My Beer Is Not Carbonating

[Dropbear]

Hi guys, I bottled my first ever beer about two weeks ago and have been wondering why the beer wasn't carbonating, now after mulling it over for a few days I have realized that I only put one carbonation drop in each of the pet tallies that come with the kit instead of the required two. Is it too late to add the second drop or have I stuffed it? :unsure:

 

[Doogiechap]

Bloke you can add the second drop but before you do chill your bottles right down (the closer to 0 the better) so when you add the second drop you don't lose all of the carbonation created by the first drop (you will probably get a big foamy mess if you try it warm). There will be some carbonation loss but far less this way
Cheers
Doug

 

[buttersd70]

+1
I actually find 2 drops to be a little bit too much carb anyway, so a little bit of lost gas is not such a bad thing. Little being the operative word.

What I would suggest on top of what doogie said, is when you drop the lolly in, make it foam just a little bit, not enough to overflow at all, but just create enough foam to come to the lip of the bottle. This will push out any air that was introduced to the bottle when you opened it.

 

[hoohaaman]

You were short for carb inside a month,beer will carb naturally without any sugar if left long enough.Leave it for few months and move onto the next brew.

In a few months check your now fully carbed beer.DONT open

 

[buttersd70]

You were short for carb inside a month,beer will carb naturally without any sugar if left long enough.

Kind of, sort of. It will ferment further over time, but the amount depends on the difference between the actual attenuation, and the limit of attenuation. For a first brew, I would presume that its a kit with an addition of readily fermentable adjunct, which would make it likely that the attenuation was high in the first place, and it probably wouldn't have enough unfermented sugars left to achieve adequate carbonation. If there was a good amount of malt in the mix, then yes, it probably would.

 

[mwd]

I find 2 drops is too much had a few coopers PET bottle failures not explosions but gradual seepage out through the base which causes an unholy mess.
Last attempt was 1.5 carb drops per 740ml. Bought a measuring spoon dohicky and some Dex on cheap at woolies so may not bother with coopers/morgans carb drops.

Don't do enough as yet to buy a another container for bulk priming but I can see it coming up sooner than later.

 

[Bribie G]

I find 2 drops is too much had a few coopers PET bottle failures not explosions but gradual seepage out through the base which causes an unholy mess.
Last attempt was 1.5 carb drops per 740ml. Bought a measuring spoon dohicky and some Dex on cheap at woolies so may not bother with coopers/morgans carb drops.

Don't do enough as yet to buy a another container for bulk priming but I can see it coming up sooner than later.

If not bulk priming I would recommend saving yourself a shedload of money and use one old style sugar cube per bottle. This brings the priming rate back to about the equivalent of one and a half carb lollies. My brewbuddy who uses the 750ml PET that comes with the kit assures me they fit ok.
Personally I use three or two sugar lumps per 2L PET depending on whether I'm doing a fizzy Australian Style lager or an English style bitter.

 

[raven19]

Dropbear - I dare say then next item to be purchased is a second fermenter, so you can rack your beer, then you can utilise a variety of bottle sizes with perfect priming every time. I can highly recommend it.

 

[Pollux]

Even if you just buy a 25L cube from Bunnings (they are around $20 including tap) and then you can rack to that and then clean and sanitise your primary to rack back into to bulk prime...

 

[reviled]

Even if you just buy a 25L cube from Bunnings (they are around $20 including tap) and then you can rack to that and then clean and sanitise your primary to rack back into to bulk prime...

You could use a cube as a bottling bucket, rack into the cube and bottle from there... Easy bulk priming

 

[raven19]

+1 for cube idea also!
note to self - go buy one at weekend...

 

[Pollux]

You could use a cube as a bottling bucket, rack into the cube and bottle from there... Easy bulk priming

Only problem is that big ******* bump in the base designed so you can stack them. :angry:

Would make getting the last few bottles out a little interesting.........

 

[Gavo]

Only problem is that big ******* bump in the base designed so you can stack them. :angry:

No problem, just tip it up but don't drop it off the bench.

 

[Pollux]

LOL, in our house it's the wife's job to fill the bottles, I take care of capping, our little one then shakes the bottles and places them in the esky to be stored (I taught her to shake before I bulk primed and was using carb drops).

Given that each batch results in her overfilling at least one bottle while not paying attention as it fills, the idea of her balancing a cube.........

 

[hoohaaman]

Kind of, sort of. It will ferment further over time, but the amount depends on the difference between the actual attenuation, and the limit of attenuation. For a first brew, I would presume that its a kit with an addition of readily fermentable adjunct, which would make it likely that the attenuation was high in the first place, and it probably wouldn't have enough unfermented sugars left to achieve adequate carbonation. If there was a good amount of malt in the mix, then yes, it probably would.

Butters I'm guessing you work in a job where exact measurements are the norm,and there is no room for intuitiveness or a feel for the situation.

I have a few ideas about your employ,but please, put me out of my misery and tell me your Darren's boss/wife

 

[buttersd70]

Butters I'm guessing you work in a job where exact measurements are the norm,and there is no room for intuitiveness or a feel for the situation.

I have a few ideas about your employ,but please, put me out of my misery and tell me your Darren's boss/wife

I can't quite work out if you're having a joke, or if you're having a go. So I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and take it as the first.

My job requires both exact measurement and intuitiveness. I'm a professional photographer. I do both studio and location work. Studio is 90% measuring and setup; location work is 90% adapting to a constantly changing situation.

 

[hoohaaman]

Mate I wasn't having a go,just interested.You blew my feeling out of the water,so yeah I was wrong

Cheers

 

[Gavo]

LOL, in our house it's the wife's job to fill the bottles, I take care of capping, our little one then shakes the bottles and places them in the esky to be stored (I taught her to shake before I bulk primed and was using carb drops).

Given that each batch results in her overfilling at least one bottle while not paying attention as it fills, the idea of her balancing a cube.........

LOL :lol: , Thats gold. At least you have a team effort. If I let my boy shake the bottles he would be running around the yard with them and I would be chasing him.

To stay OT, Dropbear I am interested in what you are doing with those tallies. I bottle in stubbies and and bulk prime and find that carbonation is fine in two weeks.

Cheers
Gavo

 

[Pollux]

I find similar in my stubbies, I bulk prime and bottle half in PET longnecks, the other in stubbies, or some times 70/30 depending on whats lying around empty....Stubbs are normally carbed within 2-3 weeks, PETs take a little bit longer, no idea why???

And in regards to my little helper, she is 21 months, and we bottle in the kitchen which has a baby gate, she can't run away....Quite talented too, she can even use a bar blade

 

[Dropbear]

This was my first ever homebrew and was made with only what came with the kit. When it came time to bottle I guess I was thinking stubbies not tallies and only added the one carb drop instead of the two required then after a two week spell in the linen closet (sshhh) I stuck them in the bar fridge but then was wondering why they weren't carbonating so it was then that I realized the shortfall. I actually cracked each of them open on Saturday and added the extra drop so I will see what eventuates now. I would really hate to waste it all but realize that it is probably inevitable that I don't get a great beer right from the start. The ginger beer that I am fermenting at the moment also had some dramas but it seems to be going alright and is still bubbling through the airlock 8 days after first mixing. I will be bottling this into stubbies after another 2-3 days or at least 2-3 days after it finishes fermenting.