# Beer not fermenting



## jenhen81 (Jan 30, 2016)

Beer left in the bottling bucket for 3 weeks and it is flat. Taste is great, it's a 9%. Has sat 2 additional weeks after being racked and still flat. Any ideas? Will it carbonate the longer it sits with the high alcohol volume or is it a wash??


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

??? Is it in the bottling bucket or have you bottled it?

Did you add priming sugar? 

WWW


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## Kris in MI (May 30, 2002)

It isn't going to carbonate unless you add priming sugar, or put it in a corny keg and hook it up to a CO2 system.


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## jenhen81 (Jan 30, 2016)

Priming sugar was added...its been bottled but still no carbonation


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Take some beer out of the bottle and put it in a cup with some sugar.. let it set in a really warm spot, such as 80 or so..... Just trying to see if the yeast is still living or not.. you should see activity fairly soon.... if it's dead, it won't carbonate.

What kind of yeast did you use?


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## jenhen81 (Jan 30, 2016)

Safale US-50 dry ale yeast


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## Cobber (May 22, 2015)

The yeast has probably died due to the high alcohol volume. 9% v/v or is it 9 proof?

If it is 9% v/v then you need to get another yeast that can handle the higher alcohol and low nutrition. There is one that is always used to start stuck fermentations in wine making called EC1118, Lalvin make it, other yeast cos will have something similar.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Champagne yeasts are also used to help with a stuck fermentation. Red Star's Cuvee yeast will handle alcohol content up to around 18%...


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## woodsy (Oct 13, 2008)

Give it time in a warm place 70-80 degrees if you can.
The Safale 05 can tolerate a 10-12% ABV beer so it isn't the yeast.
High ABV beers take longer to carbonate .
This stuff could take 10 -14 days to fully carbonate.
You should have used 3-4 ozs of priming sugar.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

jenhen81 said:


> Priming sugar was added...its been bottled but still no carbonation


 what is the temperature?

9% it still should carbonate but it will be a slower than usual process. Safale US-05 is good to at least 12%.

If you have it at too cold the yeast could have went dormant. To warm would kill the yeast. 

I'd make sure the temperature is right and give it 2 more weeks. If it's showing no sign then I'd consider opening each bottle, adding a few grains of yeast and recapping.

WWW


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## Jerrodnrx (Oct 11, 2017)

I'm a little confused as to where you are in the process. In the original post you said that the beer was still in the bottling bucket, yet later it has been bottled. If you added the priming sugar to your beer while in the bucket and didn't immediately bottle it, all the CO2 blew off and won't carbonate anything. The priming sugar should be added, and then your beer bottled and capped immediately.


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## Eric Nik (Apr 4, 2017)

How Can I Avoid Losing So Much Beer During Fermentation?


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Eric Nik said:


> How Can I Avoid Losing So Much Beer During Fermentation?


In what part of the process are you losing the beer? I lose none during fermentation but do lose about a quart every racking. That amount is pretty much unavoidable unless you like drinking the lees.

WWW


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## Eric Nik (Apr 4, 2017)

wy_white_wolf said:


> In what part of the process are you losing the beer? I lose none during fermentation but do lose about a quart every racking. That amount is pretty much unavoidable unless you like drinking the lees.
> 
> WWW


Fermentation is the process by which yeast converts the glucose in the wort to ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide gas -- giving the beer both its alcohol content and its carbonation.

I had 4.5 gals in fermenter and it would up loosing nearly a gallon to the trub.

So, between the trub loss when transferring to the fermenter and transfer to the bottling bucket, it seems like i lose almost 1.5 gallons.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Eric Nik said:


> Fermentation is the process by which yeast converts the glucose in the wort to ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide gas -- giving the beer both its alcohol content and its carbonation.
> 
> I had 4.5 gals in fermenter and it would up loosing nearly a gallon to the trub.
> 
> So, between the trub loss when transferring to the fermenter and transfer to the bottling bucket, it seems like i lose almost 1.5 gallons.


What Yeast? I would look into a different yeast that didn't produce such a heavy trub. Most of mine have been about 1/2 inch (or less) in the bottom of the primary so only lose about a quart.

WWW


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## Jerrodnrx (Oct 11, 2017)

Yeah, that seems high. I don’t think I’ve ever lost that much.


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## Eric Nik (Apr 4, 2017)

Okay...i think, i have do some mistakes during *fermentations process*. That's why it causes to loose much amount of beer.


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## Clem (Apr 12, 2016)

Eric Nik said:


> Okay...i think, i have do some mistakes during *fermentations process*. That's why it causes to loose much amount of beer.



I knew when you asked a question that you'd end up touting your website selling brewing equipment again. I suppose you think this round-about way is pretty tricky and you'll fool all the yokels, but it just makes your company seem pretty lame to have to stoop so low.


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

Maybe he was just trying to be helpful...


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