Espresso Porter

[BDawg]

Don't freak out. You are high but not to where you should be overly worried. Keep them covered with a towel and in a plastic tub as a safety precaution.
One good thing is that you used DME to prime. That stuff usually takes longer to fully carbonate.

HTH-

[NewEnglander]

Well, it's been 3 weeks at 60 - 65F and the porter really isn't carbonated. It tastes great, but has very little carbonation and no head to speak of...
Did I use too little DME (5.4oz) or is still too soon? Does it have a chance of sorting itself out if I'm patient? Or am I just going to suck it up and drink the 5 gallons flat?

[Bellmer]

Gah! Now, to quote Doc, I'm FREAKIN' OUT!
If these things are going to go ka-blooie, how long do I have? Or are there too many factors?

I made JZ's Oatmeal Stout and it ended at 1.030. I blame the crappy extract from my former LHBS. I bottled anyway because it had stabilized there for a week and didn't want to chance any longer on the trub. Initially, they were carbonated fine but way too sweet. Over time they got more and more carbonated, and now they're starting to blow up (three months later). I put the last few in the fridge, which if you have the space might be a good idea just in case. It seems like the yeast can break down the extract given enough time in the bottle. You ended lower than I, so hopefully it'll turn out better than mine. Best of luck!

[Brandt]

you didn't degas the sample so you had bubbles

I must be tired. I couldn't figure out what an Impressionist painter had to do with a hydrometer, or how you made a verb from his name.

But more on topic: you should be fine, NewEnglander. That's not a terribly high finishing gravity for that beer. I've bottled extract beers around that range. They eventually did carbonate, and were just a tad over carbonated, but no bombs. Keep sampling every week and if you get a gusher, you might want to put the rest in a fridge.

[Maxxx_Power]

Getting natural carbonation right was one of the biggest challenges I came across when I was starting, beer was good but carbonation was always low, even though I was adding extra sugar to increase it (i believe I would use between 7/8 and 1 cup of corn sugar per 5 gal instead of 3/4 cup).

I figured out if I did not fill up my bottles as much as "the big boys" then I got better carbonation. For example if the original bottle came with beer up to the top of a 1" tall neck label, i'd fill my bottle to between the middle and bottom of the label. So basically instead of trying to put 12fl oz in your bottle, try 11.5 oz.

Next time you bottle try filling a few to different levels so you can compare how it affects the carbonation.

[NewEnglander]

I've tried a pint or 2 of the porter every week and there's still no carbonation to speak of, but no bottle bombs either. The taste is great and, while I wish there was some head to it, I'll probably survive drinking it flat. I did try moving one sixer of the porter to a warmer room (i'm guessing over 70F...it's a small basement area with the furnace in it) and on Friday I'll see if a week there helped at all.
Thanks for all of the input and encouragement. I got my copy of "Brewing Classic Styles" a couple weeks ago and my next brew will be JZ's ordinary bitter.