slow carbonation

[beerisyummy]

I have a Scotch ale, O.G. 1.080 F.G. 1.020, Wyeast 1728 Scottish, 1/2 cup corn sugar boiled in 2 cups water to prime. It's a bigger beer than I usually brew, and I also gave it a longer sit in the carboy than usual - about 5 weeks. After three weeks in the bottle - usually all it takes to carbonate in my experience - it is flat as a pancake.

I've read elsewhere that higher gravity beers may take longer to carbonate. Has this been your experience?

 

[brewprint]

I can tell you that I did a Scottish Wee Heavy extract kit about 1 1/2 years ago and bottled it. It was a kit from Midwest. I opened a bottle 2 days ago and it's still flat.

It used the same yeast and I made a giant starter. It was almost an explosion it fermented so hard.

I gave most of it away but I still have some bottles laying around. Every once and a while I check it. Then it ends up going down the drain. It's just an extract beer and I don't need that in my life any longer

 

[slym2none]

I've read elsewhere that higher gravity beers may take longer to carbonate. Has this been your experience?

Yes. Just give it time. At 3 weeks, my barleywine was just beginning to show carbonation (10.8% ABV). Check another bottle in, say, 1-2 months.

 

[xpops]

Yes. Just give it time. At 3 weeks, my barleywine was just beginning to show carbonation (10.8% ABV). Check another bottle in, say, 1-2 months.

if after another 4-6 weeks without a "pssssst" - there's always the option of popping all the caps, and adding new yeast. It's possible it might have been stressed out from the higher ABV?

i had a similar thing happen to an high ABV DIPA. after 8 weeks or so, i had nothing happening...added new yeast to each bottle, and they were perfect 2 weeks later!

...hopefully you dont have to go this route

good luck!