[I Are Baboon]

Eff.

I purchased a Rogue Imperial IPA extract clone from Austin Homebrew and the batch seems to be a bomb. The entire process seemed to go just fine...no real problems to speak of at all. It's been bottled for five weeks now and it's completely flat. No carbonation whatsoever. I don't know where I could have gone wrong. I've got the bottles stored in my basement where it's consistently about 65-70 degrees.

This is the second SUCK double IPA I've made in two tries. Maybe I should stick to low OG beers from now on.

 

[binary visions]

Huh, weird. Did the fermentation go okay? OG-FG looks good?

I found several references to carbonation drops when I was looking at forums a while ago, looks like some people use them to rescue uncarbonated batches:

http://www.homebrewers.com/product/1987/Coopers_Carbonation_Drops.html

Uncap, add one, recap and wait a few days. Worth a try, if for nothing else to rescue the expensive ingredients.

 

[I Are Baboon]

^ Hey, that's a good idea! I have a bag of those carb tablets. I'll try that on a few bottles tonight and see what happens. Hopefully the bottles are not in a state of delayed carbonation right now and won't explode if tablets are added. I'll put them in a sealed container just in case.

 

[binary visions]

^ Hey, that's a good idea! I have a bag of those carb tablets. I'll try that on a few bottles tonight and see what happens. Hopefully the bottles are not in a state of delayed carbonation right now and won't explode if tablets are added. I'll put them in a sealed container just in case.

Did you get to drinking and forget about your priming sugar?

 

[I Are Baboon]

Did you get to drinking and forget about your priming sugar?

No, I definitely added it. I don't drink when I brew because that will lead to mistakes.

 

[pnj]

No, I definitely added it. I don't drink when I brew because that will lead to mistakes.

wrong. that IS your mistake. you must drink while brewing....

 

[I Are Baboon]

wrong. that IS your mistake. you must drink while brewing....

Well on top of me losing concentration when I drink, I also brew first thing in the morning and beer at 8:00 AM just isn't my thing.


Oh, to answer BV's question in his first reply, my OG and FG readings were spot on.

 

[Arutha]

Well on top of me losing concentration when I drink, I also brew first thing in the morning and beer at 8:00 AM just isn't my thing.


Oh, to answer BV's question in his first reply, my OG and FG readings were spot on.

Granted earliest I've started brewing is 9:00 AM but beer tasted good then. One hour can't make that big of a difference.

To your issue, how long did it sit before you bottled and at what temp, also what were the starting and ending gravities? Also what yeast was used and was any added at bottling?

 

[I Are Baboon]

Granted earliest I've started brewing is 9:00 AM but beer tasted good then. One hour can't make that big of a difference.

To your issue, how long did it sit before you bottled and at what temp, also what were the starting and ending gravities? Also what yeast was used and was any added at bottling?

It sat in primary for two weeks, followed by secondary for two weeks. It was 70 degrees when I bottled it. On bottling day, I boiled the priming sugar for 60 seconds, let it cool, then pitched it into the bottling barrel with the beer prior to bottling. I used Wyeast Pacman Ale 1764. I pitched it after brewing...no yeast added after that.

I don't have the OG and FG numbers in front of me right now, but they were exactly what the recipe instructions said they'd be.

Here is a link to the kit I bought:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=2121

 

[pnj]

I've heard of guys warming the bottles up a bit. say from 70 to 80 or so. Might want to give that a try.

Did you stir up the yeast a bit when you put the beer in the bottling bucket/transfered from secondary? If you left it all behind, it's probably not going to carbonate.

 

[Pesqueeb]

I seem to have a similar problem farily frequently with my beer. Not flat, but under-carbonated. I have yet to figure out why this happens. BTW, no such thing as a "bad batch", only batches that did not turn out as well as you'd expected. You can still drink it, don't be afraid.

 

[I Are Baboon]

I've heard of guys warming the bottles up a bit. say from 70 to 80 or so. Might want to give that a try.

Did you stir up the yeast a bit when you put the beer in the bottling bucket/transfered from secondary? If you left it all behind, it's probably not going to carbonate.

I left as much yeast behind as I could when I transferred to secondary. That's what teh BEER instructions say. I did my prior six batches the same way and they all carbonated fine.

I took BV's suggestion and added three Munson's carb tabs to two bottles each. I put the bottles into a closed Rubbermaid tub. I'll crack one of those open this weekend.

To answer Arutha's gravity question:

OG was 1080
FG was 1016

 

[pnj]

Have your previous bottles had sediment in the bottoms? do these current ones have any?

 

[Serial Midget]

Beer is teh complicated. Thank god for qwiki marts.

 

[TheTruth]

Maybe your beer is perfect just like that california wine movie when the wine was brown but then it wasn't.

 

[binary visions]

Have your previous bottles had sediment in the bottoms? do these current ones have any?

Of the 4-5 batches I've done, I've never stirred up yeast before bottling. Not even on my last batch when I did a secondary fermentation where a lot more yeast should have settled out.

Always carbonated, always plenty of sediment.

 

[Arutha]

I left as much yeast behind as I could when I transferred to secondary. That's what teh BEER instructions say. I did my prior six batches the same way and they all carbonated fine.

I took BV's suggestion and added three Munson's carb tabs to two bottles each. I put the bottles into a closed Rubbermaid tub. I'll crack one of those open this weekend.

To answer Arutha's gravity question:

OG was 1080
FG was 1016

You're on the cusp of needing to add more yeast. I am not sure how pacman flocculates but that could be part of the problem. Also when you get around a OG 1.080 you might want to add a 1/4 pack of dry yeast to your bottling bucket with the sugars. Mix well, of course careful not to aerate, and then bottle.

As for your current issue I'd try warming them up as someone else mentinoed. Maybe 75 or a little more for a couple weeks and test. If that doesn't help you can add some dry yeast to the bottles but that doesn't always work either but worth a shot. A few granulars per bottle, re-hydrating the yeast is best but not sure how to add it to bottles after you do that. I've had some larger beers take months to carb up but you certainly don't want to wait with an IPA.

I recommend a keg system.

 

[stevew]

are you saving money by brewing your own?

 

[I Are Baboon]

are you saving money by brewing your own?

It's a lot cheaper in the long run, but few homebrewers do it because of the cost savings. We do it because it's fun.

To give you an example, the last batch I brewed comes to about $6 for a six pack. The same beer (Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout) goes for $10 for a four pack in a beer store. So, I'm "saving" over 50%. But that doesn't take into account the original equipment cost and the time spent brewing. I figure the equipment will be paid for in beer savings after 10 batches or so.

 

[-BB-]

Could it be a case where your alc% is too high for the yeast to keep doing their "thang" and convert the priming sugars?

 

[I Are Baboon]

Could it be a case where your alc% is too high for the yeast to keep doing their "thang" and convert the priming sugars?

8.4% abv really isn't that big a beer though. I also made a two stage yeast starter to step up the yeast count.

 

[pnj]

warm the bottles up.

 

[TN]

bummer. what happened to your first dipa?

 

[dante]

It's a lot cheaper in the long run, but few homebrewers do it because of the cost savings. We do it because it's fun.

To give you an example, the last batch I brewed comes to about $6 for a six pack. The same beer (Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout) goes for $10 for a four pack in a beer store. So, I'm "saving" over 50%. But that doesn't take into account the original equipment cost and the time spent brewing. I figure the equipment will be paid for in beer savings after 10 batches or so.

I feel really bad for all you people who can't get a yummy microbrew for $6.75-$7 per six pack.

 

[I Are Baboon]

bummer. what happened to your first dipa?

I used way too little yeast (I didn't know any better), so the beer came out too malty.

I feel really bad for all you people who can't get a yummy microbrew for $6.75-$7 per six pack.

Swing and a miss.

 

[pnj]

I feel really bad for all you people who can't get a yummy microbrew for $6.75-$7 per six pack.

I live in the land of microbrews and the only time I see/buy $7 sixers is when they are on sale.

There's something really cool about drinking a beer you made. and doing it from raw ingrediants (all grain) is even more special.

 

[TN]

I feel really bad for all you people who can't get a yummy microbrew for $6.75-$7 per six pack.

please tell me where you shop. thanks.

 

[dante]

please tell me where you shop. thanks.

Woodmans. Capital Brewery starts at $6.99/sixer and goes down to $6.75 when you buy 4 (mixed case). New Glarus starts at $7.50 (?) and drops to $7 or $7.25 with a mixed case. Lake Louie, Ale Assylum, Tyranena, Central Waters etc I think start around 8, but also go down when you buy in case quantities. Sprecher is around 6.50 as well, but that's for the brewers reserve 4-pack (16oz bottles).

Obviously any of the special limited release brews are more (think the Unplugged series is $8/4-pack?), but any of the seasonals are usually included in that (so Capital's Maibock, NG's Octoberfest/Dancing Man Wheat, etc).

edit: Swung by tonight to see if there was any of the new NG (nope), and took this for you TN

 

[I Are Baboon]

ok PNJ, I've put two bottles in our utility room (80 degrees). If that doesn't work, you're getting a bill for the kit, pal.

 

[pnj]

damm. I have to pay for the entire kit? I only pay for what I consume. ship the rest of the bad batch to me...

as for beer prices, I picked up a sixxer of Deschutes Obsidian Stout for $6.99. It was on sale so it was about $1.50 less.

 

[BikeGeek]

You got 80% attenuation, I'd chalk it up to tired yeast.

 

[BikeGeek]

I feel really bad for all you people who can't get a yummy microbrew for $6.75-$7 per six pack.

Why grill a burger in the backyard, there's probably a decent place to get one for 5$ ?

For most brewers it's not about the money.

 

[TN]

Woodmans. Capital Brewery starts at $6.99/sixer and goes down to $6.75 when you buy 4 (mixed case). New Glarus starts at $7.50 (?) and drops to $7 or $7.25 with a mixed case. Lake Louie, Ale Assylum, Tyranena, Central Waters etc I think start around 8, but also go down when you buy in case quantities. Sprecher is around 6.50 as well, but that's for the brewers reserve 4-pack (16oz bottles).
.....

Damn. You have to drive to the burbs to get those prices here. I usually pay around $8 for NG but sometimes I can catch it on sale for around 7 & change.

f'n Furthermore is going for over $9 lately. WTF is up with that?

Central Water is pushing $9 at my local beer shop.

Admittedly I go there for the convenience, the free atari & the fact it is not Whole Foods.

 

[dante]

Damn. You have to drive to the burbs to get those prices here.

All of Madison is the "burbs"...

(but yes, my local deli charges $11/sixer of NG. wtf? thank god woodmans is on the way home from work.)

 

[I Are Baboon]

You got 80% attenuation, I'd chalk it up to tired yeast.

So is the batch doomed to suck?

 

[binary visions]

So is the batch doomed to suck?

It'd be a pain in the ass, but I don't see why you couldn't add a small amount of yeast and the carbonation drops to each bottle? That is, if the carb drops don't work by themselves on the bottles you tried.

Risk of contamination goes up but if you're careful it should be okay.

 

[Arutha]

If you are sure you added sugars I'd just try some dry yeast and recap for a couple weeks.

 

[binary visions]

I took BV's suggestion and added three Munson's carb tabs to two bottles each. I put the bottles into a closed Rubbermaid tub. I'll crack one of those open this weekend.

Well?

 

[I Are Baboon]

Well?

Didn't work. Still flat. I am really close to just dumping the batch. Even if I open the bottles and add more yeast, that's not going to fix the awful taste. $54 drain pour. *sigh*

I opened a bottle of my latest batch though...Sam Smith Oatmeal stout clone. That one came out great! Tastes awesome and is perfectly carbonated.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

I hear Taps playing in the background