Hesitation
OK, tonight was a double-hesitation-WTF. I have hesitated for quite some time now on trying to re-bottle-condition the Saturday IPA. Well, tonight I tried.
Well, sort of. I had all practical intentions to try and re-bottle-condition roughly 40 bottles of the Saturday IPA, I mean come on seriously, WTF. What’s the worse that is going to happen? I ruin about two cases of beer that I wasn’t drinking anyway? I waist a bunch of my time and money (and Garrett’s too)? I create two cases of bottle-bombs and the shit hits the fan? I was tired of not drinking my delicious nectar. So I gathered my things from the basement to re-bottle about two cases of beer. I was going to sanitize everything, carefully pour the beer down the side of the bottling bucket, measure the beer, run the volume / temperature equation through pro-mash (which seems to be working), boil my priming sugar, add that to the beer, add a half pack of dry yeast, and re-bottle. It seemed simple, logical, and easy. Yes, I know I would heavily oxidize the beer, but I didn’t care. If it carbonated properly then I would probably drink it in two weeks or so, especially if I “had to”. Anyway, I had just opened the first bottle to dump in and pftssst! The sound of carbonation. It must be a flook, opened a second bottle and pftssst! WTF! OK, now I’m feeling a little crazy, what’s going on with this beer? I try both samples, neither are fully carbonated both had good mouth feel and are definitely carbonated. Now, I hesitate, WTF!? I decide to abort mission and call fair is fair. As of now the IPA is “somewhat carbonated”. Who knows what I’ll do, WTF . . .
November 1st, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Leave it alone for another few weeks. Then put one in the fridge and see how the carbonation level is. For 4oz of sugar, I wouldn’t expect sparkling – but it should be enough to be pleasant.
I use 5oz per 5 gallons myself.
-Garrett
November 1st, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Oh yeah… definitely move it to the warmest room in your house… even if its like 75 degrees.
November 1st, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Another few weeks . . . It’s been over three months, I want to drink my IPA! Just kidding. That’s what I have been doing, which is why there are 40 not 48 beers left. It’s weird, before moving to this house I have always used 4oz, now it doesn’t seem to be enough.
Unfortunately not only is it in the warmest room, but has been in the warmest room for the past three months. The warmest room right now is only 66F, but it’s been up over 80+ in the same room in the last three months.
I know, patience grasshopper.
November 2nd, 2007 at 6:39 am
Another thing you can try which I have done before without problems is to give the case a good swirl to resuspend the yeast. I wouldn’t shake it for fear of oxydation, but swirling the yeast off the bottom could help.
Yeah, this has definitely been a problem beer… but on the other hand, it sounds like it is fixing itself (albeit slowly), so….