How long do stouts take to carb?

[chungking]

I have a coffee stout I bottled 2 weeks ago that I just popped one to check on it, and its barely carbed at all. Almost no carbonation. I primaried for 3 weeks, then bottled.

I know it's really early, but how long should I expect to wait? I've read dark beers take longer to carb. I just want to make sure the yeast hasn't gone bad. I added the coffee at bottling time with the priming sugar. OG was 1.060, FG was 1.020.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Color has nothing to do with it.

The ABV and temp are the main factors.

What was the OG and FG?

Or what was the recipe?

 

[chungking]

9 lbs Domestic 2-row barley
14 oz chocolate malt
4 oz flaked barley
4 oz caramel 60*L
16 oz roasted barley
1oz challenger hops
1 oz tettnang hops
4 oz Peruvian coffee
1 packet s04 yeast 11.5 g

IBUs = 24
OG = 1.060, FG = 1.020
AL % = 5.25%

Been bottled for 2 weeks aging in the low-mid 70's.

 

[blaster_54738]

How much priming sugar?

 

[chungking]

5oz priming sugar. Usual amount provided by all kits.

 

[CA_Mouse]

My Milk Stouts have all taken 3 to 4 weeks to carb correctly. My dunkle took about 4 weeks. I generally wait 3 weeks for any of my dark beers before I cool and test.

Mouse

 

[chungking]

I'm thinking there is something wrong. I've brewed over 10 beers, and usually there is something by now. The only thing I did differently at bottling time was add the coffee...

 

[cheezydemon3]

Temp is the biggest factor, and if someone says "Dark" again, I am gonna get pissed.

My 11% pale barleywine will take longer than the darkest 6% brew ever will.

It may be cooler where you have them. Let them sit, or possibly move them somewhere warmer.

 

[oneandahalfshepherds]

Hey farva whats that place with all the goofy....

Shenanigans? Dark?

 

[CA_Mouse]

I would just wait another week and try another one. I was really worried about my dunkle, kept checking and was getting very discouraged. Finally someone told me to leave them alone and they will come home when they are ready. I covered them up and forgot about drinking my first beer for a week. It was perfectly carbed on day 22 after bottling.

Mouse

 

[Travestian]

I did the Deception Cream Stout recipe found here as directed. I wanted to make some beer bread with the beer after only a week being bottled and to my surprise it was carbed nicely to the level I expected it to be as if it had been in the bottle for 3 weeks. So I opened another bottle to drink and found it to be carbed nicely also. I guess it just depends on how well your yeast work for you in the bottle.

 

[glugglug]

Same time as other beers. If its been stored cold, move it to a warmer location do a while.

 

[chungking]

I did the Deception Cream Stout recipe found here as directed. I wanted to make some beer bread with the beer after only a week being bottled and to my surprise it was carbed nicely to the level I expected it to be as if it had been in the bottle for 3 weeks. So I opened another bottle to drink and found it to be carbed nicely also. I guess it just depends on how well your yeast work for you in the bottle.

That's what I'm talking about. There should be some level of carbonation. I'm seeing almost nothing. I keep my house about 73-74 degrees. They've been in there for 2 weeks...

 

[chungking]

Btw, here are my notes on the brew day, etc:

Peace java coffee stout - all grain
3/23/2013

9 lbs Domestic 2-row barley
14 oz chocolate malt
4 oz flaked barley
4 oz caramel 60*L
16 oz roasted barley
1oz challenger hops
1 oz tettnang hops
4 oz Peruvian coffee
1 packet s04 yeast 11.5 g

Expectations:
IBUs = 24
OG = 1.045, FG = 1.010
AL % = 4-5%

Mashed the 11.6 lbs of grains with 3.5G of water at 155-156* F for 1 hr. stirred at 30 minutes. lost a few degrees during mashing 153-154*F. Mash out at 165* f for 15 minutes. Vorlouf as needed until clear. Drain mash tun completely. Batch sparge with 4 gallons at 170* F for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Got a stuck sparge, had lots of problems. Struggled to drain and separate grains, lots of splashing and a huge mess. Found out the spring inside the braid had rusted. Disassembled MT and will rebuild it.

Boil wort, added 1/2 oz challenger hops at 60. Added 1/2 challenger hops, a few Tbsp of sugar, and yeast nutrient @ 20. Add 1oz of tettnang hops at 2 minutes.

Cooled wort to 68* F, gravity read 1.060. No problems. stirred and aerated well. Tasted really sweet and dry. Pitched rehydrated yeast (rehydrated in 78* water for 30 minutes). Put fermenter in swamp cooler with water in low 60's.

Ferment for 1 week in low sixties. Let water warm up to upper sixties for remaining 2 weeks. Pitched a pack of muntons ale yeast to try and get the gravity down further. Still at 1.020 at bottling time.

 

[Amishbrewing]

My first beer was an Oatmeal Stout. 1 week in the Primary 2 weeks in the secondary. Used the package of priming sugar roughly 5 oz. Kept in the pantry closet for 2 weeks to the day before chilling and drinking. Produced a beautiful head and tasted very good. I still have one left and it has been bottled since 3-23-13. should get better with more age. I also used Wyeast 1056. not the packet that came in the kit

 

[forsaken541]

Darkly speaking, I'd be worried about how dark it is.

 

[Travestian]

Try giving each bottle a swirl to resuspend the yeast. Then put the bottles on their sides. The CO2 will have more surface area to absorb into if you do that. Give it time. If by week 4 you have absolutely nothing you can always open each bottle, put a pinch of dry yeast in each one, then recap. Do NOT pour them into the bottling bucket again or you will oxidize your beer and it will be undrinkable.

 

[chungking]

Try giving each bottle a swirl to resuspend the yeast. Then put the bottles on their sides. The CO2 will have more surface area to absorb into if you do that. Give it time. If by week 4 you have absolutely nothing you can always open each bottle, put a pinch of dry yeast in each one, then recap. Do NOT pour them into the bottling bucket again or you will oxidize your beer and it will be undrinkable.

Do I risk bottle bombs by doing this?

 

[homebrewdad]

People kill me with these threads. We get into swirling of yeast, holding your mouth a certain way, sacrificing chickens to voodoo spirits... if it's been two weeks and the beer is flat, I'm not in the least surprised. Carbonation is not a linear process (i.e. X carb at day 5, Y carb at day 10, Z carb at day 21).

Every yeast strain/recipe combination can be different. If your yeast are tired due to high gravity or less than optimal fermentation conditions (underpitched, temperatures not the best), they could take longer.

Some people have carbed beer at two weeks. Yay for them! But here is the truism you see repeated dozens of times every day on BHT: three weeks @ 70 degrees F is the baseline for typical beers. Higher gravity or lower temps can make this take longer. Some beers will take longer, anyway.

If you added priming sugar and mixed it well, the beer WILL CARB UP 100% OF THE TIME. A bottle opened at two weeks is a crapshoot; even if it's carbed, it's probably still green. If it's flat at three weeks, wait another week or two. If it's flat then, wait another week or two. You can swirl till the cows come home, but the effect will be minimal - the yeast wil be done when they are done. There is way more than enough yeast in suspension to carb your beer.

Go brew another batch and quite worrying over this one. It'll be done when it's done.

 

[25518]

I'd like to know as well. I've always ever done 2 weeks myself. Wait longer if need be. Can't hurt. There not really gonna go anywhere.

 

[25518]

Listen to Hombrewdad.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Go brew another batch and quite worrying over this one. It'll be done when it's done.

This is basically what I said a few days ago.

Mouse

 

[chungking]

Just an update. Its still not as carbed as it should be (basically a quick fizz that seems to instantly fade) and its beginning to taste more and more nar-nar.

 

[kaconga]

I added rehydrated champagne yeast after 8 weeks of no carbonation on my IIPA. Carbed up in 2 weeks after that. Give that a shot if you want. Obviously be sanitary and cautious. It is a royal pain uncapping and recapping 50 bottles.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Set it someplace coolish but not cold and forget about it. In 4 months or so it will be carbed.

You screwed up somewhere, but if it is carbing at all, then don't waste them trying one at a time or adding champagne yeast.(with an Ipa or IIPA there is more urgency a stout will be BETTER after 4 months)

Forget them. Move on.