Getting Good Carbonation In Winter

[b_thomas]

The understairs cupboard is the only place I have available for my beer storage. Whilst this keeps a nice 20-22C during the summer, I'm lucky to get over 18C at this time of year and that's in the middle of the day.

I bottle a Belgian Wit nearly 2 weeks ago and the two sample bottles I've tried (one at 7 one at 10 days) have both been prettly miserable in the bubbles department.

I'm thinking that this is more of a temperature issue than a lack of priming sugar. I bulk primed 20L with 1 1/2 cups of Light Dry Malt.

So that's the background, here's the questions.

During colder months would it be better to use Carbonation Drops?
Would it be worth repriming with some Carbonation Drops? (Bottle Bomb risk)
Is the process of Carbonation just a little bit slower during colder months? (so I should keep the yeast in solution by turning the bottles every couple of days)

 

[braufrau]

You either need lots more time or a bit more temperature.
In winter I put my bottles in cartons and sit them on the fermenters heating mat inside a big cardboard box for 2 weeks.
Then I put them in the cold hall cupboard to finish conditioning.

 

[sponge]

Yea, itll take a while longer for them to become carbonated then over summer. If you have primed them the correct way then you have nothing to really worry about, just let them go and find something else to drink in the meantime :chug:


Sponge

 

[Ronin]

Mine take at least a month to carbonate in winter. And I don't touch them either while they're carbonating either, even a 'clear' beer will have enough yeast in suspension.

 

[b_thomas]

Thanks for the heads up guys, I just hope I don't loose too much of the Coriander or Bitter Orange flavours. The Bitter Orange has gone from unbearably bitter to quite a mild refreshing kick in under 3 weeks.