Weird question: Does vanilla kill yeast?

[kef300]

Several months ago, my girlfriend (who is a chef) proposed we add vanilla to the priming solution before bottling. That beer never carbonated, we assumed we had bad yeast.

A couple of weeks ago, we brewed a Pale Ale and tried to add some vanilla again, but this time, we added 3 vanilla seeds during the last 10 minutes of the boil. The beer has been bottled for 10 days and hasn't carbonated one bit.

These are the only two times I have brewed beer and failed to get any carbonation. We oxygenated the beer and pitched the yeast at an adequate temperature. FG levels were normal before bottling.

Is vanilla cursed? haha

 

[MajorDisaster]

The extracts and pastes and stuff contain preservatives that kill yeast but usualy vanilla pods are fine ive added vanilla pods a lot before brewing.

 

[kef300]

True, and this batch did ferment, as the FG was close to the expected value. It's been two weeks since I bottled and there is still no carbonation. The beer tastes fine but is undrinkable with no gas.
Should I give up? Should I uncap, add drops of a new priming solution and recap? Any suggestions?


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[BigFloyd]

True, and this batch did ferment, as the FG was close to the expected value. It's been two weeks since I bottled and there is still no carbonation. The beer tastes fine but is undrinkable with no gas.
Should I give up? Should I uncap, add drops of a new priming solution and recap? Any suggestions?


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Wait. Two weeks isn't enough carb time even at 70*F. Give it another week. If the storage temps are cooler than 70*F, you'll have to give it longer still.

 

[JordanKnudson]

Vanilla is regularly added to secondary in loads of beers with no effect on later carbonation, so why would anything change by adding it at bottling time? No, something else is going on.

 

[ob_1jr]

were these higher gravity beers? I know my first beer took over a month to carbonate up. The second one has been in the bottle for over a month now and it wasn't carbonated last friday. The room I have been keeping the bottles in has been a little on the cool side....about 66-68*.

With the first one after 3 weeks I turned each bottle over and put them back in the rack...the following week there was carbonation.

 

[leedspointbrew]

were these higher gravity beers? I know my first beer took over a month to carbonate up. The second one has been in the bottle for over a month now and it wasn't carbonated last friday. The room I have been keeping the bottles in has been a little on the cool side....about 66-68*.

With the first one after 3 weeks I turned each bottle over and put them back in the rack...the following week there was carbonation.

Resurrecting this necropost. Having a similiar issue, if anyone else has experienced it. Am trying ob_1jr's suggestion and inverting the bottles in their sixpack holders.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Resurrecting this necropost. Having a similiar issue, if anyone else has experienced it. Am trying ob_1jr's suggestion and inverting the bottles in their sixpack holders.

I've added vanilla extract (from the grocery store spice aisle) with no ill effects on bottle carbonation.

Things that will impact carbonation are:
Waiting too long to bottle
The %abv is too high for the yeast
Forgetting to add priming sugar (or not properly mixing it into the beer).
Leaving the bottles in too cold of a room

After my first failed attempt back when I started brewing imperials, for every beer over 9% abv, I now add a rehydrated pack of EC-1118 (into the bottling bucket, then add my boiled priming sugar, and transfer the beer on top)

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

inverting the bottles in their sixpack holders.

An extra pack of EC-1118 (or CBC-1), some tiny measuring spoons ('drop': 1/64th tsp, 'smidgen: 1/32 tsp, ...), and a scale that weighs 2.0 g +/- .005g can be very helpful when troubleshooting bottle condition problems:

• If inverting the bottles doesn't work, try adding a 'drop' of EC-1118 to a couple of bottles, then store them warm (~ 75F). If there's simple sugar in the bottle (from bottle conditioning), the fresh yeast will find it. It typically takes about a 7 days, but don't be afraid to test a bottle at 5 days (or wait for 14 days).
• if fresh yeast (after 14 days at 75F) doesn't help, it's possible that those bottles didn't have (enough?) simple sugar. That may be true of all the bottles as well. Adding additional sugar (and fresh yeast) may fix the problem or it may create a different problem (gushers and/or worse).