12 vs 22 oz bottle taste

[techrunner]

alright, i really dont think i'm just losing it here, but it seems like there is a difference in the same batch of beer between the 12 and 22 oz bottles. its consistently having more "bite", like maybe bitterness, from the 22s than the 12s. thought it might just be variance from bottle to bottle, but now after 4-5 of each, the 22s all taste the same, more bitter than the 12s, which are also all very consistent. they're all carbed about the same, and i am not thinking theres any issues with the bottles them selves. the 22s were brand new, and the 12s were reused from commercial brews. caps all the same. anyone have a reason they would age noticably different. the first few bottles i didn't notice the difference much, but now it is distinct. i'm kinda at a loss here, have any thoughts?

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

This topic has been brought up before, and I'm not sure if anyone came to a real conclusion.

My only thoughts are that, maybe because of the additional yeast in 22oz'ers, it ages a little differently. I wouldn't think that would effect your bitterness though. You would think that because the ratio of yeast to beer is about equal in both bottles, you'd get the same taste.

 

[Revvy]

I have some pints, 22 oz bombers and other sizes that I often use, but since I enter contests I usually also do a sixer or two of standard 12 ouncers for entering. And inevitably the 12 ouncers are done at least a week faster than the larger bottles....some times two weeks ahead of time...

Also the rule of thumb is 3 weeks at 70 degrees for a normal grav 12 ounce bottle....to carb and condition....It takes longer for the yeasties to convert the larger volume in the bigger bottles to enough co2 in the headspace to be reabsorbed back into the solution...A ration I don't know how much...

Big Kahuna gives a good explanation here...

Simple. It's the ration of contact area just like in a keg. The c02 will need to pressurize the head space (Which takes LESS TIME) in a bigger bottle (More Yeast and sugar, roughly the same head space) but then it has to force that c02 into solution through the same contact area...thus it takes longer.

Also read this...http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/Of_Patience_and_Bottle_Conditioning/

You'll find that many people have observed that larger bottles take longer...And comparing 2 at the same time often results in a different taste, becasue they are conditioning at different rates...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/flavor-differences-bottles-103127/#post1133388

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottle-observation-size-matters-101628/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/does-bottle-size-affect-carbonation-78194/

It's simple, if they carb at diifferent rates, they also condition at different rates, and therefore they would taste differently.

 

[hammer one]

Just like wine beer will age faster in a smaller container. Thats why there is really no reason to bulk age unless you are using an oak barrel for flavor

 

[wyzazz]

Just a thought, but could you be taking longer to drink your 22's? This would give the beer more time to warm up hence the perceived bitterness difference.

 

[techrunner]

Just a thought, but could you be taking longer to drink your 22's? This would give the beer more time to warm up hence the perceived bitterness difference.

not much really, and it actually gets better as it warms up a bit. and the whole aging differently thing owuld have made sense to me, but the first bottles i drank i didn't notice the difference at all. now the 12s still taste pretty good, but the 22s are seemingly getting this bite to them more the longer they aged. its a porter, so i wasn't expecting them to start to get too old, it's not been all that long. 6-7 weeks in the bottles i'd guess. just kinda seems weird to me.

 

[jamesnsw]

Any chance it's a carbonation bite? I've read that carbonation actually activates your bitter taste buds. So maybe, while it takes longer to carbonate, the 22's will actually become more carbonated over time, and hence give more of a bitter bite.

 

[techrunner]

hmm, that would go along with the way it dissipates after its has been in the glass for a litttle bit too. maybe thats it, never really heard of that before. i suppose the 22s would have more yeast and priming sugar, so there'd be approximately double the co2, with the same headspace. interesting. i'm thinking you might have it there. thanks

 

[wyzazz]

It's a ghost, wooooooo...

 

[Cart]

http://www.chimay.com/en/chimay_blue_220.php

The holy beer monks of Chimay note that beer in 1500mL bottles ages differently than 330mL. Remembered reading this so thought I'd post a link...

 

[wendelgee2]

Any chance it's the beginning of a gusher bug? They can often add a "bite" to beer that turns into something worse over time.
Is your cleaning and sanitization any different for the 22s than for the 12s?

 

[jackson_d]

i dont bottle much anymore at all. but two diff brews i did last summer that i bottled- but i noticed the 22s had more carbonation and tasted better quicker than the 12s.. a friend of mine suspected that there is more priming sugar in there so it gets carbed faster... but didnt Revvy just say the 12s carbonate quicker?

anyway whatever i did, those two batchs last summer- the 22s tasted better and fully carbed quicker....

 

[MrInternet]

i dont bottle much anymore at all. but two diff brews i did last summer that i bottled- but i noticed the 22s had more carbonation and tasted better quicker than the 12s.. a friend of mine suspected that there is more priming sugar in there so it gets carbed faster... but didnt Revvy just say the 12s carbonate quicker?

I dunno, your experience would jive more with my intuition... if you have nearly double the gas volume from the inside pushing out on LESS surface area in contact with beer inside, it seems that desired carbonation level would be reached faster... never done any side-by-sides. I bottle a mix of 12 and 22's, and they all appear to hit their stride about the same time... ?

 

[Revvy]

never done any side-by-sides. I bottle a mix of 12 and 22's, and they all appear to hit their stride about the same time... ?

But I have done side by side comparisons...hence what I wrote above. Bigger the bottle, longer it takes to be ready. As well as the experiences of all the other folks in the threads I posted.

 

[techrunner]

well, i think i'm safe from the beginning of a gusher infection theory. all the sanitation was identical for all bottles.

i definitely see how the aging part of the equation would differ from the two different sizes, just like bulk aging vs bottle aging, on a less noticalbe scale though i'd think

i still think that the 22s would carb faster. more volume of yeast and sugers at the same co2 production rate per volume means more co2, and then less head space forces it into solution more and sooner. thinking its just more carbed, but i don't know how to test that theory scientifically. yet.

 

[MrInternet]

But I have done side by side comparisons...hence what I wrote above. Bigger the bottle, longer it takes to be ready. As well as the experiences of all the other folks in the threads I posted.

Wasn't daring to question, just posting a thought... nothing against your previous helpful post intended.

 

[Talloak]

I always drink my 12 oz bottles first. The 6 or 8 22 oz bottles I fill for each 5 gallon batch are the last to be consumed. I like to age them much longer than the 12 oz bottles, and sit down and drink a larger bottle. This ensures that they are aged at least as long they should be to be not-green, if not fantastic.