I've been kegging for a while now but i did a batch with some friends and bottled it so we could all share when it was ready. The recipe is as follows: 17# Two Row 2# Flaked Oats 1# Roasted Barley 1# Chocolate Malt 1# Crystal 80L 2# Rice Hulls Northern Brewer 60 Min Northern Brewer 30 Min Imperial Yeast "The Darkness" Ferm Temp 65 Degrees F OG: 1.110 FG: 1.020 plus some finings for secondary. Primed with conditioning tablets They've only been in bottles for 3 weeks at ambient temp, 70-75 degrees still nothing in terms of carb. AMAZING FLAVOR but that's beside the point. I am assuming that the yeast is pretty cashed out due to the high gravity of the beer. I know three weeks isn't the longest they could go but there is no carb at all, so I'm thinking I'd rather uncap the beer now, add some casking yeast and re-bottle. A couple of questions. What's the best method for here? Should I dump the bottles in a bottling bucket then some yeast and re-bottle from there? Or would it be better to just add yeast to the already filled bottle? If this is my best option how much yeast should I add to each bottle? Finally, Should I even bother? 3 weeks is a short amount of time but I figured I'd have at least a little fizz by now.
I believe The Darkness is the Irish yeast strain, whose ABV tolerance tops out right around where you are at. Even so, after only 3 weeks, I would probably give it a little more time. Then, if necessary, add a yeast with a higher ABV tolerance, and a lower attenuation. CBC-1 might be good, though you're close to the lower end of its tolerance, so you might want to look at a champagne yeast. ETA: Don't pour the bottled beer into a bucket, as that would result in an oxidized mess. Add yeast to the bottles.
"Primed with conditioning tablets" Hopefully some BAs who have experience with these tablets will chime in here. I have read in past threads where folks have posted they had issues when using tablets to carbonate their beers. Cheers!
I would think in three weeks at 70-75 C, your bottles would be primed. Although I can t pinpoint the problem, the only two possibilities I can think of are with the conditioning tablets or your yeast. But either way, I would think you would have some evidence of carbonation.
