Bottling - Is 6 weeks the new 4 weeks?

[Bassman]

I have been bottle priming with corn sugar. I will probably switch to batch priming soon but my question may still be valid. I store my primed bottles in a closet where it is 67 to 69 degrees. I have found that my beer is not ready to drink before 6 weeks. It is still flat at 4 weeks.

Is this normal? Am I conditioning too cold?

[Inkleg]

If I remember from my bottling days, it would take longer to carb during the winter than summer. About 3 weeks at 78, and 4 weeks at 68*, but 6 seems a little long, but every situation is different. What volumes are you priming for, how much sugar and what's your process?

[BlackDuck]

Flat after 4 weeks at those temps seems a little amiss to me. In the winter, my basement is in the low 60's. Mine fully carb in about two weeks, but they are usually not conditioned in two weeks though. I go 3 to 4 weeks depending on style before I start chilling and drinking. I batch prime and most of my IPA's, Pale Ales and styles similar are carbed to 2.5 vols, which is about 4.5 ounces of corn sugar for my size batches.

[mashani]

I've been drinking most everything starting at 3 weeks from bottling lately, although it's going to be more like 4 for the next 3 months due to colder temps. I don't think I've ever had to wait 6 for it to be primed. I'll either bottle prime with Dominos Dots or batch prime depending on how exacting I want to be with CO2 volumes, but that doesn't matter in the "timing" if things.

Are you cold crashing? Maybe your doing that at too cold temps or for too long and knocking some significant amounts of yeast out of suspension. For just a few days at fridge temps it should be ok though. A high floc strain is going to crash faster and harder then a low/medium floc strain also, so keep that in mind.

[Beer-lord]

Are you cold crashing? Maybe your doing that at too cold temps or for too long and knocking some significant amounts of yeast out of suspension. For just a few days at fridge temps it should be ok though. A high floc strain is going to crash faster and harder then a low/medium floc strain also, so keep that in mind.

I think this is likely the culprit and have had this happen to me. Other than that, recheck your numbers to make sure you use the correct amount of sugar for your bottling amount. 6 weeks is pretty long for correct carbing.

[Kealia]

For what it's worth, I cold crash everything and have gone for as long as a week at close to freezing without issues. It's pretty hard to get enough yeast to drop out to not carb up in four weeks.
Heck, I've crashed and used gelatin and still had carbed beer in two to three weeks.

I'm inclined to think it isn't the crash that is causing issues.

[Bassman]

I do not cold crash. I have been priming with 1 tsp. of corn sugar in a 1/2 liter bottle.

[Kealia]

So you obviously like a high carb level, ok (not a judgement, just a statement). That's pushing 3 volumes of CO2 but at 67-69 degrees I can't see why you wouldn't be carbed up after 2-3 weeks. Are you brewing big (high gravity) beers?

[jimjohson]

I use corn sugar have been for a year and a half with no problems. I don't get still flat. Still green sure, but flat?

[BlackDuck]

Also...what kind of bottles are you using? Glass with a wing or bench capper, swing-top (like a Grolsch bottle), or PET bottles with screw on caps (like what comes with most kits).

[Bassman]

The beers have been Bewitched and also an American Amber, which is MB American Ale with 1 lb of DME and some crystal. The bottles have been PET bottles.

[ScrewyBrewer]

Eliminating any mechanical issues, with either the bottles or the bottle caps, the carbonation problem as far as I can tell has to be yeast related somehow. I've lagered beer in the refrigerator for six weeks and still was able to bottle carb them in three weeks time. I'll admit the carbonation levels weren't what they should have been but they did pffftt when opened.

[BlackDuck]

I wonder if the caps are just night quite tight enough. Or if they have been used a few times, the seal might be worn, allowing pressure to be released. Don't know, just a thought.

[Bassman]

I'm not sure about the caps. I do feel safer with glass bottles and crimped caps. I knew they were sealed! I'm also switching back to batch priming. Bottle priming is convenient, in a way, but it's also a pain in a way.

[FedoraDave]

My guess would be the screw-ons for the PET bottles.