Brand new brewer with bottle problem

[wdon18]

Brewed a blonde ale and a cider. Bottled and conditioned most in Grolsh bottles I bought used. Put a couple in new flip top bottles and a couple in PET bottles. Drank the PET and new flip tops and they were great. The ones in the used Grolsh bottles are flat and the beer taste off. I will buy new seals for used bottles but it’s been over a month. Is there a way to save the rest of beer and cider?

 

[Rish]

Probably not. Could be the off taste is oxidation. You could try carefully moving it to your other bottles and add more priming sugar to each bottle to see how it turns out. Won't take much to do that and you might get lucky!

 

[hotbeer]

The green Grolsh bottles? Just like clear bottles, they aren't the best if you store your bottles in the light. Brown is considered the best. Regardless of color I always keep my bottles where it's dark. If you kept yours out of the light too, then that's unlikely to be the issue for you at the moment.

Usually the tast from bottles being in the light is skunky. If your taste is more cardboard or just lack of taste, then might be oxidation.

Some people like the swing top bottles. I prefer crown capped bottles. And certainly the screw top pet bottles are an option too.

Flat after weeks of carbonation time will probably be a seal leaking if you just didn't mess up with your priming sugar somehow.

 

[wdon18]

Priming sugar in bucket. So all bottles got same sugar, I think. But sounds like I may get a good bottle or two. Go often should I replace flip- top gaskets??

 

[RM-MN]

Priming sugar in bucket. So all bottles got same sugar, I think. But sounds like I may get a good bottle or two. Go often should I replace flip- top gaskets??

Unless you stir the sugar solution in the bucket it is quite possible to get poor mixing. I have had some bottles that have perfect or adequate carbonation while others of the same batch are overcarbonated.

 

[Beernik]

The rubber gaskets aren’t a matter of how long they last, it’s a matter of storage. If they are stored open & in a cool, dry place, the gaskets can last over a decade.

When I bottle, I put the sugar in first & then rack in the beer. It results in better mixing without needing to stir.