Some bottles are better than others

[CanAusBrewer]

Has anyone else noticed inconsistency in off-flavours among bottles in a single batch? I experienced this recently with a batch of golden ale and was really enjoying this beer until I gt about three or four bottles with an off kind of cardboard/synthetic/plastic bite to them. I assumed my batch had aged poorly (only about a month since bottling) but I cotinued getting through it and am back on the good tasting bottles again. The bottles have all been prepared identically, sanitised and primed with a sugar syrup solution administered to each bottle with a syringe (I don't have a bottling bucket and don't want to stir my primary).

I have a plastic fermentor with a tap at the bottom I use for bottling. I am wondering if this might have to do with some trub getting into some bottles at the very end of bottling. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hopefully everyone caught my reference to The Smiths

 

[day_trippr]

I missed it.

"cardboard/synthetic/plastic bite" /= trub.

I'm guessing you had some contaminated bottles...

Cheers!

 

[MaxStout]

Did the bad tasting bottles have low carbonation? Maybe the caps didn't seal well and the beer became oxidized.

 

[CanAusBrewer]

Did the bad tasting bottles have low carbonation? Maybe the caps didn't seal well and the beer became oxidized.

No they were carbed up fine although that could be a possibility considering I am using PET bottles.

 

[CanAusBrewer]

I missed it.

"cardboard/synthetic/plastic bite" /= trub.

I'm guessing you had some contaminated bottles...

Cheers!

I think you're probably right. I will have to be less greedy with the last few bottles next time.

 

[FarmerTed]

I bottle the same way, but I keep track of the order of filling on the caps, just for this reason. I've never really had a consistency problem (other than forgetting to prime a couple bottles), but if you notice an issue, you might find it happens at the beginning or end of the process. I also like to send out early fills to competitions. You don't want to send out the first or last bottle filled, obviously. I usually drink them in sort of reverse order to the fill number.

 

[unionrdr]

When I was using PET bottles,I noticed the screw-on caps had to be very tight to seal properly. You may not be getting them all tightened down enough?

 

[brdb]

I think you're probably right. I will have to be less greedy with the last few bottles next time.

I think he was saying that trub does not equal a cardboard or plastic taste, so you don't need to be less greedy when bottling. However, a cardboard taste usually means oxidation or lack of proper headspace in the bottle. As was previously mentioned, if you did not seal some bottles properly then oxygen could have entered more easily and that could be why you are experiencing the off flavor in some bottles while you are not in others.

 

[CanAusBrewer]

I think he was saying that trub does not equal a cardboard or plastic taste, so you don't need to be less greedy when bottling. However, a cardboard taste usually means oxidation or lack of proper headspace in the bottle. As was previously mentioned, if you did not seal some bottles properly then oxygen could have entered more easily and that could be why you are experiencing the off flavor in some bottles while you are not in others.

Ok cool thanks for that. So lesson learned is crank my bottles as tight as they go and fill them with the bottle filler till they overflow for optimal head space. Thanks guys. I will try this on next batch!

 

[brdb]

Ok cool thanks for that. So lesson learned is crank my bottles as tight as they go and fill them with the bottle filler till they overflow for optimal head space. Thanks guys. I will try this on next batch!

You don't want your bottles filled to the brim, try to leave ~1/2 to 1" of empty space at the top of the bottle. If you use a bottling wand, then just fill the bottles until they almost overflow and when you remove the wand you'll have a perfect amount of headspace. If you do not use a wand, then just eyeball it.

 

[CanAusBrewer]

You don't want your bottles filled to the brim, try to leave ~1/2 to 1" of empty space at the top of the bottle. If you use a bottling wand, then just fill the bottles until they almost overflow and when you remove the wand you'll have a perfect amount of headspace. If you do not use a wand, then just eyeball it.

Sorry I forgot it was called a bottling wand. I meant exactly what you said. Fill it until it nearly overflows and remove the wand for the perfect head space.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,volume displacement buy removing the bottling wand is great,since it creates the perfect head space in any size bottle.

 

[Rotgut]

I use a hose and spigot when I bottle - much the same process as a bottling wand. After removing the hose I end up with about 3/4" head space. I wash my bottles in the dish washer on a sanitize cycle and they come out sparkling every time - even if a few had some gunk in them, which they usually don't since I rinse them as I drink them.

My bottles are consistent. My guess is as others said - something contaminated those bottles. Dirty bottles or caps, caps not sealed, stray beard hairs, sandwich crumbs, etc.

 

[CanAusBrewer]

I use a hose and spigot when I bottle - much the same process as a bottling wand. After removing the hose I end up with about 3/4" head space. I wash my bottles in the dish washer on a sanitize cycle and they come out sparkling every time - even if a few had some gunk in them, which they usually don't since I rinse them as I drink them.

My bottles are consistent. My guess is as others said - something contaminated those bottles. Dirty bottles or caps, caps not sealed, stray beard hairs, sandwich crumbs, etc.

Haha alright I suppose I just have to be more careful on my next. I suppose It was never going to be that good anyway considering it was originally a can of Cooper's pre-hopped extract and a can of wheat LME with 1/2 oz cascade dry hop. I have since moved on to partial mash and boil and have a hoppy American amber bottled and carbing. Fingers crossed.

 

[dyqik]

Where are you storing your bottles? Is it possible that a few of the bottles on the end of the shelf or whatever are getting more light than the others and "skunking"?

Are these amber or clear PET bottles? (And does anyone know if amber PET bottles prevent skunking as well as amber glass bottles?)

 

[unionrdr]

The amber PET bottles I used (from my Cooper's Microbrew kit) worked just as well as amber glass in regard to beer quality. Cooper's said they have a nylon coating inside their PET bottles to help prevent oxygenating over a max of 8 months or so.

 

[CanAusBrewer]

Where are you storing your bottles? Is it possible that a few of the bottles on the end of the shelf or whatever are getting more light than the others and "skunking"?

Are these amber or clear PET bottles? (And does anyone know if amber PET bottles prevent skunking as well as amber glass bottles?)

They are kept in a closed cupboard in my kitchen so I don't think that was the issue. And ya they are Copper Tun amber bottles. I get funny looks when I bring them to a party but the beer that comes out of them turns people around haha. I should go glass eventually but for now this is easy and simple to store and fill.

I have noticed though that I get a lot more than 3/4" of head space with my bottling wand. more like 1.5". Maybe it is just the shape of the PET bottles or maybe my wand is just larger than normal .

 

[CanAusBrewer]

I think I figured this one out while bottling the other day. Because I am bottling from the tap on my fermenter the last couple bottles chug air bubbles which is probably causing oxidation. Next time I will have to be more careful and tilt the fermenter for the last bottles. Thanks guys.

 

[flars]

They are kept in a closed cupboard in my kitchen so I don't think that was the issue. And ya they are Copper Tun amber bottles. I get funny looks when I bring them to a party but the beer that comes out of them turns people around haha. I should go glass eventually but for now this is easy and simple to store and fill.

I have noticed though that I get a lot more than 3/4" of head space with my bottling wand. more like 1.5". Maybe it is just the shape of the PET bottles or maybe my wand is just larger than normal .

A short fat bottle will have less head space than a tall slim bottle. In the short fat bottle less of the wand is inside the bottle to take up space. My German 16 ounce bottles get the greatest amount of head space. They are tall and slim.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, I get that with my Paulaner, Franziskaner & Wernesgruner bottles. Greatest amount of headspace. But they also cap better/easier than the others on my super agata.

 

[flars]

Yeah, I get that with my Paulaner, Franziskaner & Wernesgruner bottles. Greatest amount of headspace. But they also cap better/easier than the others on my super agata.

The German bottles I have, Hacker-Pschorr, are from the mid 70s. I tend to get a small upward crease across the top with to much pressure from the Agata. They are slightly smaller in diameter than the new bottles. Glass is much thicker though.

 

[unionrdr]

It sounds like the lip size is slightly smaller than they are now. Even so, I think the German bottles I'm using are still a hair smaller than American ones. When capped, the German bottles cap sides are more vertical than the American ones, which look to have a slight angle to them.