[jturman35]

81 / 4 = 20.X (75% attenuation).

Odd...you bottled too soon (FG too high). That SHOULD means the yeast was still active when you bottled. Even the priming sugar would have had some effect by now. (I prime at 1 oz per gallon).

I would think your caps are not sealed too.

81-28=53 / 81 = 65% attenuation?
A month in the primary should have had plenty of time to finish, no?

 

[kh54s10]

Brewer's Friend calculator puts the apparent attenuation at 64% that is pretty low. It is surprising that you are having carbonation problems. What I see leads to a yeast problem since it didn't ferment fully and/or cap problems. Stumper. I guess I would try adding yeast after your warmed up period.

 

[jturman35]

Yea, really surprised WLP001 even with a small starter didn’t finish up this 2.5 gallon batch.

I’m gona give it two more weeks at warmer temp. What dry yeast should I use to carb and how much per bottle?

 

[ncbrewer]

At what point should I try adding more sugar to salvage this batch?

Adding more sugar would make me nervous. If the yeast kicks in, you could have bottle bombs. And if you opened them first, loosely covered, to let the carbonation escape, you would be inviting oxidation. JMO

 

[homebrewer_99]

81-28=53 / 81 = 65% attenuation?
A month in the primary should have had plenty of time to finish, no?

True, but I wasn't trying to estimate the OPs anticipated FG. Just merely pointing out what a normal 75% attenuation should have been.

 

[jturman35]

What is the best practice for adding yeast?

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

It is easy to assume that WLP001 is the same alcohol tolerant yeast that US-05 is since they purportedly come from the same chico strain, but Brülosophy did an Xbeeriment comparing the two yeasts and found that they tasted significantly different, if they taste different it is possible that they perform differently, but even so, your beer is only around 7% and it says online that you should be able to get up to at least 10%. Is it possible you accidentally didn’t put in your priming sugar?

Now if you checked your FG with a refractometer your actual FG could be much lower and it is possible that you are closer to that 10% ABV.

 

[BobBailey]

Uncap the bottles and add at leas 2 or 3 grains of yeast to each then recap with new caps. After uncapping, leave the caps sitting on the bottles to reduce chances of any contamination. US-05 works good.

 

[zlimfur]

Try one bottle. If it tastes sour, you have an infection. Same happend to me earlier this year. It was some easy infection with just strange aroma, not sour in taste. So I emptied the bottles into keg, and after force carbonation, we killed it next day.

 

[jturman35]

Uncap the bottles and add at leas 2 or 3 grains of yeast to each then recap with new caps. After uncapping, leave the caps sitting on the bottles to reduce chances of any contamination. US-05 works good.

I moved the beer to the garage where it is 80-85 degrees and going to give it one more week. I’m pretty sure I added priming sugar although I ended up with 1/4 gallon more beer that expected. I used a hydrometer for the final FG. My concern is my yeast only attenuated 65% and this is the reason it did not carb.

 

[jturman35]

10 days in the garage at 75-85 deg and still flat!

I bought a pack of champagne yeast. Should I try adding a gram or two to each bottle?

 

[kh54s10]

10 days in the garage at 75-85 deg and still flat!

I bought a pack of champagne yeast. Should I try adding a gram or two to each bottle?

A pack of yeast is 11 grams isn't it? Do you only have 5 - 11 bottles? I think that people only use a few grains of the yeast in each bottle. I would attempt to divide the pack evenly.

 

[jturman35]

I have 22 bottles. I have opened 3 and all 3 have been flat. This is my second attempt at this Old Chub clone.

The first time I brewed this I got sick and was throwing up in a toilet during the boil. I made my wife watch the boil. After getting the energy to transfer the wort into the carboy the hose popped out in the laundry room and lost 2 gallons on the floor in the house! I ended up dumping the beer which I named “toilet boil hugger”

This is my second attempt of this clone and the beer is pretty close but now it’s freaking flat! The first attempt was horrible.

 

[bleme]

I would be seriously concerned about new yeast causing bottle bombs. Priming sugar only adds about 3 points. If that plus the 8 under-attenuated points ferment out, I foresee an explosive situation.

 

[jturman35]

I don’t see any other option other than pouring each beer in a keg.

 

[jturman35]

Try one bottle. If it tastes sour, you have an infection. Same happend to me earlier this year. It was some easy infection with just strange aroma, not sour in taste. So I emptied the bottles into keg, and after force carbonation, we killed it next day.

The 3 bottles I have opened taste great other than being completely flat.

 

[bpgreen]

If I were in your shoes, I'd probably just blend these with another beer.

 

[ncbrewer]

If I were in your shoes, I'd probably just blend these with another beer.

This. I had a flat batch - I mixed each bottle with a bottle of BMC. It wasn't great, but ok.

 

[jturman35]

I’m leaning towards dumping in a keg.

 

[bleme]

If you have a keg, that is definitely the way to go.

 

[jturman35]

Dumped these 22 bottles in the keg and carbed and ready to go in two days! Screw Bottleling!