Large variation in carbonation level from bottle to bottle?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by dogdrule, Mar 12, 2019.

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  1. dogdrule

    dogdrule Initiate (0) Jan 11, 2018 Massachusetts

    Made my first batch back in January with one of the simple extract recipes from the Palmer book and have drank about half of my bottles now and there's a remarkable difference in carbonation levels bottle to bottle. I've mentally cycled through a half dozen diagnoses for this so far but my best guess is either some caps are letting gas leak out despite being watertight, or my priming sugar wasn't mixed in well enough

    Is it possible for caps to be on tight enough to be "watertight", but not "airtight"? All bottles were held upside down right after capping to make sure they didn't leak so the caps aren't super loose, but some pour with a half finger of foam and taste noticeably under carbonated while others take 10 minutes to gently pour and sustain a 4 finger head until nearly the last sip. I used recycled bottles that varied in size and shape, maybe some mouths don't create as good of a seal, or some necks don't allow the bottle capper to crank down as hard? The few swing top growlers I filled were better carbonated than the worst of the "flat" bottles, but nowhere near as good as the highly carbed bottles.

    Maybe it was a priming sugar mixing issue? I had a liquid priming sugar solution of table sugar boiled in water that was stirred in at the start (forgot to put it in the bucket and rack the beer on top) but I'm seeing some people saying you may need to gently re-stir in the bottling bucket periodically.
     
    #1 dogdrule, Mar 12, 2019
  2. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    That's just about it, most likely the latter. Another possibility (less likely) is infection in some of the bottles due to inadequate cleaning/sanitation.
     
    #2 VikeMan, Mar 12, 2019
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  3. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Try not forgetting for your next batch and see how that goes. My personal technique is to add the liquid sugar to the bottom of the bottling bucket and create a swirling siphon action when transferring the beer and at the end I gently swirl with the racking cane as an extra measure to ensure proper mixing. This process consistently works for me.

    Cheers!
     
    #3 JackHorzempa, Mar 12, 2019
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  4. minderbender

    minderbender Initiate (0) Jan 18, 2009 New York

    Another thing I would add is that the priming solution will blend more readily if it is relatively dilute. I used to use a small amount of water in the priming solution to avoid watering down my beer, then I realized this was stupid and I started using around a quart of water for my priming solution (for 5 gallons of beer). Since then I've had no difficulty with uneven carbonation.
     
    #4 minderbender, Mar 12, 2019
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  5. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Same here, but to add to your comment, I intentionally brew to one quart short on the wort and then add that 'missing' quart in with the priming sugar in solution.

    P.S. Welcome to the Homebrewing forum and this great thing that we call a hobby.
     
    #5 PapaGoose03, Mar 12, 2019
  6. Abk542

    Abk542 Initiate (0) Sep 26, 2015 Michigan

    I had this same problem for a long time when I first started out. Like you I was using recycled bottles and priming sugar mixed into boiled water as a priming solution. I tried new bottles and changing from sugar to priming tablets and it didn't help I was still getting uneven carbonation I still use carb tabs and new bottles (when I'm not kegging) but it wasn't the problem. A while into my homebrewing career another Brewer mentioned my bottle capper was broken. The metal Bell wasn't attatched to the rest of the capper. I had'nt realized this wasn't how it was supposed to be. I was just setting it back into place each time I got ready to crimp a bottle. The rubber inside created a liquid tight seal however the broken bell made for an uneven crimp which allowed gas to get out in some bottles. It's unlikely but if you've exhausted all other options perhaps it's your capper?
     
    #6 Abk542, Mar 12, 2019
  7. deadwolfbones

    deadwolfbones Pundit (795) Jun 21, 2014 Oregon

    I individually prime bottles (dry sugar and a funnel) and get really consistent results, as you'd expect. It's a tiny bit of extra hassle, but I feel it's worth it.
     
    #7 deadwolfbones, Mar 12, 2019
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