Carbonation Problem

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by argyle324, Jan 22, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. argyle324

    argyle324 Initiate (0) Aug 27, 2013 Colorado

    I opened a barleywine that I bottled in August and found that there was absolutely no carbonation. I added priming sugar when I bottled it, but I don't know if I added enough.

    Is there any way to salvage the beer? Someone told me to gently shake the bottles to mix them up a few days before opening another. Another friend said it's possible to keg the beer and force carbonate it. This seems like and okay idea, but I'm worried about the oxygen after opening all the bottles. That would be a pretty labor-intensive process.

    Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
     
  2. Jeffo

    Jeffo Pooh-Bah (2,850) Sep 7, 2008 Netherlands
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Try giving them a good shake and putting them in a warmer room for a couple weeks. Shake periodically throughout the two weeks. I've had some success with batches doing this.

    I've heard of people slowly pouring all the bottles back into a bottling bucket, then re-priming the whole batch and bottling again. I'd try the shake it up route before this though.

    Good luck. Report back as well.

    Jeff
     
  3. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,737) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Two possible explanations for no carbonation: Back in August, your yeast were already dormant when you added sugar so they did not "ferment" and produce any CO2. Or it leaked out. If you are sure of your bottling process and originally mixed and stored at the proper temp then the finger of blame points to the yeast.

    If the yeasties weren't up to the task six months ago then it's doubtful shaking/warming will help (but will not hurt). I've never re-bottled/re-primed, if you go this route you will also need to re-yeast . . . can think of several problems doing this. You can definitely force carb in a keg. In theory you can purge all the air out of the tank, but you've already identified the problem with this. I offer condolences and a moment of silence when I pour my first beer this afternoon.
     
  4. LakesideBrewing

    LakesideBrewing Zealot (580) Dec 1, 2013 Massachusetts
    Trader

    I had a RIS (10%ABV) take over 6 months to fully carbonate. The first few months I kept the bottles too cold. I realized around the 3 month mark that I had no carbonation. So I moved the beer into a warmer room and gently swirled the each bottle a few times a week to get the yeast back into suspension. It worked.
     
  5. A2HB

    A2HB Initiate (0) Oct 30, 2013 Michigan

    I had this happen on a batch I did about a month ago, little to no carbonation in any of the bottles. I just took a 1/4 tsp of priming sugar and added it directly to the bottles, resealed, shook a little and then let them sit for two more weeks. They carbed up nicely after that. Don't know what was the problem with it the first time other than I used corn syrup instead of priming sugar so maybe I didn't add enough of it? I'm sticking to priming sugar or turbinado from now on though
     
  6. Lukass

    Lukass Pooh-Bah (2,807) Dec 16, 2012 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society

    How long was the barleywine sitting before you bottled? And did you re-yeast at bottling? Like @PortLargo said, it is possible that the yeast may have become dormant if it had been sitting for a while, and there weren't enough yeasties to do the job of eating the sugars when bottling. I've heard of people actually un-capping, and adding a single drop of a yeast slurry to each of the bottles if this is the case. If you didn't add enough sugar, I'm guessing you could do the same thing – measure out a small amount of corn sugar that can be added to each bottle.

    Other than that, I've always had success with carbonation by rolling the bottles on the ground a few times to agitate, and keeping them some place warm.

    Good luck! Hope it carbs up for ya over time.
     
  7. Mag00n

    Mag00n Initiate (0) Nov 21, 2008 New York

    Did you stir in the priming sugar in the bottling bucket? Sometimes people forget and it can lead to some bottles being under/uncarbed and others over.
     
    PapaGoose03 likes this.
  8. MLucky

    MLucky Initiate (0) Jul 31, 2010 California

    First off, I would check a few more bottles. Sometimes the problem is that that priming sugar was not evenly distributed, and you can have some bottles be severely under-carbed and some bottles over.

    If, in checking these additional bottles, you find zero carbonation, I would add a very small about of cane sugar (maybe 1/8 tsp) and a few grains of dried yeast, recap, and check them again in 2-3 weeks. Depending on the results, would either repeat the procedure with my remaining bottles or add more sugar and yeast if needed. A total PITA, I know, but I would think you would have more possibility of success this way than in kegging the beer, which is almost certain to oxidize it.
     
    PapaGoose03 likes this.
  9. HerbMeowing

    HerbMeowing Maven (1,271) Nov 10, 2010 Virginia
    Trader

    At this point ... this not-so-blessed B-wine is FUBAR.
    Blessed blending be thy Salvation.

    - John 3.2
     
  10. argyle324

    argyle324 Initiate (0) Aug 27, 2013 Colorado

    Thanks for all the suggestions! I am relatively certain that I stirred in the priming sugar before bottling, but I will check a couple more bottles. I am going to try shaking them and moving them to a warmer area. They've been in my crawl space, which is in the low to mid 60s. If I move them to my lift, they would be between 68 and 70. It's not a huge jump in temperature, but it might be enough.

    If shaking doesn't work, I will try adding some sugar and yeast. Does it matter what type of dry yeast I use?

    Thanks again!
     
  11. MLucky

    MLucky Initiate (0) Jul 31, 2010 California

    Sounds like a good plan. Assuming your alcohol level is not above about 12-13%, I would use SF-05, a very reliable and neutral yeast.

    If you think you ABV might be higher than that, you might need to consider something that tolerates more alcohol: I think Lallemond makes some high gravity belgian dry yeasts, but I've never used 'em so maybe somebody else can chime in on that.
     
  12. sixa66

    sixa66 Initiate (0) Jan 20, 2015 Florida

    Were you using grower bottles or crimped caps?

    I opened a beer that had zero carbonation and was worried but all the others were fine. My situation was I don't think the growler cap seated properly OR I didn't let it conditon long enough OR I didnt evenly distribute the priming sugar.

    Since then I like to turn the bottle upside down and then flip it back over to see how the bubbles inside formed.
     
  13. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,737) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Suggest CBC-1, you'll only need about 1/5 of an 11g packet for 5 gals.
     
  14. KurtE

    KurtE Initiate (0) Nov 19, 2012 Illinois

    I have actually had this problem with a recent Belgium Triple I brewed. I agitated the bottles and stored them in a warmer area for a couple more weeks. It worked great. I then realized that my "perfect" storage basement was perfect throughout the summer, but in the winter the temp varies from 63 - 70F, a bit of an issue to say the least.
    I am sure you did this but make sure your crawl space keeps a consistent temp. My basement varies even when I would keep my house thermostat at 72F.
     
  15. Supergenious

    Supergenious Savant (1,249) May 9, 2011 Michigan

    I always add new yeast to high OG brews like this. I use US 05.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.