I bottled my 2nd batch of beer about a week ago, added the recommended amount of priming sugar 1 1/3 cup and its been sitting in my closet at about 24 degrees Celsius but I do not see any bubbles forming inside the brew or at the head of the bottle! It looks flat still to me! I'm kind of worried now just because I didn't have the time to properly clean and sanitize my bottles like I did with the first batch. Now in the mean time I drank the beer that the bottles came from and whenever I drank the beer I would rinse the bottles out decently with hot water and fill them up and give them a good shake, then before bottling I blasted them out with my bottle washer and poured some potassium met bisulfite solution into the bottle and shaken and poured then blasted them out again with hot water with the bottle washer before bottling the beer I was hoping this would decently sanitize them since I didn't have the proper time to soak them and sanitize them! I also let the beer sit in the secondary fermenter for about 2 weeks after fermentation to let the sediment fall out good, I'm not sure if that would mess anything up. Anyways should I be seeing bubbles and what's your opinions guys do you think my lack of cleaning and sanitization might of frigged up this batch of beer?
Are you supposed to see bubbles during carbonation process?
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VikeMan
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While proper cleaning and sanitation are important, a less than stellar job of it would not keep carbonation from happening. Also, I wouldn't necessarily expect to see bubbles unless the beer is agitated. And, a week is too soon to be worried anyway.
Thanks alot my guy! Big sigh of relief!
D.B.Moody
Well-Known Member
I'm curious:
1. ! 1/3 cups of priming sugar is a lot. 3/4 cups usual for a 5 gal. batch. How big was your batch? (I'm assuming the sugar was corn sugar and not table sugar.)
2. If you have a dish washer, just run you bottles through it as they're emptied.
1. ! 1/3 cups of priming sugar is a lot. 3/4 cups usual for a 5 gal. batch. How big was your batch? (I'm assuming the sugar was corn sugar and not table sugar.)
2. If you have a dish washer, just run you bottles through it as they're emptied.
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I have beer that has been sitting for two weeks, and they are not fully carbonated yet. Forget the two weeks you see in kit instructions etc, it often takes a month to get full carbonation, even pressure and non "green" tasting beer.
I dont have a dish washer, and this is what the guy at my brew store reccomended to me, actually on the bag of corn sugar I bought it said put 1 1/3 cup aside for priming! I made a 23L batch
VikeMan
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Measuring priming sugar by volume is a crap shoot, because it depends on how much it settles/compacts. For repeatable results, measure by weight and use a priming sugar calculator, like this one:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/Or, if you need a free, integrated brewing software solution, consider giving BrewCipher a shot.
Cleaning can take time, but sanitizing can be real fast. Star San doesn't need to soak for a long time. I use a vinator Vinator Bottle Rinser (northernbrewer.com) . I pump sanitizer into a bottle while filling the one that I just sanitized. I give it half a minute or so in contact with the Star San - most of this time is while the previous bottle is filling. I use the half minute timeframe because Charlie Tallie, inventor of Star San, discussed this in a podcast and stated that 30 seconds is enough.
Cleaning can be done on a daily basis instead of taking a block of time to clean the bottles. I rinse the bottles after pouring. Then pour a bleach solution into each bottle and let it sit overnight - rinse well with hot water the next morning. I use a rate of 2 oz per 5 gallons, scaled down for the amount needed, to allow for some degradation of the bleach.
I'd keep those bottles in a box... in a 3" deep tray... until you get them into the fridge. Just in case...
@bcross Welcome!
Something I do when I bottle is I use a few .5L soda (pop) bottles. As the beer conditions the bottle will get more firm. Feel a new bottle of soda before you open the next one to get an idea of the "firm" feeling. When the plastic bottles get "tight" put ONE in the fridge for a day and then try it. If the bottles aren't yet firm you know you need to give them more time. Then you can judge how the carbing is coming along. I use clear bottles so make sure you keep them in a dark environment to avoid any skunking. Good luck with your brewing.
Cheers,
Joel B.
Something I do when I bottle is I use a few .5L soda (pop) bottles. As the beer conditions the bottle will get more firm. Feel a new bottle of soda before you open the next one to get an idea of the "firm" feeling. When the plastic bottles get "tight" put ONE in the fridge for a day and then try it. If the bottles aren't yet firm you know you need to give them more time. Then you can judge how the carbing is coming along. I use clear bottles so make sure you keep them in a dark environment to avoid any skunking. Good luck with your brewing.
Cheers,
Joel B.
