Carbonation Problem

I been brewing beer for the past year and a half and always had great success especially with high alcohol content. This is the first time I brewed a Pumpkin ale and the ABV was 10.2%.  I brewed it over 6 weeks ago and has been bottled for 3 weeks now.  I chilled a couple of bottles for 24 hours and today when I opened both bottles they were flat, no head , no carbonation. This is the first time this has happen to me and I'm not sure why or what had happen and not sure what to do next.  Can anyone give me advice? 

Funny. I just had the same problem with a tripel I brewed. It, like your pumpkin ale, is a high alcohol beer. Mine's about 11%. Anyway, I left it in the carboy for 3 weeks and then bottled it and left that 2 weeks and opened one (this is all standard procedure). Same as you, I had no carb at all. Nothing. So I did a little research and apparently high ABV beers can take longer to carb up in the bottle. I also read that agitating the yeast every so often to keep it in suspension can help. So I've been taking each bottle off the shelf every couple or three days and flipping it over and shaking it gently to get the yeast off the bottom. It's been two weeks since I opened that first bottle and when I get home this evening, I'm gonna try opening another to see if it's doing any good. If not, I'll give it more time. And then if nothing in another month, I'll go to plan B. Of course, I don't know what plan B is just yet.

I made a 16.5% Tootsie Roll Stout that took a year and half to finally give me that satisfying pffft when I opened a bottle.

I'm fairly confident that your yeast will eventually carbonate your beer.  However, if you were at the limits of the particular yeast that you used, maybe they won't carbonate.  If you tell us more about the beers (staring gravity, finishing gravity, yeast strain used, etc.) we might be able to tell you whether we think it's just slow carbonating and will get there eventually, or if you were at the limit of the yeasts ABV range.  If they're at the yeasts limit of the ABV range, they may never carbonate.

Thanks guy's for the quick response. I will try to shake up the bottles today and what a couple of and see what happens. The OG was 1.091 and FG was 1.012 Fermenting Temp was 72* and I used Wyeast Trappist  HG 3787. what do you think? 

What's the temperature where you are storing them? It might help to keep them at 70F or so until carbonated.

TAHammerton said:

What's the temperature where you are storing them? It might help to keep them at 70F or so until carbonated.

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I agree.  The best place to store them is the warmest place that doesn't have wild temperature swings.  That place is on top of your refrigerator!  The heat dissipates from the sides and top of your refrigerator and rises.  If your home is at say 66 or 67F, the top of your refrigerator will be at about 72 to 74F.  Perfect place to carbonate your beer.

I store the beer in a dark closet with room temp about 70 and the closet my even be a couple of degrees warmer.

Evilgiraffe, did you open your beer yet and if so how did it turn out?

rcastiglione said:

This is the first time I brewed a Pumpkin ale and the ABV was 10.2%.  I brewed it over 6 weeks ago and has been bottled for 3 weeks now.

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You might not have had any problems in the past, but in my experience this happens with big beers. There can be several factors. Did you pitch more yeast at bottling time? That high alcohol can put a lot of stress on the yeast and fresh yeast might be better to consume the priming sugar. I've also found that if a beer has been in fermentation for an extended period of time, such as six weeks, you'd want to re-pitch yeast no matter what the alcohol is. I've heard people say that you should do this after three weeks but I've done just fine around six, if I've made a starter. If I haven't made a starter, I'd pitch more yeast at bottling time. So that's the next question, did you pitch a starter?

I've found that without the starter or re-pitching yeast on a big beer, that it can take a very long time to carbonate or carbonate at all. I'd say maybe a month or more. My guess is the high alcohol put a ton of stress on the yeast (10.2% is pretty damn big), or you didn't have enough yeast for that big of a beer. What was your OG and FG?

Regardless, patience is key. I'm sure that your beer will be incredible by 3 or even 6 months (just for your flavors to mellow with the alcohol, not the carbonation). Maybe do the try one bottle a month till it's ready. It'll be great.

The OG was 1.091 and FG was 1.012 Fermenting Temp was 72* and I used Wyeast Trappist  HG 3787. and I did not piych a starter what do you think? 

rcastiglione said:

Evilgiraffe, did you open your beer yet and if so how did it turn out?

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Yes, I did. And sadly it was in the same state as two weeks before. No carb at all. Guess I'll just keep agitating and waiting. I think Bobo has the right idea....try one a month. I don't know what else to do. But next time I make such a strong beer (not anytime soon), I'll be adding some champagne yeast at bottling time.

rcastiglione said:

The OG was 1.091 and FG was 1.012 Fermenting Temp was 72* and I used Wyeast Trappist  HG 3787. and I did not piych a starter what do you think?

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The yeast would have probably been stressed (a starter would have helped with this). Ideally, you should have pitched another packet at bottling time. I usually pitch the same yeast. In the case of your carbonation, it will probably just take time. I doubt your yeast is dead. In my experience, with under pitching, carbonation has just taken an extended period of time.

And like I said earlier, ultimately giving it time is better for bigger beers. Unfortunately, your beer is seasonal and might not be ready when you want it to be.