Can corn sugar go bad?

[MadBrewer]

I have about 3lbs of corn sugar that i have had for a while. I made a batch of hard cider and used it to carbonate it. It never did carbonate. It had been in the bottles now for 2 months and still no carbonation. Could the sugar have gone bad?

[flars]

You most likely have something else going on. Sugar is a natural preservative. Worst that can happen to fine grain sugars is moisture which can turn it into a hard lump. Even as a lump it will still retain the original properties.

[MadBrewer]

Cool thank you for the information.

[Stoney]

Did you try letting you bottles warm to maybe 70 degrees. If that doesn't help your yeast may be deceased. Sorry.

[frenchie]

I'd say the yeast is toast. I've got an eighteen month old batch of cider bottled. Absolutely no carbonation. I reyeasted a couple of bottles==nothing. Reprimed a couple==nothing. I think my yeast pooped out. And the alcohol content makes it difficult for a new yeast to get started. I don't like still cider so I guess I now have about 4-1/2 gallons of cooking cider.

Sorry to not be of any real help. I guess I could try making a full blown starter, dose each bottle when the starter was at high krausen, but I've been lazy. I've heard that could work.

Ron

[rebuiltcellars]

I guess I could try making a full blown starter, dose each bottle when the starter was at high krausen, but I've been lazy. I've heard that could work.

That will work provided you use a yeast that can operate well in an already alcoholic environment. That's how sparkling winemakers do it. EC-1118 or K1-V1116 are the easiest strains to find that work well that way.

[frenchie]

Thanks for the suggestion Rebuilt. I tried just dosing a bottle with a few grains of dry t-58 but got nothing. Probably scared and shocked that yeast to death haha.

Ron