Newbie here. I underpitched the yeast, then left the beer in the primary too long. It doesn't seem to be carbonating, so I turned the bottles on their side hoping this might help. Has anyone else tried this? Or do you have another suggestion for me? I'm really not wanting to open the bottles up, so I'm trying to think of other options. (On the plus side, I somehow achieved the target final gravity!)
5 weeks really isnt too long, pretty surprised that it isnt carbonating. What temp is the area the bottle are sitting in? You may try to rouse the yeast by gently rolling the bottles. How much priming sugar did you use?
It's about 68* in the pantry where the bottles are. Laying them sideways was my attempt to rouse them without the yeast settling right away. (My made-up logic tells me that "exposing" more of the yeast like this will help somehow.) IIRC, I used about 3/4 cup of priming sugar. This was for about 560 oz (4.375 gal).
it is unlikely that your yeast became entirely dormant. almost impossible unless this is a very high abv. so too long in the primary probably not a concern. 5 weeks in the bottle is a fair amount of time to see nothing. should have at least a little fizz. laying the bottles on the side just increases the surface area for oxygen, but this is not so much a problem as all of the headspace will migrate into the beer soon enough. bottles that are held on the side will accumulate sediment there, and not on the bottom where it is supposed to be. pouring a clear beer becomes difficult. probably not enough prime. how much did you use? dextrose? it could take so me time. condition in a warmish location. heat is generally the enemy to freshness, but holding at 72 will speed things up (some breweries hold bottle conditioned beer at a much warmer temp). you might end up cracking every bottle to add a little dry yeast, additional priming, or both. for now, going to wait a week or so more. Cheers.
Some BAs have reported success in ‘enhancing’ carbonation by periodically (daily?) turning the bottles upside down and shaking the bottles to get the yeast back in suspension. Maybe you could try this for a week or so and see if your carbonation improves? Also, 68°F should be warm enough but if you have a warmer place in the house that would be helpful as well. The warmer (like 70’s), the better. Cheers! P.S. billandsuz is a genius!
I should clarify: primary for five weeks, bottle for two. I might think about a way to heat that room up a bit. One more question: is there a difference between rousing everyday and just laying them on their side? It seems the former is more recommended.
“ …is there a difference between rousing everyday and just laying them on their side?” The concept of rousing is to get the yeast ‘back in action’. By just laying the bottle on the side the yeast will simply just sediment on the side vs. the bottom of the bottle. So, hopefully a combination of rousing (waking up) the yeast and a warmer environment will get your beers carbonated. Cheers! P.S. You normally shouldn't need to rouse yeast in the bottle to get carbonation but your batch seems to need this for some reason.
Crack your oven like when you broil. Don't turn the oven on, but turn the oven light on. It should add a touch of heat. Leave them there for 36 hours. If you don't get bubbles, you'll have to drink flat beer or pop 50 caps and add more yeast and sugar.
Turn the bottles upside down a few times a day for a week, and condition at 72F during that time. Then pop a test bottle and see what you have and report back. I under-primed a batch and it wound up making great cooking beer. What yeast was it? Most saison yeast should be "a beast"
That yeast should be a beast. If it's not carbonated after following the upthread advice, there's a problem.
I know! I never thought I'd have a "favorite yeast" btw, but I suppose I'm an official brewer-geek. I love that stuff!!
Not yet carbed comes as no real surprise @ 2 weeks in the bottle + sub-optimum temps. Move bottles to someplace warmer. Low 70s would be nice. Rousing the yeast can help. While holding the bottle upright...grab the bottom and give it a spin or three. Repeat every other or every third day for about one week or two. Works for me every time except when it doesn't.
