Issue with my IPA

[jonaken]

A while back I asked for some advise on an IPA that seemed to be in the fermenter too long. No carbonation after 4 months leads me to believe that the yeast may have dropped out.

What are my options now? Be specific.

Any good ideas. I don't really want to dump the whole batch.

 

[sloose]

is it bottled or kegged?

i'm assuming bottled.

next question: are the bottles warm enough?\

have you turned the bottles over in a desperate attempt to rouse the yeast?

 

[duboman]

A while back I asked for some advise on an IPA that seemed to be in the fermenter too long. No carbonation after 4 months leads me to believe that the yeast may have dropped out.

What are my options now? Be specific.

Any good ideas. I don't really want to dump the whole batch.

Refresh our memory, how long in the primary/secondary?

How did you prime? How much priming sugar? At what temp have the bottles been kept? Are you sure the caps seated and sealed properly?

 

[jonaken]

Didnt use a secondary which resulted in a very cloudy brew for one. I would say that it may have been in the fermentor for close to 6-7 weeks total. Instructions said to use 2/3 cup of sugar at bottling so i used table sugar because I didnt have enough corn sugar. Norther Brewer updated the instructions lately and it says that it will continue to mature for up to a year. Caps are good, temp was about 78ish stored in a cool dark place.

 

[SoupNazi]

Did you rack onto your priming solution and then bottle or just dump the priming solution in, stir, and then bottle?

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

Didnt use a secondary which resulted in a very cloudy brew for one. I would say that it may have been in the fermentor for close to 6-7 weeks total. Instructions said to use 2/3 cup of sugar at bottling so i used table sugar because I didnt have enough corn sugar. Norther Brewer updated the instructions lately and it says that it will continue to mature for up to a year. Caps are good, temp was about 78ish stored in a cool dark place.

they say corn sugar for a reason. simple table sugar is made up of glucose and fructose which is a more complex sugar and harder for the yeast to break down and fart c02. this and the addition of a VERY long primary might have set u in. i would pop tops (quarter under the bottle opener will save the caps for reuse) and redose with us-05

 

[duboman]

they say corn sugar for a reason. simple table sugar is made up of glucose and fructose which is a more complex sugar and harder for the yeast to break down and fart c02. this and the addition of a VERY long primary might have set u in. i would pop tops (quarter under the bottle opener will save the caps for reuse) and redose with us-05

If you used the table sugar instead of corn sugar but did not adjust the amount used then you did not use enough and that is where the problem is. It's not that they won't carb, they will take longer and possibly not be to the right level of carbonation.

 

[SwampassJ]

If you used the table sugar instead of corn sugar but did not adjust the amount used then you did not use enough and that is where the problem is. It's not that they won't carb, they will take longer and possibly not be to the right level of carbonation.

You need slightly less (~0.2 ounces per 5 gallon) table sugar than corn sugar for the same volume of CO2 production.


You mentioned NB saying it should mature for up to a year. Was this an Imperial IPA? What was the gravity at start and finish? What was the yeast used? I've lagered at 33 degrees for close to 6 months and had good carbonation in a month.

 

[Clifton]

You also said it was in a "cool dark place." If it is too cool it won't carbonate. Is it above 65?

 

[jonaken]

Ok, after a ton of research I found that I made multiple mistakes with this brew.

First, I used dry yeast. I know that some say that there is no difference if you use dry rather than liquid yeast, but I read that it is really unknown how much yeast survived the drying process. So even though that might not be true I now use liquid because its only a few bucks more.

Second, I do remember that I had a long time to cool the wort initially. I only used an ice bath and it took a little longer than usual. I have read that the longer it takes to cool the wort the worse off the brew. So that could of been a factor. I am planning to purchase a wort chiller on my next order.

Third, the use of the table sugar. I have since started ordering the 1 lb. large bag of corn sugar separate and not ordering with the kit. I learned the hard way. Won't use table sugar ever again.

Fourth, I didn't use a secondary fermenter on this one. That resulted in a hop sediment infested brew in every bottle. There is even little ones floating around when I pour it. I bought another glass carboy and I have since then brewed all my beer with a secondary. Makes a huge difference.

All in all, this brew was a little out of my league as it was my third brew ever. I have since improved my brewing skills and bought some good equipment so now I don't make such a huge mess. I also moved into a two story house which has a large closet under the stairs which I have laid claim as my personal brew closet. Shelving, fridge and all.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Happy brewing.

 

[day_trippr]

"Allow me to retort"

- Yeast manufacturers actually know very well what the exact viability is for their products, and lots of coders have come up with pitching rate calculators based on that information (plus all the post-production factors).

- While it is best to cool wort as quickly as possible for sanitation reasons if nothing else, it isn't a factor for carbonation issues.

- Table sugar will ferment very well, you just need to use the right amount.

- Secondaries do not clear beer. Time (and cold temperature, if you can manage it) clears beer.

As for the hoppy bottles, that smacks of bad racking technique. Could have happened with a secondary just as easily as without. Next time, cold-crash the fermenter before racking to your bottling bucket, and put a piece of sanitized nylon hop bag (or other fine mesh cloth) over the end of your racking device. It will exclude any hop debris from making the trip to the package...

Cheers!

 

[Clef051]

Ok, after a ton of research I found that I made multiple mistakes with this brew.

First, I used dry yeast. I know that some say that there is no difference if you use dry rather than liquid yeast, but I read that it is really unknown how much yeast survived the drying process. So even though that might not be true I now use liquid because its only a few bucks more.

Second, I do remember that I had a long time to cool the wort initially. I only used an ice bath and it took a little longer than usual. I have read that the longer it takes to cool the wort the worse off the brew. So that could of been a factor. I am planning to purchase a wort chiller on my next order.

Third, the use of the table sugar. I have since started ordering the 1 lb. large bag of corn sugar separate and not ordering with the kit. I learned the hard way. Won't use table sugar ever again.

Fourth, I didn't use a secondary fermenter on this one. That resulted in a hop sediment infested brew in every bottle. There is even little ones floating around when I pour it. I bought another glass carboy and I have since then brewed all my beer with a secondary. Makes a huge difference.

All in all, this brew was a little out of my league as it was my third brew ever. I have since improved my brewing skills and bought some good equipment so now I don't make such a huge mess. I also moved into a two story house which has a large closet under the stairs which I have laid claim as my personal brew closet. Shelving, fridge and all.

Thanks everyone for your input.
Happy brewing.

If there was a problem with the yeast it would have shown up during the fermentation. Did the beer go all the way down to the intended fg?

Wort chillers are great to have but I dont think that was the problem. The longer cool down time just gives you more chance for infection.

Ive used table sugar my last couple brews. I haven't had any problem with them carbonating, except the first one that is way over carbed

secondary is where you would add the dry hops, I've had floaties and hop particles in dry hopped beer with no real problems.

What was the final abv on this one. I've had problems carbing beer that is over 10%. I like to add another packet of yeast at bottoing if it is that strong.

Anyways good look with the beer.

 

[jonaken]

Thanks guys,

All good points and great suggestions. I have used table sugar and dry yeast before on previous brews and had no problems. I agree on the bad racking technique (auto-siphon is a must have for any beginner) and also unrefined brewing technique in general.

Bottom line, I think it was a number of mistakes that I had made that made this beer undrinkable. Unfortunately I am unable to enjoy it as I have dumped all but one 6-pack of the brew. I plan on doing some comparative testing with it and other brews sometime in the future. I have since invested in better equipment and have refined my brewing habits and have been successful with all my brews I did after this one.

I am going to take another stab at a simpler, lower-gravity IPA for my next batch. I simply love IPA's too much not to try making my own.

Thanks guys.

 

[jonaken]

UPDATE:

My brewing buddy visited from CO and we sampled a bottle of this failed attempt at IPA. After a few beers and step by step replay of the brew it finally hit me.
I went on vacation during the 3 month fermentation period to San Francisco for 2 weeks. I thought the brew would be fine unattended. BUT here's where it went wrong. The A/C some how was turned off during our vacation and the temperature of the house was near 100 degrees (It was summertime in Phoenix AZ). It took 3 days to cool the house down.
I checked on the IPA and realized that it probably would be okay that it was considering maybe a month and a half in the fermenter already. I figured the yeast may have already stopped.

Anyways it came out terrible and I am going to try again.

 

[Shakybones]

After i

There's your problem, right there.:cross: