Never Again: Uneven Carbonation

My oatmeal stout is making me crazy. Some of them have a perfect head and carbonation, others are almost flat. I actually bought a bottling bucket with spigot to avoid this, I cooked up the sugar with a little water, added to bottling bucket, then siphoned off the black nectar into the bottling bucket with a nice swirling motion.

No dice! I'm done with bottles! I may use them to harvest yeast because SWMBO likes to keep her mason jars for her own purposes. Other than that, I'm done!

Not to mention, I crushed a guinness bottle during the capping process, and that really added to the already daunting task of bottling.

It's alright, I just picked up a tap-a-draft system from another HBT'er this morning, assuming it shows up in the mail by this weekend, my Grapefruit Pale Ale can be carbonated evenly, to maximize the grapefruit aroma of the simcoe hops and the grapefruit esters of White Labs yeast!

Vent over. Proceed about your day.

Also... to justify to SWMBO- "I don't have to pay $50 for the tap a draft, I could just spend $100 in more beer to collect the bottles and continue trashing the kitchen for 5 hours every other Sunday."

k thanks. will do.

I'm really liking my Tap-a-Draft so far. Are you going to try to force-carb with it or are you going to carbonate in the bottles? Either way it should help with uneven carbonation issues. I've done two beers in Tap-a-Draft and both times I filled two big bottles and got about a 6-pack of regular 12 oz bottles after that. Used natural carbonation and I'm getting very nice head from the tap, the 12 oz bottles are a little under-carbed but that's to be expected since I used less priming sugar with the Tap-a-Draft bottles. Haven't noticed any uneven carbonation though. Maybe next time when you prime gently swirl your beer with a sanitized spoon to make sure the sugar gets distributed evenly.

You have to mix up the sugar in the bottling bucket gently with a sterilized spoon or something, otherwise it can sink to the bottom and be uneven.

bottled every batch I have made and have little desire to keg....sound like there is something wrong in your process or possibly the start of an infection

Nate5700 said:

I'm really liking my Tap-a-Draft so far. Are you going to try to force-carb with it or are you going to carbonate in the bottles? Either way it should help with uneven carbonation issues. I've done two beers in Tap-a-Draft and both times I filled two big bottles and got about a 6-pack of regular 12 oz bottles after that. Used natural carbonation and I'm getting very nice head from the tap, the 12 oz bottles are a little under-carbed but that's to be expected since I used less priming sugar with the Tap-a-Draft bottles. Haven't noticed any uneven carbonation though. Maybe next time when you prime gently swirl your beer with a sanitized spoon to make sure the sugar gets distributed evenly.

Click to expand...

I'd rather try force carbing it, because I'm also tired of the green flavor in my beer. I read the instructions from their website, it says 2 cartridges to carb it (after it's cold) and then wait a day, then use the other two cartridges for dispensing. I don't mind spending an extra $2 to avoid having to prime it. As long as it works.

Fletch78 said:

I'd rather try force carbing it, because I'm also tired of the green flavor in my beer. I read the instructions from their website, it says 2 cartridges to carb it (after it's cold) and then wait a day, then use the other two cartridges for dispensing. I don't mind spending an extra $2 to avoid having to prime it. As long as it works.

Click to expand...

I think I remember reading that you should give it 2-3 days and even up to a week when force-carbing to give the CO2 time to dissolve into the beer. On mine it took a day or 2 for it to get fully carbed up and I primed and carbed in my bottles.

I also had a pretty green flavor in my beer a week after bottling, but now I'm 2 weeks after bottling and the beer tastes great.

My next brew is a AHS oatmeal stout and I plan to bottle it. I'll have some 12, 16 and 22 ounce bottles set aside for it. I did not get the priming sugar with the kit though, because I like to calculate and weigh out a proper amount on my own.

I always let 1 or 2 inches of beer swirl into the bucket before carefully pouring in the boiled then cooled priming sugar-water. I don't want to give the sugar water a chance to cling to the dry bucket bottom and walls. Call me crazy for having NO scientific reasoning for this.. :cross:

Like others have said, it isn't going to mix itself. You have to stir it if you want even carbonation.

The nice thing about bottling, is that it is a one-time hastle, then you are done. Kegging can be a constant pain to get proper carbonation. I don't keg, but I have watched people get pretty frustrated as they pour foam and have to make adjustments. Plus it is nice to be able to give away bottles, and store some for aging. Each has its advantages I guess.

NCBeernut said:

Like others have said, it isn't going to mix itself. You have to stir it if you want even carbonation.

The nice thing about bottling, is that it is a one-time hastle, then you are done. Kegging can be a constant pain to get proper carbonation. I don't keg, but I have watched people get pretty frustrated as they pour foam and have to make adjustments. Plus it is nice to be able to give away bottles, and store some for aging. Each has its advantages I guess.

Click to expand...

I know, the grass is always greener on the other side. I'm sure there will be an entirely set of new issues. The tap-a-draft is designed so you have 3 bottles for 4.75 gallons of beer, which leaves you a 6-er to age or give away. I can't imagine it being more of a hassle than bottling, though.

I've got several 1 gallon glass and many 1 liter flip top bottles for aging, as well as a 6 gallon glass carboy. I just don't like having to clean, sanitize, prime, fill, cap, and store 50 bottles every time I make a beer like a pale or a wheat that doesn't necessarily need age. I also want to make sweet cider this fall, and the only somewhat reliable way to do that is by stabilizing and force-carbing.

NCBeernut said:

Like others have said, it isn't going to mix itself. You have to stir it if you want even carbonation.

Click to expand...

I'm going to have to disagree with that. Every time I've bottled I've boiled the priming solution, cooled it, added it to the bottling bucket and then racked on top of it. When racking, the tube needs to be laying down on the bottom of the bucket so when it's flowing, you get a nice whirlpool. And every time I get even carbonation in all my bottles. So yes, it does mix itself.

To the OP, how long have they been bottled? Sorry if it's already been mentioned and I missed it.

Reno_eNVy_446 said:

I'm going to have to disagree with that. Every time I've bottled I've boiled the priming solution, cooled it, added it to the bottling bucket and then racked on top of it. When racking, the tube needs to be laying down on the bottom of the bucket so when it's flowing, you get a nice whirlpool. And every time I get even carbonation in all my bottles. So yes, it does mix itself.

To the OP, how long have they been bottled? Sorry if it's already been mentioned and I missed it.

Click to expand...

1 week and 5 days. Some of them are carbed perfectly. It's about 50-50.

Hmm... okay, so I'm not saying that you have bad sanitation practices, but is it possible you have some infection? Keep an eye on them; if, by week three, the flat ones have carbed up I'd seriously consider putting the currently-carbed ones in a trash bag and prep for bottle bombs.

I've seen no sign of infection. I did age this 6 months in a glass carboy covered with about 25 layers of aluminum foil held down with a rubber band.

Had the same problem with bottling as well, uneven carbonation, not as bad as what you describe but noticeable (just uneven mixing from my whirlpool done as described above). Unless you get a rockstar whirlpool going it wont mix evenly, just sanitize a spoon give it a nice 1-2-3 gentle whirl let come to a rest and boom done, no problems since.

Fletch78 said:

1 week and 5 days. Some of them are carbed perfectly. It's about 50-50.

Click to expand...

Yeah,, So THAT'S the problem...your impatience....The beers not doing anything wrong by not being ready by then, or some of the bottles being ready then....i

Uneven carbonation is simply a matter of not enough time. The sugar solution integrates itself pretty well when you rack (despite what many new brewers may believe)

BUT, just a tiny difference in temps between bottles in storage can affect the yeasties, speed them up or slow them down. Like if you store them in a closet against a warm wall, the beers closest to the heat source may be a tad warmer than those further way, so thy may carb/condition at slightly different rates. I usually store a batch in 2 seperate locations in my loft 1 case in my bedroom which is a little warmer, and the other in the closet in the lving room, which being in a larger space is a tad cooler, at least according to the thermostat next to that closet. It can be 5-10 degrees warmer in my bedroom. So I usually start with that case at three weeks. Giving the other half a little more time.

Each little bottle is a seperate microcosm, so they will react slightly different to each other. But usually they all will balance out given enough time.

I usually lay my racking hose so it kind of wraps around the bottom of the bucket, so as the beer racks it swirls around lifting up the priming solution with it.

But really with time all the bottles in a batch will carb up...You are under 3 weeks, some beers just take longer to all come up.

The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer.

Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.

I explain this and more, in my blog, here Revvy's Blog, Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning.

I expect more italics and bold text next time, and I only see one blog link. This is highly disappointing.

Revvy, if I were impatient, I wouldn't have let it age for 6 months before I bottled it.

Doing more reading, I think it needs to be chilled for longer, so the CO2 can soak in better. So far, I've just been grabbing them from the closet, cooling them just enough to get drinkable, and cracking open. I bet if I kept them cold for a few days, the CO2 would combine better.

And of course, there is the wait wait wait wait wait idea. If I wanted to wait, I'd make mead. I want my beer and I want it now. That's why I got the Tap A Draft. When I get no change in my hydro after 5 days, it goes straight into the bottle and refrigerated with the CO2. That's how the cool people do it. And now I'm a cool person too. I must admit, it feels good being cool.


I can't explain how cool I feel. It is best expressed in this video.

But you did elect to wait 6 months... what's another 9 days? Usually, whatever Revvy says should be taken as canon. Three weeks at 70*F is usually the minimum.

And chilling longer will only force the remaining CO2 in the headspace into solution. I believe not chilling properly will cause gushers (well, at least with higher carbed styles) and the headspace CO2 really isn't enough to make it go from flat to properly-carbed.

Nothing wrong with the Tap-A-Draft system or kegging, but I agree with Revvy - it's not your bottles or the bottling technique. 12 days is not long enough to tell if you have a carbonation problem. Your cooling technique could also contribute to this. Aging in the carboy for 6 months might also have something to do with it. It usually takes my longer-aged beers longer to properly carb up - though this is also a function of the ABV of most of them. I tend to age higher ABV beers longer - the combination of higher ABV plus longer time means that there are fewer, healthier yeast in suspension. Still enough to naturally carb, just takes longer. Have fun with the draft system, but don't blame bottling for the uncarbed beer.

What was the ABV on this? (why did you age it 6 months?)

Another issues is after 6 months, those yeast are gone. You may have needed to pitch more yeast for priming.

And yeah wait at least 3 weeks.


"And of course, there is the wait wait wait wait wait idea. If I wanted to wait, I'd make mead."

" I want my beer and I want it now. "

"That's why I got the Tap A Draft. When I get no change in my hydro after 5 days, it goes straight into the bottle and refrigerated with the CO2."


You sound impatient, and you sound lazy which is why the beer was in a carboy for 6 months unless it was some barley wine or crazy stout.

Reno_eNVy_446 said:

Usually, whatever Revvy says should be taken as canon.

Click to expand...

In the universe of homebrewtalk.com, it tends to be. That does not mean the rest of the brewing world agrees with it.

doctorRobert said:

Another issues is after 6 months, those yeast are gone. You may have needed to pitch more yeast for priming.

And yeah wait at least 3 weeks.


"And of course, there is the wait wait wait wait wait idea. If I wanted to wait, I'd make mead."

" I want my beer and I want it now. "

"That's why I got the Tap A Draft. When I get no change in my hydro after 5 days, it goes straight into the bottle and refrigerated with the CO2."


You sound impatient, and you sound lazy which is why the beer was in a carboy for 6 months unless it was some barley wine or crazy stout.

Click to expand...

couldn't agree more

It's all well and good that you secondaried for 6 months, but that really has little to do with not waiting three weeks for it to carb up....you can NOT secondary, you can bottle after two weeks, you can primary for a month, you can do any permutations of secondary or primary for any length of time, and it is STILL going to take you a minimum of three weeks @ 70 degrees for it to generate the co2 to max the headspace, and force it back into suspension to carbonate your beer.

That is really a separate process, and won't really affect how long a beer is going to take to carbonate. It MAY affect the conditioning time a beer needs, i.e. how long it takes for a beer to lose it's green ness. But that's not the same as the carbonation process......

I applaud you for your 6 months waiting...had you waited 2-3 more weeks in the bottle carbing phase, we'd be having a different discussion. Heck if anything 6 months in secondary may have slowed the bottle conditioning process down even further......

kevmoron said:

I expect more italics and bold text next time, and I only see one blog link. This is highly disappointing.

Click to expand...

*Yawn* Living up to your name again, eh?

I see how both your posts are ever so helpful to the OP.....Sounds more like jealousy to me....

Revvy said:

It's all well and good that you secondaried for 6 months, but that really has little to do with not waiting three weeks for it to carb up....you can NOT secondary, you can bottle after two weeks, you can primary for a month, you can do any permutations of secondary or primary for any length of time, and it is STILL going to take you a minimum of three weeks @ 70 degrees for it to generate the co2 to max the headspace, and force it back into suspension to carbonate your beer.

That is really a separate process, and won't really affect how long a beer is going to take to carbonate. It MAY affect the conditioning time a beer needs, i.e. how long it takes for a beer to lose it's green ness. But that's not the same as the carbonation process......

I applaud you for your 6 months waiting...had you waited 2-3 more weeks in the bottle carbing phase, we'd be having a different discussion. Heck if anything 6 months in secondary may have slowed the bottle conditioning process down even further......

Click to expand...

Are you saying that keeping a beer in secondary for six months has no impact on how it will carbonate in the bottle? If so, I would definitely disagree. I think that would be an ideal situation to re-yeast at bottling.

NCBeernut said:

Are you saying that keeping a beer in secondary for six months has no impact on how it will carbonate in the bottle? If so, I would definitely disagree. I think that would be an ideal situation to re-yeast at bottling.

Click to expand...

Well that's not been my experience, I've had beers carb up fine up to 6 months with no re-yeasting, it may take longer, and one can choose to re-yeast if they want. I WILL be re-yeasting my barelywine. But that's NOT the point I was getting at.

What I'm really getting at is that usually when someone is posting about a carb issue (even if the beer is only 1 month old) they tend to go into their whole pre-carbonation times frame, how long it's been in primary and secondary and yet they've only opened the bottles a few days after capping.

At this point of the OP's usual post, when we're dealling with carb issues, most of the time the poster, is under the 3 weeks at 70 degrees that we recommend. That time information, the length of time, and temp the bottle is stored at, is of more relevance.

You can chose to do a 1-2 primary/secondary, a 1-1, a 2-2, month long primary only, and if you've only opened your bottles after a few days, they're not going to be carbed up. And it's not because of the length of time in the primary/secondary. It's because they've opened the bottles too soon. As simple as that.

Besides, I've yet to answer a beginner's "my beer's not carbed" thread, where the OP's beer WAS 6 months in the secondary. Most of those threads I answer (about 95%) are first time batchers, and it is highly unlikely they would have waited that long even if their recipe called for it. This thread was an exception.

For most new brewers the issue is lack of patience not a 6 month primary.

Even doctorrobert mentioned re-yeast in this case AND the need to STILL wait 3 weeks. You can reyeast a 6 month beer, and STILL open a beer after a few days and more than likely it will not be carbed either....We'd still tell the Op to wait the minimum 3 weeks after yeasting.

Whether you reyeast or not, the clock begins the minute the bottle gets capped. That's the timeframe I know become concerned about for the poster.