Some carbonate, some don't

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rewster451

rewster451

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I've just recently opened my second Pumpkinstein, just to see how it's coming along. Still needs some time. But here's my concern. The first one I opened was carbonated, and the second one was not. I thought I was sanitizing my bottles really well, but then I read on another thread that one-step is just a cleanser. Could this be the culprit? Or is it because we didn't rinse it out? It seems like it has to be an issue with the bottling process itself, otherwise none of them would have carbonated.
 
rewster451 said:
I've just recently opened my second Pumpkinstein, just to see how it's coming along. Still needs some time. But here's my concern. The first one I opened was carbonated, and the second one was not. I thought I was sanitizing my bottles really well, but then I read on another thread that one-step is just a cleanser. Could this be the culprit? Or is it because we didn't rinse it out? It seems like it has to be an issue with the bottling process itself, otherwise none of them would have carbonated.
Click to expand...


This most likely is not a sanatizer problem. Usually these symptoms indicate an incomplete mix when you primed your batch. Some bottles got more sugar than others.
 
My first guess would be that you didn't mix well enough.

I usually stir in the priming mixture for a couple of minutes then bottle about 10 bottles, re-stir and bottle another 10 and repeat.

Question: Have you noticed if the ones that ARE carbonated are from the outer edge of the container you have them in?

IMHO, if the bottles are on the outer edge then you need to take the middle ones out of the case (or whatever container you use) because they're not getting warm enough to carbonate.
 
I think it's the mix. I actually just pour it in and assume that it will dissipate. I'll know better next time. Thanks guys.
 
homebrewer_99 said:
My first guess would be that you didn't mix well enough.

I usually stir in the priming mixture for a couple of minutes then bottle about 10 bottles, re-stir and bottle another 10 and repeat.
Click to expand...

I thought this was a no-no . . . won't mixing at this point introduce oxygen?

I feel that the swirling of the siphoned beer into the bottling bucket sufficiently mixes the sugar with the beer (obviously you'll need to have added a pre-boiled sugar/water liquid first).

Keep in mind I'm a noob and my beer leaves something to be desired . . . but carbonation is a problem I have not (yet) had to deal with . . . always carbonates just fine.
 
rhinostylee said:
I thought this was a no-no . . . won't mixing at this point introduce oxygen?
Click to expand...

A gentle swirl with a sanitized spoon won't introduce any oxygen...you're exposing it to more oxygen just by the surface area in the bottling bucket after you siphon it out from under its co2 cloud in the fermenter. You might get adequate mixing just by siphoning it in, but a gentle stir buys a little insurance.
 
rhinostylee said:
I thought this was a no-no . . . won't mixing at this point introduce oxygen?

I feel that the swirling of the siphoned beer into the bottling bucket sufficiently mixes the sugar with the beer (obviously you'll need to have added a pre-boiled sugar/water liquid first).

Keep in mind I'm a noob and my beer leaves something to be desired . . . but carbonation is a problem I have not (yet) had to deal with . . . always carbonates just fine.
Click to expand...

The mixing I meant is basically a light swirl, not a full throttle stirring like when you pitch your yeast. Sorry you misunderstood my meaning, but glad you questioned my input.

I think you have to mix (swirl) it in gently, like homogenizing, because of the different temps and gravities. If they are of different temps then the cooler mixture would logically fall to the bottom. A gently swirling mix is better. :D
 
If that's the case, and most of it settled at the bottom, wouldn't some of them explode? The first beer I tried was carbonated and cidery. The second was flat as hell, but not cidery, and the third was almost perfect, but still needed to mellow flavor-wise. I have no idea which order they were bottled in, but as to temperature, they should all be the same. I took them all from the outside of the case.
 
They would only explode it they were overpressured.

If you ever do get a "bottle grenade" then you need to place them in a cold environment (fridge, porch in the winter) to retard the carb process.

As far as cidery, that's indicative of too much corn sugar. I can't help you with that except to say use it only for priming.
 
I only use sugar for priming. I guess this means that somehow, even with an improper mix, nothing exploded, but some turned out more carbonated, and therefore more cidery than others.
 
Only the first one I opened, at about a week after bottling was cidery. The rest have a sweetness, but I wouldn't say it's unbalanced. We didn't use a lot of bittering hops, about 1 1/2oz. Fuggles, but we wanted it a bit sweeter. Maybe the cidery-ness just mellowed out?
Anyway, I've decided not to open any more until they've been conditioning for a full three weeks. I'll let you know what happens then.
 
Sounds good. I'd wait a couple more weeks also. :D

I know what you mean about liking it sweet.

I've noticed that a lot of beers, with exception, are on the sweet side lately.
I remember beer being bitter and overcarbonated when I was growing up.
 
Today marks the three week conditioning for the pumpkin. I just opened one, and WOW! It's got a good head, good carbonation, good sweetness, no cidery-ness, and overall it's exactly what we wanted. Those last few days of waiting really paid off. Thanks for all your help everyone.
 
Well, now it turns out that some still have not carbonated. There appears to be no pattern to it, and time has helped only with the ones that were carbonated. My roommate wants to re-prime. I think this is dangerous. To re-itterate, the taste is fine, no cidery-ness now, but some are flat and seem to want to stay that way.
My guess is that it was the mix. Basically, will re-priming even be possible?
 

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