Flat It's a Trapp

[Spit]

Hi All I just cracked open a couple of bottles of It's a Trapp ag recipe from MM only to find no crack absolutely flat as flat can be. Brew digidn't quite go as expected bit low on original gravity 1090 instead of 1.105 fermented as instructed at 21 and raise to 27 fermentation finished at 1021 instead of 1015 making about Abv of about 9%instead of expected about 11% . I batch primed 18l with 130g of dextrose and left for 2 weeks at 27% then 1 week at 20%. It's been in the cool for a couple of weeks. I can only think the yeast died incidentally I used wyeast Belgian high gravity. Has anyone got any ideas how to rescue this one. Thank you in advance.

 

[MashBag]

It is not wasted. It is just not carbonated.

I would open a bottle in the evening, then you can drink.. Sorry... taste it. Take note of the taste. This will help you understand it. Is it sweet? Get the sg, is it high?

Do the math. Correct it if required.
Make up some yeast and inoculate each bottle with a syringe.

BUT are you sure this isn't...
A capping problem?
A math problem?
Just needs longer?
Too long in the primary problem?

Yeast failure would be way down on my list after those?

 

[Spit]

Thank you ever so much for your reply. Yes it is sweeter than I would expect that's why I was thinking about yeast not being able to handle the alcohol. The capping is fine that's why I opened 2 and may I add drank 2 very nice but will be better for leaving a month or two. Maybe as you say to long in primary. I wouldn't know how much yeast to put in a bottle without it becoming dangerous I'm sure there's plenty of sugars in there. Thanks again.

 

[jof]

Is it also a temperature thing? Did you leave them long enough in the warm to carbonate, or just stick them in a cool garage/celler directly after bottling?

 

[Spit]

Sorry yes 2 weeks at 27° then a week at 20° Sorry I put % in my original post.

 

[Jim Brewster]

If it definitely is a yeast viability issue, maybe add a pinch of the yeast as "bottling yeast" to the bottles and reseal

 

[Clarence]

Half and half with Pepsi would be my solution.

 

[JockyBrewer]

It takes quite a lot for yeast to entirely 'die'. A high gravity yeast should have no problem carbonating that, it just might take a bit longer than normal, so my first advice is to just wait.

The other possibility is that the priming sugar didn't make it into all of the bottles - perhaps the sugar wasn't fully mixed into the batch. What's your batch priming process?

 

[Sadfield]

Not dead, but won't have the resources to do a second fermentation. The beer being cloned WILL* have been re-seeded with fresh yeast, to avoid this problem. It's the yeast equivalent of Mr. Creosote and 'a waffer thin mint'.

*Not will. Is.

https://www.sintbernardus.be/en/brewery

 

[Spit]

It takes quite a lot for yeast to entirely 'die'. A high gravity yeast should have no problem carbonating that, it just might take a bit longer than normal, so my first advice is to just wait.

The other possibility is that the priming sugar didn't make it into all of the bottles - perhaps the sugar wasn't fully mixed into the batch. What's your batch priming process?

Thank you for that it's all very interesting. I dissolve the sugar in 500 ml of water pour into bottling bucket and syphon beer on top and a gentle stir. I've never had a problem and never made a beer with such high ABV.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Soda stream

 

[Agentgonzo]

Thank you for that it's all very interesting. I dissolve the sugar in 500 ml of water pour into bottling bucket and syphon beer on top and a gentle stir. I've never had a problem and never made a beer with such high ABV.

There is a good chance that the gentle stir didn't mix the sugar solution with the beer in the bottling bucket. I don't know how you store your beer, but if in stacked boxes etc, try sampling one from the other box or other end of the create. There's a chance (small I admit) that the one you opened had little priming sugar and that one at the "other end" of your bottling run had more sugar

 

[Spit]

Soda stream

I did think of pouring it into a keg and getting some co2 on it I must admit.

 

[JockyBrewer]

Thank you for that it's all very interesting. I dissolve the sugar in 500 ml of water pour into bottling bucket and syphon beer on top and a gentle stir. I've never had a problem and never made a beer with such high ABV.

That shouldn't be an issue then, just siphoning the beer should have mixed it well with the priming solution.

Give it time.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I would keg it instead of faffing around

 

[MashBag]

I would keg it instead of faffing around

If Spit has a keg, that's a good shout. After waiting a couple of weeks.

 

[Spit]

I've got a Keg spare is oxidation a risk or is OK if you get the co2 on straight away

 

[Sadfield]

Decanting bottles into a keg, I'd say so.

If the beer is sweet, that indicates there is priming sugar in there. I would buy some bottling or champagne yeast and do this.

If it definitely is a yeast viability issue, maybe add a pinch of the yeast as "bottling yeast" to the bottles and reseal

You could even do one bottle first. Carbonation will confirm the issue.

 

[JockyBrewer]

I've got a Keg spare is oxidation a risk or is OK if you get the co2 on straight away

It's a big risk, as you're emptying the bottle you're exposing the beer to air, unless you can figure out some way to rig up displacing the beer in the bottle with CO2.

 

[Spit]

I've ordered some CBC-1 conditioning yeast just got to work out how much to put in. I'll do an experimental bottle condition for a couple of weeks at 20° and see how it goes.
Thank you all for your help it's great to know there's someone there in your hour of need.