Carbonation problem

[Pugwash]

Hi,

This is my first post. I've been reading the forum for some time and learnt a lot but I can't find a direct answer to my present problem.

I only started brewing a few months ago and so far I've only used kits containing cans of liquid extract. I've enhanced them with DME instead of just using sugar and I've also added extra hops to the second one. My first brew was a German-style lager and when it came to bottling I had trouble with the cheap and nasty crown capper I had. Some of the tops didn't seem to be crimped properly but as I discovered if I tapped the tops any more the bottles broke. I wasn't all that surprised when I started sampling these bottles that they were almost flat. Obviously the tops hadn't sealed - I thought. I've just sampled my second brew, an English bitter style beer which I've bottled in Groelsch bottles with new seals and that's flat too. Here's the history of each brew. Both had good primary fermentation:-

First brew. German lager. Transferred to secondary after primary fermentation completely finished. Four weeks in secondary. Bottled using carbonation drops at rate specified on packet. Sampled from four weeks in bottle onwards. Now in bottle for eight weeks and still flat.

Second brew. English bitter. Seven days in primary. Transferred to secondary. Three weeks in secondary. Bottled in Groelsch bottles with carbonation drops. First sample after two weeks in bottle is flat.

What am I doing wrong? Why is my bottled beer flat?

Any help appreciated.
Pugwash.

 

[obezyana1]

At what temperature are you letting them carbonate. The bottles should be sitting in a place that is around 70* and carbonation can easily take 3 weeks. If you are letting them sit at this temp, then you may not have added the proper amount of priming sugar, although I've never used the drops, so I can't tell you for sure on that.

 

[Grinder12000]

YUP - what obezyana1 says and what Revvy WOULD say.

Once I started carbing at 70 I have had zeri problems.