[my99thtry]

I've made a few posts here regarding a batch marking my reintroduction to brewing.  I have gotten some great feedback so I figured I could tap you guys again.

I recently had one of my first beers and it has no carbonation (I did put the correct amount of priming sugar in).
- 2 weeks in the fermentor
- 2+ weeks in the bottle at the present time.
- Gravity readings are right on target

What is likely the cause is that after bottling I stored the beer around 65 deg. F for a few days and then put it right in the fridge.  Not realizing until two weeks later that this may have caused the yeast to go dormant. Does that make sense?

I'm not sure why I did this.  I'm pretty sure that I read that good carbonation depends on cooler temps.  But after referencing Palmer's book it does not seem to be the case.  Perhaps I misinterpreted my previous directions.

I have since taken some of the bottles out of the fridge and put it back into warmer temperature and gently shook up the bottles in the hopes of putting the yeast back in suspension.  Does this seam a reasonable means of damage control?

If nothing else, the brown ale I made did taste fairly good and I was happy with that aspect.

[tygo]

Yeah, I would think that warming them back up and giving them a little shake will probably work fine.  I've found that it generally takes a week to carb and two weeks is more like it to get consistent carbonation.

[my99thtry]

Removing my bottles from the fridge and putting them back into warmer temperatures (~ 61 - 63 deg. F) for two weeks definitely fixed my carbonation issue.

[rightasrain]

I have the same problem no carbonation whatsoever. They were sitting in a crawl space but that crawl space is about 70 degrees. I checked with a thermometer and also other beers have done just fine. Been doing some research and I think I know what the problem is.

In an effort to get a much clearer beer I siphoned pretty much zero sediment from the first fermenter and then again, pretty much none from the second fermentor into the bottling bucket. Although the second did have a decent sediment cake at the bottom. So is the problem that I did not get any sediment and therefore none of the yeast made it into the bottling bucket? I'm not exactly sure on this one.

[rightasrain]

I have the same problem no carbonation whatsoever. They were sitting in a crawl space but that crawl space is about 70 degrees. I checked with a thermometer and also other beers have done just fine. Been doing some research and I think I know what the problem is.

In an effort to get a much clearer beer I siphoned pretty much zero sediment from the first fermenter and then again, pretty much none from the second fermentor into the bottling bucket. Although the second did have a decent sediment cake at the bottom. So is the problem that I did not get any sediment and therefore none of the yeast made it into the bottling bucket? I'm not exactly sure on this one.

Oops the beer is 65 degrees would that make a difference?

[tygo]

I'm guessing there was plenty of yeast in suspension when you bottled it.  And 65-70F should be fine for carbonating.  What was the OG of the batch?  How long did it sit in the fermenters?  How much priming sugar did you use?  How long has it been in the bottles?

[rightasrain]

I'm guessing there was plenty of yeast in suspension when you bottled it.  And 65-70F should be fine for carbonating.  What was the OG of the batch?  How long did it sit in the fermenters?  How much priming sugar did you use?  How long has it been in the bottles?

Starting gravity was 1.048, finishing was 1.009, which is a little low from what the store that I bought it from said it should be at
SG: 1.052-1.056
FG: 1.010-1.012
But not that far off.

I used 2 fermenters. 1 week in the first and 2 weeks in the second. I did notice there wasn't a lot of activity after the second. In my past batches I have heard the airlock going off after moving to the second fermenter but not my last two batches. I add 3/4 cup of priming sugar to 1 cup of boiling water then let it cool and then add it to the bottling bucket. Oh and 3 weeks in the bottle. Any ideas? I'm wondering if maybe I should be bottling earlier since the airlock is not going off.

[tygo]

Hmm, I don't know.  That all sounds right.  The airlock going off after you transferred it into the secondary was just CO2 coming out of solution.  Leaving it sit for three weeks in a primary or secondary shouldn't be a problem at all.

I would think that after three weeks in the bottle you would have at least some carbonation.  

Did you stir the beer well when you added the priming sugar into the bottling bucket?  Have you randomly sampled a number of the bottles?  Is the problem consistent across the batch?

You know you have to cap the bottles right?  ....Just kidding, but are you sure that the caps are nice and tight?  Submerge one in a bucket of water and look for bubbles to see if gas is escaping.

[rightasrain]

Omg your right I forgot the caps  . hahah just kidding. I will submerge them in water and check for air bubbles.

Now that you mention it I did put the priming suger in after siphoning to the bottling bucket. I did stir it but perhaps not good enough. I usually put the priming suger in before I siphon. So maybe that was the reason. I also noticed what looked to be sugar at the bottom of one of the bottles but who knows its hard to see in dark bottles. Could have just been bubbles reflecting light to give a white appearance. I have drank about half the batch all flat. So i'm pretty sure I didn't poorly cap that many bottles but worth a test.

I even opened a bottle and stuck a thermometer in to make sure I was getting the right temp of the beer inside so they were definitely right at about 65 degrees.

Thanks for your help by the way I'll test the caps if there good and pressurized we'll have to write it off to my poor stirring skills I suppose.

[thomasbarnes]

Now that you mention it I did put the priming sugar in after siphoning to the bottling bucket. I did stir it but perhaps not good enough.

To see if it's a priming problem, randomly select 2-4 beers out of the batch. Open them, pour them and observe CO2 levels. Some bottles will be way overcarbonated (open carefully, over a sink), some will be flat.

A simple way to avoid uneven carbonation when using priming sugar is to make a sugar syrup. Add your priming sugar to 1-2 cups of boiling dechlorinated/RO/DI tap water, stir until the sugar is dissolved, keep at 170 F or higher for 15-20 minutes to sterilize, then dump the liquid into your bottling bucket and rack your raw beer onto it. No need to cool, since the volume of the sugar water is so small that your raw beer will chill it for you. No need to stir, since the beer will mix the sugar syrup for you.

 

[rightasrain]

Thanks for your help by the way I'll test the caps if there good and pressurized we'll have to write it off to my poor stirring skills I suppose.

Actually you weren't far off on this one. After brewing last night I noticed I had an extra bag of priming sugar. I knew for sure I had added the priming sugar to the batch I thought this was. I got my batches mixed up. The good news is I have a fresh batch @ 4 weeks ready to be devoured. The bad news is I made an idiot of myself. Haha thats ok though we all make mistake. Thanks for all the advice though I do appreciate the help!

[tubercle]

I even opened a bottle and stuck a thermometer in to make sure I was getting the right temp of the beer inside so they were definitely right at about 65 degrees.

For future reference:

 The temp of the beer will be the same temp of the bottles if you let them sit in the enviroment for a few hours.

 To test, take a room tempreture (~70f) beer and put it in a ~36f fridge over night. Take the temp of the bottle, it should be around 36f. Open, take the temp of the beer. My money says the beer not still at room temp.

 This works with going cold to warm also.

 Not trying to be a smart a$$ Just try to save a beer from being sacraficed.

[rightasrain]

[

For future reference:

 The temp of the beer will be the same temp of the bottles if you let them sit in the enviroment for a few hours.

 To test, take a room tempreture (~70f) beer and put it in a ~36f fridge over night. Take the temp of the bottle, it should be around 36f. Open, take the temp of the beer. My money says the beer not still at room temp.

 This works with going cold to warm also.

 Not trying to be a smart a$$ Just try to save a beer from being sacraficed.

I like all the advice I can get my hands on