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Afternoon all,

So...I have bottled my amber about 10 days ago and used 165g of dextrose to prime my bottles. I generally use around this amount and get amazing results with carbonation. However, it seems as though something is amise. Details on brewing below.

I poured a bottle the other day to see how it was coming along, nothing. Poured one just now to see if something magical happened over the past 48 hours, and maybe a bit more.

Also, for an amber, it seems very sweet. I don't know what to do. I have another batch (pilsner) to bottle tomorrow and I'm getting worried. Also, I do recall that when I went to bottle, there was a lack of CO2 in solution. I always seem to have some residual CO2 in solution when priming and bottling. It was almost like a coloured water solution. Am I making sense?

Thoughts? Should i have done a second yeast addition? Can I salvage this? Or am I drinking a "flat" beer batch?

Thanks for the help everyone!


Brewing details: Extract kit
Brew Canada amber ale
1.3kg liquid LME w/ Northern hops addition *(thank you Noble Grape!)
OG: 1.042
FG: 1.008
Primary to Secondary after 8 days
Bottled after 18 days in secondary
166g dextrose used to prime
Low temp at all points, fermenting around 18-19 degrees, and secondary around 17-18. ( I honestly can say that I wasn't cognizant of my temp control ).

Here's some advice from a relative newbie:

I've been having issues with my bottles not carbonating well lately as well. I think it's because I'm not conditioning in a warm enough room (now that it's December, my basement is 17 degrees or so).
I'd say we both should try moving our bottles to a warmer spot and give it another week or more. 10 days is not very long for bottle conditioning.

If you are lagering your pilsner for a while, then you may want to pitch a 1/4 pack of yeast or so into your bottling bucket.

darciandjenn wrote:Here's some advice from a relative newbie:

I've been having issues with my bottles not carbonating well lately as well. I think it's because I'm not conditioning in a warm enough room (now that it's December, my basement is 17 degrees or so).
I'd say we both should try moving our bottles to a warmer spot and give it another week or more. 10 days is not very long for bottle conditioning.

If you are lagering your pilsner for a while, then you may want to pitch a 1/4 pack of yeast or so into your bottling bucket.

a newbie sounding like a pro

My minimum for bottling is usually 14 days. Some folks swear by 21 days. At the very least, try waiting another week to see what happens.

I usually leave my bottles at ambiant temperature for a full month before cracking the first one open, and I've never had any issues. 10 days is most likely not enough for the yeast to do its job properly, depending on the temp (and many other factors, I suppose, but let's stick to the most probable causes). I say just be a little patient and it should turn out just fine in a week or two.

Mine were always better at 21 days vs 14.

LeafMan66_67 wrote:Mine were always better at 21 days vs 14.

This.

LeafMan66_67 wrote:Mine were always better at 21 days vs 14.

Also this.

Well, I left everything alone and it all carbonated very well. Exactly as I like it.

Thank for all the advice/help everyone!