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hcashew · 02-20-2012, 12:07 AM

Wonderfully problematic day at my little bathroom brewery.

I capped all my bottles this morning with a nice, sweet Dunkelweizen and stored them away when several hours later I noticed leaks in almost all two cases.

They were capped with force but nearly all had a twisty feel on the lip. (this was a new online vendor for my bottle caps)

Too late to turn back? Im a couple of days away from restocking my caps.

Will the lack of real pressure severely ruin the carbonation?

What would you do?

SilverZero · 02-20-2012, 12:10 AM

If it leaks, it's not going to hold any carbonation. The yeast will ferment, the sugar will convert, and it will be basically just another round of fermentation.

Recap them as soon as you can. You'll be a bit low on carbonation depending on how long it's been (you probably would be fine if it's same-day).

Are you wing-capping? Might think about investing in a bench capper - or even just trying one out with your current caps to see if it makes a difference.

And how did you notice leaks? You're not laying those bottles down after you cap them, are you?

hcashew · 02-20-2012, 12:28 AM

Right. looking more thoroughly into it, the only leaked bottles were the "Newcastle" ones I used. The New Belgian bottles seem fine yet twisty.

In order to save space for the first time, I did stack an amount on its side.

It's a handheld winged capper.

SilverZero · 02-20-2012, 04:10 PM

Bummer. Hopefully the NB's will hold. There should be a little ring of resin inside the caps, which will provide a seal even if the cap itself wobbles a little bit.

I've heard that laying bottles down will make them harder to carbonate, since there's more surface area into which the gas has to dissolve, and it may also be a higher oxidation risk. I haven't really thought much about it as I don't lay mine down, so there may be some folklore stuck in there somewhere (vs. actual physics, which I prefer).

**unionrdr** · 02-20-2012, 04:32 PM

Or the caps are the wrong diameter,as there are a couple different sizes of them used around the world for various bottles. My LHBS sells some of the bigger,29mm ones for instance. I forget the size we use,but there was a thread about that last year. Check to see if the bag had a size on it.

jholen · 02-20-2012, 04:57 PM

I've heard some people test the bottoms by submerging them in water, to see if any little bubbles escape. Never done it myself, but sounds like a great way to test. Obviously, you'll need a container large/deep enough to submerge the bottle right-side up.

hcashew · 02-20-2012, 11:59 PM

Thanks everybody.

The caps seem locked in place, but twisty. (not twisting off)

Well see what happens next week!