Uneven Carbonated bottles even with Sugar Drops. What happened?

[Chrisrapp0122]

I bottled a black IPA with carbonation drops 4 weeks ago and just cracked some open. One bottle was well-carbonated while another was almost flat. Is there a reason why the carbonation is different per bottle? Here are some additional notes that may help:

- Used a secondary to dry hop
- 1 carbonation drop for 12 oz bottles and 2 for 22 oz bottles
- Alcohol content about 5.5%

Recipe link: http://www.morebeer.com/products/black-ipa-doze-extract-beer-kit.html

Carbonation Drops: http://www.morebeer.com/products/carbonation-drops.html

 

[McKnuckle]

I have used the drops many times without incident. They slowly dissolve and get fermented to just about perfect carbonation in most styles. Is there a chance your capping was inconsistent? A slow leak would certainly result in no carbonation despite the sugar drop being AWOL.

 

[Chrisrapp0122]

Yeah that's what I'm guessing. What's frustrating is that the caps looked fine and the bottles even had the carbonated sound when you crack open a beer, but it's flat...such a letdown after going through months of work.

 

[MrHopScotch]

If they sound carbonated is it possible that some sort of soap or rinse aid on either your glass or bottle is killing head retention? Or are the beers actually tasting flat?

 

[shortyz]

Yeah that's what I'm guessing. What's frustrating is that the caps looked fine and the bottles even had the carbonated sound when you crack open a beer, but it's flat...such a letdown after going through months of work.

drop another one in and recap the bastard! nothing wrong with it!

 

[FatDragon]

Does the beer taste a little bit sweet? Might just be stalled fermentation in the bottle, maybe overworked yeast or temperature too low for bottle carbing.

 

[joshesmusica]

i was going to say capping issues, but it sounds like that's not the issue.

4 weeks is a very good amount of time, even for a beer that spent some time in a secondary. plenty of people doing secondaries, and cold crashing, and still having enough suspended yeast to carbonate.

what temp are the bottles sitting at?

also, how long did you chill them before opening?

 

[Jim311]

Did you bottle condition them 65+ degrees?

 

[Chrisrapp0122]

The bottles conditioned at room temperature, so around 68 degrees. I put them in the fridge in different intervals after realizing they were not carbonated. I tried some beers about 5 days being in the fridge and then some around 2 days.

My process for cleaning the bottles is using some non-scented dish soap and then scrubbing them with a wire brush and then rinse really well. After that, I dip them in star san solutions for about a minute, and then letting them sit for about 10-15 min before bottling. Is there a better way or process of doing this?

 

[FatDragon]

The bottles conditioned at room temperature, so around 68 degrees. I put them in the fridge in different intervals after realizing they were not carbonated. I tried some beers about 5 days being in the fridge and then some around 2 days.

My process for cleaning the bottles is using some non-scented dish soap and then scrubbing them with a wire brush and then rinse really well. After that, I dip them in star san solutions for about a minute, and then letting them sit for about 10-15 min before bottling. Is there a better way or process of doing this?

Dish soap kills foam. That could be part of your problem. If you're washing the bottles right after opening them, just do a few hot water rinses and agitate. Use a softer-bristled bottle brush if you need to brush - wire seems too harsh and might scratch the glass and create ideal spots for infections to take hold in the bottles. And of course, sanitize the bottles with starsan or iodophor before filling.