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Author Topic: Carbonation Question  (Read 1422 times)

Offline raddly

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Carbonation Question
« on: April 11, 2012, 12:39:19 pm »
I bottled a Belgian Strong Dark (9.75% abv) nearly a month ago.  Five-gallon batch, primed with cane sugar-- I believe 4 oz (don't have notes in front of me).  I've periodically tested bottles for the last two weeks.  Tastes great, but no carbonation yet.  How long should I give them to carbonate before giving up?  And is there a way to remedy?

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: Carbonation Question
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2012, 12:41:03 pm »
Make sure they are above 70F and give them more time.  At least another 3 weeks at that temp and check them.

If they are still flat, the easiest thing to do is to get a packet of dry yeast and some tweezers, open every bottle, add a couple of grains of yeast, then recap.  Hopefully that will fix the problem.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline bluesman

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Re: Carbonation Question
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2012, 12:49:52 pm »
I had the same thing happen to me years ago with a 10.5% Barleywine.  I tried warming them and adding yeast to no avail...and wound up just drinking it undercarbonated.  It was an awesome BW and I got a lot of rave reviews eventhough it was almost still.

Try Tom's suggestion with the yeast if they don't carbonate after warming.  I would try it on a few bottles before you go full bore on the whole batch.
Ron Price

Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Carbonation Question
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2012, 01:05:23 pm »
If it looks like the yeast has settled, you can also try inverting them once or twice to keep it in suspension while the bottles are warmer.
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Offline euge

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Re: Carbonation Question
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2012, 02:42:45 pm »
Well how about some more info- did you use a secondary? How long in primary what type of yeast etc.

That's a pretty strong brew and the beat-up yeast might not have survived the journey. Maybe further compounded by transfer/racking technique with too much attention to not letting enough sediment into the mix. You could try opening and dosing each bottle with some fermenting wort, then recap. 
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Offline duboman

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Re: Carbonation Question
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2012, 03:32:43 pm »
The last Belgian Strong I brewed took 15 weeks to properly carbonate, I would just wait, they'll eventually get there :)
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