how to drink a 12 oz beer

I know this sounds a little stupid, but I have been unsucsessful at getting the desired carbonation in my 12 oz bottles. I have tried bulk priming and single priming and I opened a bottle last night that was bottled on 12-1 so it was 30 plus days carbing. It diddnt seem to be as carbonated as commercial beer. Should I

1. shake it before opening
   1. do nothing and open it and pour

1. add more priming sugar at bottling stage

I either use 1/2 tsp if single priming or 5 oz to a 5 gallon batch. Id like to hear what you say.

5 oz of corn sugar to a 4-5 gallon batch has not failed yet through 4 batches.

I am using EZ cap swing top bottles. Are your bottles sealed?

never shake it, i havent bottled in a while since moving to kegs im sure it 3/4 cup corn sugar with 1/4 cup water for 5 gallons bring to boil and add during bottling. Wait 2 weeks in a 70 degree place and it should be done.

jethro55 said:

5 oz of corn sugar to a 4-5 gallon batch has not failed yet through 4 batches.

I am using EZ cap swing top bottles. Are your bottles sealed?

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I wonder that, I use a wing style capper and have a hammer capper, It seems I get a better seal with the hammer capper, but I thank you for that idea. I might buy a few and experiment. On occasion. I see some of my capped beers have sweat on the inside glass in the dead space. I will pay closer attention to this.

I gave my brother-in-law one the other day, He poured it and it looked awsome and he said it tasted awsome. I was jealouse. he must have got a good sealed one. It even had a decent amount of head which is what Ive been aiming for.

RandomBeerGuy said:

never shake it, i havent bottled in a while since moving to kegs im sure it 3/4 cup corn sugar with 1/4 cup water for 5 gallons bring to boil and add during bottling. Wait 2 weeks in a 70 degree place and it should be done.

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Whats the reason for not shaking, I noticed people that carb into 2 liter's will shake it.HMM

Are you talking carbonation or foam/head retention? If bubbles continue to form and dissipate as you drink the beer, that probably means it is carbonated juts fine but it is dissipating quickly. I've read comments in numerous threads suggesting that residual detergent on glassware can cause this problem. I've even done the cheap-o test on a couple early batches of mine when I thought I had this same problem.

Try getting some plastic party cups (solo cups) and pouring a beer in one. give it a fairly vigorous pour to create a solid head. See if it sticks around for a bit. Then, when you are ready for your second beer, give a similar pour in one of your normal glasses. See if it has a different result.

signpost said:

Are you talking carbonation or foam/head retention? If bubbles continue to form and dissipate as you drink the beer, that probably means it is carbonated juts fine but it is dissipating quickly. I've read comments in numerous threads suggesting that residual detergent on glassware can cause this problem. I've even done the cheap-o test on a couple early batches of mine when I thought I had this same problem.

Try getting some plastic party cups (solo cups) and pouring a beer in one. give it a fairly vigorous pour to create a solid head. See if it sticks around for a bit. Then, when you are ready for your second beer, give a similar pour in one of your normal glasses. See if it has a different result.

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Deffinatly food for thought, I use cipton for cleaner and iodine for sanitizer, I wonder if this has any effect! there are 3 brew shops in town 1 guy swears by the iodine and the others swear by Iodophor and starsan, mabey ill try a new sanitiser too!

yewtah-brewha said:

Whats the reason for not shaking, I noticed people that carb into 2 liter's will shake it.HMM

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Try it. In fact, go do it right now and then give us a range report.

Rick

F250 said:

Try it. In fact, go do it right now and then give us a range report.

Rick

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I have tried it, all it seems to do is mix the priming sugar in the bottom with the rest of the beer, It tastes no different and if anything is a little more carbed!:rockin:

You don't shake cause all that stuff at the bottom of beer is yeast and hop/grain fallout and things like that. Not stuff that's bad if you drink it but will change the flavor of the beer and may make things move south a little faster

What temps are you carbing your bottles at. Yeast like above 70 for a minimum of three weeks, sometimes longer depending on the gravity. But honestly, carbonation is really full proof, you put the correct amount of sugar (we recommend bulk priming) into the beer, put the beer in a space that is 70 or higher, and forget about the bottles for AT LEAST three weeks. Unless all you're brewing is barleywines and having exhausted yeast. There really is NOTHING beyond what I said, for carbing beers.

People love to over troubleshoot these things.....like if your caps are loose, but really how many people have loose caps? Seriously, it all comes down to the right amount of sugar, the right temps, and the right amount of time.

Revvy said:

What temps are you carbing your bottles at. Yeast like above 70 for a minimum of three weeks, sometimes longer depending on the gravity. But honestly, carbonation is really full proof, you put the correct amount of sugar (we recommend bulk priming) into the beer, put the beer in a space that is 70 or higher, and forget about the bottles for AT LEAST three weeks. Unless all you're brewing is barleywines and having exhausted yeast. There really is NOTHING beyond what I said, for carbing beers.

People love to over troubleshoot these things.....like if your caps are loose, but really how many people have loose caps? Seriously, it all comes down to the right amount of sugar, the right temps, and the right amount of time.

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I will be carbing my brew around 68 degrees, will this be an issue?

BansheeRider said:

I will be carbing my brew around 68 degrees, will this be an issue?

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It may just take a little longer. You can carb at any temp above a yeast's dormancy temp, just have to realize that 3 weeks at 70 is the average, so the further you get away, the longer over that it will take.

There really are no carb problems, just time problems....or patience ones.

hoppyhoppyhippo said:

You don't shake cause all that stuff at the bottom of beer is yeast and hop/grain fallout and things like that. Not stuff that's bad if you drink it but will change the flavor of the beer and may make things move south a little faster

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Agree, don't want the sediment in my glass, however One hbs owner told me some people prefer the taste of the sediment and do just that,

I brewed a coopers IPA last night and was looking at the instructions, it said to invert the beer after bottling several times. I think they meant right after bottling, but, that was the first time I saw that in writing from a reliable source.

Revvy said:

What temps are you carbing your bottles at. Yeast like above 70 for a minimum of three weeks, sometimes longer depending on the gravity. But honestly, carbonation is really full proof, you put the correct amount of sugar (we recommend bulk priming) into the beer, put the beer in a space that is 70 or higher, and forget about the bottles for AT LEAST three weeks. Unless all you're brewing is barleywines and having exhausted yeast. There really is NOTHING beyond what I said, for carbing beers.

People love to over troubleshoot these things.....like if your caps are loose, but really how many people have loose caps? Seriously, it all comes down to the right amount of sugar, the right temps, and the right amount of time.

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My temp in the house is 70 right now. thats what I bottle at. the wort is a little warmer than that because I boil 1 pint of water remove from heat add priming sugar, mix well add to bucket and rack wort ontop of the 100-150 degree priming sugar mixture. Thats what I tried last time, that beer has only been bottled for 1 week, so time will tell.

RandomBeerGuy said:

never shake it

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This is from "How to Brew":

"The yeast may have settled out prematurely and the bottles need to be shaken to get the yeast back into suspension. Likewise if the temperature is too cool in the room, moving the bottles to a warmer room may do the trick."

To state the obvious, the shaking is meant to rouse the yeast so they complete the fermentation of the priming sugar. So, you shake the bottles, then put them back to finish carbing up.

You do not shake the bottle and then pop the top off to serve it. Unless you are looking for a reason to get somebody to take their shirt off.

As Revvy said three weeks at 70 degrees is just a guide. I had a Honey Weizen that took 6 weeks conditioning and three weeks in the fridge to produce sufficient carbonation.
How long are you leaving your beer in the fridge ?
Leave it in the fridge and you will have a great beer with a great head and great carbonation.
Slainte

signpost said:

To state the obvious, the shaking is meant to rouse the yeast so they complete the fermentation of the priming sugar. So, you shake the bottles, then put them back to finish carbing up.

You do not shake the bottle and then pop the top off to serve it. Unless you are looking for a reason to get somebody to take their shirt off.

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obviuos to some not beginers like me. I will try this. I guess I have 100 plus bottles to shake today, I dont plan on dringing these for 3-6 weks so I'll give em all a spin.

greenhaze said:

As Revvy said three weeks at 70 degrees is just a guide. I had a Honey Weizen that took 6 weeks conditioning and three weeks in the fridge to produce sufficient carbonation.
How long are you leaving your beer in the fridge ?
Leave it in the fridge and you will have a great beer with a great head and great carbonation.
Slainte

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conditioned at 70 deg. for 30 days. refridgerated for 24-72 hours. the next batch will get 8 weeks at 70 degrees and a week or so in the fridge. thanks.

yewtah-brewha said:

obviuos to some not beginers like me. I will try this. I guess I have 100 plus bottles to shake today, I dont plan on dringing these for 3-6 weks so I'll give em all a spin.

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Am I missing something? Why shake?

99.99999% of all beers will carb up just fine, assuming that you added the sugar correctly, if you just leave them alone. I promise you that yeast know how to eat sugar and produce ehtanol + CO2. They do it on their own schedule, however... that three weeks at seveny degrees is a baseline. If they're not carbed yet at that point, give them another week or two.

Not sure, but your elevation in Utah might have something to do with it. Here is a prior thread on the subject:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/effects-altitude-carbonation-1523/

I just re-read the post and some guy added my quote and pulled a qoute from how to brew hahaha lol I know how to brew and I dont follow a book in knowing how to brew lol anyways just thought that was funny carry on

coopers instructions say to "invert" to mix or re suspend the yeast. I dont think it can hurt, but I think your right the yeast know what to do and when. "

homebrewdad said:

Am I missing something? Why shake?

99.99999% of all beers will carb up just fine, assuming that you added the sugar correctly, if you just leave them alone. I promise you that yeast know how to eat sugar and produce ehtanol + CO2. They do it on their own schedule, however... that three weeks at seveny degrees is a baseline. If they're not carbed yet at that point, give them another week or two.

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I'm not sure inverting them is going to get them to carb any higher. Sugar added is the only real factor here in determining final carbonation, but temp and yeast health will determine how long it takes to get there. Inverting them may reduce the amount of time needed, but I would say 30 days should be more than adequate for all beers under 7% ABV. Also, make sure your sugar is well mixed to get even carbing across all bottles. I boil my corn sugar with water, slightly cool, and then add to the bottling bucket as I'm racking in. Usually add after the first gallon has transferred.

Also I'm not sure what your baseline for "commercial" beers is. If you are talking a fizzy BMC brew, then yes your 4-5 oz of corn sugar may be inadeqaute. Try for 5.5 or a tidge higher if that is your goal. If your baseline is a typical Sierra Nevada, Redhook, Lagunitas, etc then the 4-5 oz should be plenty.

Oh, and give your beer at least 24-48 hours fridge time. Otherwise the CO2 may still be in the headspace.