The sample I had this past weekend was relatively flat. There was a nice hiss-pop when I cracked the bottle, but virtually no head and none of the “carb bubbles” you typically see dancing around in the beer.
Brewed in May. Moved to secondary and lagered starting early June. Bottled over Labor Day weekend. Did not add any extra yeast as I’ve read mixed reviews on if that is actually necessary for a lager.
Agreed. That’s a long time to lager without adding yeast. I think you’re good up to maybe 8 weeks, but much after that, you should add yeast, I think. There may not have been enough left in suspension after 4 months lagering at 35F. But give it time, it may just take a bit longer than usual.
It will probably get there eventually, just warm it up and be patient. For the future, you can reyeast at bottling with basically any yeast you have lying around, even ale yeast. Probably a good idea after a long lager.
I’m not sure how you would add it back to the bottles, in terms of measuring it out per bottle, though. I would hate to pour each bottle back into a bottling bucket at this point. I’d be inclined to warm them up for a week or so rather than re-yeasting. Save that for a last ditch effort…
Someone may have a practical way to do it, though???
If there is some activity causing a bit of pressure, eventually the yeast should get the job done. But it might take a month or more. I’d take a couple bottles and keep at 70 or so for a week, then check how they are.
[quote=“ynotbrusum”]I’m not sure how you would add it back to the bottles, in terms of measuring it out per bottle, though. I would hate to pour each bottle back into a bottling bucket at this point. I’d be inclined to warm them up for a week or so rather than re-yeasting. Save that for a last ditch effort…
Someone may have a practical way to do it, though???[/quote]
Actually, if you just scooped the smallest amount you can reasonably manage into each bottle, you don’t really need to worry about measuring it. Too little yeast will just take a little longer, and too much might leave some extra sediment, but either way it won’t mess up the carbonation, the yeast can only eat the sugar that’s there.
Still, it would be a pain in the butt, I would try the wait and see method first.
Oh, and I used to eyeball a half packet for bulk reyeasting, but that’s probably more than you really need. These days I keg, which is the ultimate solution to this problem.