Reasons for low carbonation

[thisispants]

I brewed an English Pale Ale using BIAB, it's great. However the carbonation is fairly low. I bottled the beer and used coopers carbonation drops for the bubbles.

Any idea why this beer is fairly low on the carbonation? Is it potentially something I messed up with the brewing?

I cold conditioned the beer for about a week and dry hopped in primary fermentation.

Cheers.

 

[AJ80]

How long ago did you bottle? Can take a week or two longer to carbonate bottles during winter.

 

[manticle]

How long after priming, what temp for storage, how many carb drops per what size bottle and how fizzy would you like a UK beer to be?

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Engliish beers are not overly carbonated.

Stout is almost flat.

 

[verysupple]

As others have mentioned, it might take a bt longer to carb up in winter. Especially if you cold crashed as there will be less yeast in suspension.

The simple way to test if all the priming sugar (drops in your case) has fermented out is to take a hydrometer reading. You'll need to agitate the sample to get rid of what carbonation is there first. If the hydrometer reading is higher than the FG prior to priming then there's still sugar yet to be fermented and hence more carbonation to come. Of course this is asuming that you primed with something pretty much 100 % fermentable like dextrose.

I believe Coopers carbonation drops are a mixture of dextrose and sucrose. I'm not sure if sucrose is 100 % fermentable so maybe someone else can weigh in on that.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Forget the above.

Give it 6 weeks.

Time = carbonation.

Relax grasshoper

 

[lswhi3]

Used cooper's drops after I racked and cold crashed my IPA, it's been about 2 weeks now and still very little carbonation. Annoying because it's an IPA!

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Used cooper's drops after I racked and cold crashed my IPA, it's been about 2 weeks now and still very little carbonation. Annoying because it's an IPA!

Really......

I would be starting to get annoyed after 6 weeks.

Regardless if it was an xyz beer.

Why do you think cold crashing and racking will carbonate your beer quicker ?

 

[lswhi3]

Nah I think it could potentially lead to slower carbonation cos you rack some of the yeast off. I fermented in a plastic container, cold crashed in a secondary glass carboy, and then siphoned it again into a bottle bucket before I bottled.

 

[H0U5ECAT]

How large are your bottles? How many drops per bottle?

 

[lswhi3]

For a regular bottle 1 drop, longneck 2 drops

 

[lswhi3]

They're at about 14-16C in the cupboard... I could bring them out of the cupboard and into the room with the heater I guess, just means I'll have to wrap it in a blanket for the sun (using amber bottles anyway).

That's assuming the low carbonation has nothing to do with yeast levels after the racking method I just explained.

 

[lswhi3]

Just drank one, no foam head except for <1mm along rim of class, minimal carbonation bubbles <3mm below the topmost point of the glass, 2 weeks since priming.

 

[yum beer]

Patience little one.....

 

[mr_wibble]

Your bottles are sealed OK?

 

[JaseH]

2 weeks is not long enough in winter. Patience....

 

[Ciderman]

Just while we're on the subject, for a newbie AG brewer, are there alternatives to the carbonation drops or is that all is used?

 

[thisispants]

So I bottled into long necks and put two of the carb drops in. It's already been about six weeks since I bottled so I don't think more time will make too much of a different
The bottles are being stored in about 18-20c.

While the carbonation for my English pale ale is spot on, it wasn't intentional. My concern is that when I decide to make my APA, it's going to be to flat.

 

[JaseH]

Any fermentable sugar can be used. I find it easiest to use a carbonation calculator to get the correct amount and bulk prime with dextrose.