Variation in head production, carbonation

Definitely most likely is the cause!

There's a slight chance that some bottles are infected, but given that you have identified the mistake made already, I'd be happy to discount it.

 

I've been having a similar problem, so I appreciate your posting. I have found that time produces fairly equivalent carbonation between batch bottles, but that earlier bottles are inconsistent. My only-extract hefeweizen is lacking any head, 3 months later, yet a steeped saison brewed a month later is producing plenty of foam. My recent blonde ale, with a dose of Carapils in the mash, has been producing a white, frothy head from 5 days post carbonation and won't let up. Yet my NEIPA attempt-and-semi-failure is inconsistent, 4 weeks later (both in terms of carbonation and color. Flavor/aroma is spot on).

Clearly, as my story implies, I have no idea. I've been trying to pinpoint, and I am fairly certain grain choice has something to do with it, hence my recent addition to Carapils to my Blonde. That said, a deeper explanation would be greatly appreciated.

@VikeMan @JackHorzempa @invertalon @pweis909 @jbakajust1 @scottakelly, and I'm sure the plenty of others who can contribute.

ETA: My process is to add the boiled-and-mostly-cooled priming solution to the sanitized bottling bucket before racking. I use Brewer's Friend and BeerSmith to calculate the amount of priming sugar required.

 

I'm 1,001% certain that both of you have the same problem -- your priming solution is not mixed well enough to have an approximately equal amount of the solution in each bottle.

Depending on how much water you boil the priming sugar with, you can end up with a thick or thin solution. Obviously a thin solution will disperse more easily into the beer, so I try to use a quart of water for my mixture. (I purposely keep my liquid calculations to produce 4.75 gallons of beer, thus the quart tops off the beer at the proper 5 gallons.)

Gravity will help to keep a thick priming solution more easily settling out of the beer in your bottling bucket unless it is well dissolved, and the thinner solution allows that to happen more easily. However, even with my thin solution I will gently stir the beer with a bottom-to-top upward stirring motion 3-4 times during the bottling process to keep that stuff as evenly dispersed as I possibly can. BUT, don't stir hard enough to create bubbles because you are incorporating oxygen into your beer if you get bubbles, which is the main thing that you want to avoid at this point of creating your beer.

 

I think it all depends on how thick/thin that solution is on whether the flow of the liquid from the siphoning will disperse it into your beer. Many on this site say it will do so okay, yet others say it isn't dispersing very well. Better safe than sorry -- stir it gently to be more sure.

 

I gently stir and I have had consistent carbonation and no other issues.

Cheers!

 

This sounds like the cause of your problem.

I don't bottle much, but I did today, and this is how I did it. Additionally, after racking I gave it 3 gentle swirls with a sanitized spoon and waited 20 minutes or so, and then started bottling. I adopted these procedures about my 10th batch, and proceeded to bottle about a hundred more before I started kegging. After adopting this, I think any variation in bottles was due exclusively to time.

It probably goes without saying, but bottles must be cleaned and sanitized, or you'll experience gusher infections.

 

When I bottle conditioned,I don't recall having inconsistent bottles with carbonation levels. I would boil my water for my priming solution, around 2 cups of water or so. Add the required amount of sugar, and add in the solution (hot) after the beer has been racked into the bottle bucket, then swirl gently with a sanitized spoon to mix completely as mentioned above. No issues!

I also did a few batches where I added the solution before racking in and allowing the beer to "mix itself" with no issue, but stirring will confirm you get a complete mixing. As well as confirming final volume to get proper co2 levels as desired.

 

The amount of priming sugar (and thus the carbonation level) influences how much foam is produced when pouring, but there are many factors that influence how long the foam sticks around. Grain choices certainly have something to do with it, as well as other ingredients and even processes, Here's a good primer, pun intended:
http://byo.com/stories/item/621-fabulous-foam

 

I was in the same boat, and still see it from time to time. I have greatly reduced this in my last 4 brew by doing one thing after I rack my beer into the bottling bucket. I take my racking cane and give the beer and priming sugar a few good swirls and let it sit for a little. Bottles have been more consistent lately for me, and this is the only real change to bottling day that I can spot.

 

It depends on what is doing the infecting

A "Gusher" infection may just increase carbonation and cause the beer to gush/burst out when opened. It will thin out the beer and make a dryer (as it's eating residual sugars), but it may not be too noticeable.

 

Definitely stir. I had a batch or two that cam out inconsistent like that now I try to stir between every six pack. I forget about 1/2 the time so call it 4 or 5 times a batch. The swirling from syphoning is not sufficient to ensure the sugar is well mixed, despite what I read prior to brewing my first batch.

 

I agree with this statement.

Cheers!

 

Swirling between six packs seems unnecessary. If the sugar is dissolved and mixed when you start bottling, that's not going to change. Additional swirling could result in oxidation, but perhaps not detectable.