Bottle conditioning sucks

Just over a year and a half and I can't get it right. Brewed a holiday ale that had very little carbonation after 2 months in the bottle, still drank most of it, then opened another one up about 8 months after brewing and way over carbed.

Brewed a wit, 6 weeks in the bottle, still hardly any carbonation. It is being held at 72 - 74 degrees, still. I'm sure it will carbonate eventually, but likely when the warm weather is gone. I'll continue to drink one a week until right.

I always add priming sugar based upon the website numerous people on here recommend: The Beer Recipator - Carbonation

So, I'm done with it. I'm buying a kegerator, hopefully the dual tap kegerator from kegconnection.com is good. And, hopefully beer guns work well for bottling beer so I can still bring them to family and friends. I wish I would have figured out bottle conditioning before giving up, but oh well. I'll leave that to the Belgians, and other crazy microbreweries.

Rant over.

What's your process for priming and what are you using to prime?

1. Measure appropriate amount of corn sugar on scale.
2. Boil 10 minutes.
3. Cool pot in sink with cold water.
4. Sanitize bottles using starsan and the red bottle squirter thing. I actually do a couple pumps to make sure the star san covered the entire bottle.
5. Fill bottles using bottling wand.
6. Cap.
7. Store covered where it is about 72 - 74 degrees.

8. Wait a few weeks, refrigerate one bottle for at least 24 hours, consume.
9. Enjoy flat beer, wait 1 week, refrigerate, consume (repeat step 9 until right)

I've kegged two batches and love it so far because kegging day is so much easier then bottling day!

But if you do start kegging don't go out and buy a beer gun....
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/

I have yet to use it but I am going to once I want to bottle from my kegs. But others seem to have used it with great success.

Perhaps this is obvious, but you are racking the beer on top of the sugar solution, correct?

By pouring the sugar solution into the bottling bucket and racking on top, the slight whirpool action will more or less ensure you have mixed the sugar solution evenly into the beer.

TheH2 said:

1. Measure appropriate amount of corn sugar on scale.
2. Boil 10 minutes.
3. Cool pot in sink with cold water.
4. Sanitize bottles using starsan and the red bottle squirter thing. I actually do a couple pumps to make sure the star san covered the entire bottle.
5. Fill bottles using bottling wand.
6. Cap.
7. Store covered where it is about 72 - 74 degrees.

8. Wait a few weeks, refrigerate one bottle for at least 24 hours, consume.
9. Enjoy flat beer, wait 1 week, refrigerate, consume (repeat step 9 until right)

Click to expand...

I have always bottle conditioned and have found that one of the more important aspects is to make sure the corn sugar is mixed thoroughly with the beer prior to filling the bottles. I've boiled and I've just thrown the sugar in the bottom of the bottling bucket and racked on to it...no difference really and proper mixing is still the key. If none of your bottles ever carb then you are looking at a different issue.....

Yeah, I skipped a step. After cooling, I pour the sugar water into the bottling bucket then rack on top. I even stir gently after filling up.

On the plus side, I have developed a taste for flat beer.

H2,

I have seen several posts on this subject and it resembles some of the issues with my oatmeal stout. Occasionally, one or two bottles is flat and others really carbed.

My suspicion is my capping technique since I am really new at this.

An idea has come to mind. Take a couple of your bottles that are problematic. Place them all upside down in a one gallon ziploc bag. Seal and place in a warm (greater than current temps). The idea being when the pressure increases, hopefully beer will be pushed out indicating the leak.

For others reading, does this idea make any sense. I know that CO2 is a smaller molecule than beer and water, but with the increase in pressure the liquid should be pushed out.