Carbonation question

[phil74501]

My beer seems a bit under carbonated. Maybe it's just me, but I expected more foam than what I'm getting. I haven't had any gushers after having gone through about 15 of 50 bottles. I used 5 ounces of corn sugar for 5 gallons of beer. The ones I've poured have little if any foam/head on them. I poured the sugar/water mixture into a bottle bucket, then racked the beer onto it. I attached a pic of one freshly poured into a glass.

 

[Gavin C]

How long have they been conditioning in the bottles, and at what temperature. these are the keys.

what was the OG and FG. Higher ABV brews will take longer to optimally carbonate as will bottles stored cooler.

 

[Hex23]

Not only will higher ABV brews take longer to carb, I've also seen them have issues with head retention. 5 oz of corn sugar would actually be quite a lot for a typical 5 gallon batch.

 

[phil74501]

It's a Hefewiezen. OG was around 1.049, FG was 1.010. They've been in the bottles a month. Temp was 70ish.

 

[Gavin C]

That would suggest a leak in the caps. You should be getting a very high and to style level of carbonation with a hefeweizen with 5oz I think. A thick rocky head should be present in part because of the wheat.

Test a bottle for a leak, would be my next step.

A month at 70F for a Hefe should give correct carbonation.

 

[phil74501]

I used the oxygen absorbing caps. The capper left a small circular indention in the caps. I think the capper is called a Calonna or Ferrari, something Italian sounding. I was worried it was capping them too hard. How do I test for a cap leak?

 

[Hex23]

Not a perfect test, but if you can spin the cap by hand then it will probably leak.

 

[Cider123]

psst, start kegging

 

[Natdavis777]

psst, start kegging

I like your style

 

[Subdivisions]

Another possibility is that your priming sugar didn't get evenly mixed in the batch. If you find a couple bottles down the line that seem well or overly carbed then that would verify that issue. Have they been refrigerated for at least a day or two before opening? That helps the CO2 go back into suspension in the beer

 

[phil74501]

psst, start kegging

Only problem with that is, I give a bunch of it away. Already given away 2 six packs of it.

 

[phil74501]

Another possibility is that your priming sugar didn't get evenly mixed in the batch. If you find a couple bottles down the line that seem well or overly carbed then that would verify that issue. Have they been refrigerated for at least a day or two before opening? That helps the CO2 go back into suspension in the beer

I did think of that. I siphoned into a bottling bucket that had the priming sugar in it. I read somewhere that that was the best way to mix it. I have refrigerated the bottles for at least one day. I think warm beer is scuzzy...apologies to the Germans in the audience.

 

[Gavin C]

How do I test for a cap leak?

Shake a bottle up and place it under water with the cap up. Ifthere is a leak and any CO2 remaining in suspension after this amount of time you might see some bubbles.

I'm not sure if that's the best way but it is what I would do. Seems like the most likely problem.

It is possible the priming sugar solution did not mix well. The method you used sounds like the correct way to batch prime. Just be sure when racking beer onto the priming solution to place a coil of the tubing in the bottom of the bucket. This allows a gentle subsurface mixing of solutions. You do not want to stir.

 

[Cider123]

Only problem with that is, I give a bunch of it away. Already given away 2 six packs of it.

True, if you give away a lot then bottling lends itself to that. You can still give it away, you just fill the bottles from the tap. Of course, they will need to drink it much sooner. I have a bottle filler, which is a racking cane shoved into a party tap, but I usually just stick the bottle under the tap. If they get half foam and half beer, then too bad, they still got their money's worth.

 

[Gavin C]

Bottling from a keg is no problem. Bottled beer will last just as long in good shape if it is done correctly. I've had some bottled this way for months. No problems. Just as good as day 1.

Check this thread out for more info.

Don't give up on bottling. It works well in most instances.

Any update on the caps.

 

[Skiffy]

Is it actually not carbonated or is it just not the head you are expecting? If there's no carbonation then there is a leak or the yeast is dead or you are not measuring the sugar correctly. Pretty much no alternatives. If there is just less head than expected then there is a whole slew of potential causes that are process driven from cleaning methods to recipe. It appears to be an extract brew from your pic which would help eliminate some potential causes due to any mash errors.

 

[phil74501]

Is it actually not carbonated or is it just not the head you are expecting? If there's no carbonation then there is a leak or the yeast is dead or you are not measuring the sugar correctly. Pretty much no alternatives. If there is just less head than expected then there is a whole slew of potential causes that are process driven from cleaning methods to recipe. It appears to be an extract brew from your pic which would help eliminate some potential causes due to any mash errors.

It is carbonated, just not as much head as I expected. I assumed the head was from carbonation. It is from an LME.

 

[phil74501]

Bottling from a keg is no problem. Bottled beer will last just as long in good shape if it is done correctly. I've had some bottled this way for months. No problems. Just as good as day 1.

Check this thread out for more info.

Don't give up on bottling. It works well in most instances.

Any update on the caps.

I tried the cap/water you suggested. No bubbles at all.

Sorry it took awhile. Been busy this morning.

 

[Skiffy]

It is carbonated, just not as much head as I expected. I assumed the head was from carbonation. It is from an LME.

The head is from carbonation but also from other factors, which go a little above my head. Probably best for somebody else to explain or you can do some research.

Forgetting about the head, is the liquid carbonated to the level you expect or just a small amount? Does the head appear and then disappear quickly? Is this a problem with all your brews or just this one?

 

[phil74501]

The head is from carbonation but also from other factors, which go a little above my head. Probably best for somebody else to explain or you can do some research.

Forgetting about the head, is the liquid carbonated to the level you expect or just a small amount? Does the head appear and then disappear quickly? Is this a problem with all your brews or just this one?

The carbonation level is fine. No real head ever appears. Like that pic I posted. Just a small amount of foam on top, and that's it. This is my first beer batch, so nothing else to compare it to.

 

[Skiffy]

The carbonation level is fine. No real head ever appears. Like that pic I posted. Just a small amount of foam on top, and that's it. This is my first beer batch, so nothing else to compare it to.

Ah now we are getting somewhere. Based on what I know, this can be recipe driven or sanitation driven. Most recipe problems come during complications of all grain brewing. What did you do to the bottles as far as cleaning and sanitizing?

 

[doug293cz]

Any residual soap or oils in packaging equipment, bottles or serving glasses can be head killers. Use Oxi-clean, PBW or similar to clean your beer stuff. Never any soap or detergent. Rinse thoroughly with plain hot water prior to sanitizing. If surfaces feel slippery at all, then they were not rinsed well enough.

Brew on

 

[phil74501]

Ah now we are getting somewhere. Based on what I know, this can be recipe driven or sanitation driven. Most recipe problems come during complications of all grain brewing. What did you do to the bottles as far as cleaning and sanitizing?

The bottles were new, so therefore clean. All I did was dunk them in warm water, give them a quick bottle brushing, and let them dry. When dried I gave them a shot of star san. They sat on a bottle drying tree for a day or two. When I bottled, I gave them another shot of star san. I bought one of those things that sits on top of the tree that squirts the star san into the bottles. So is that the problem? I didn't clean them well enough?

 

[aprichman]

The bottles were new, so therefore clean. All I did was dunk them in warm water, give them a quick bottle brushing, and let them dry. When dried I gave them a shot of star san. They sat on a bottle drying tree for a day or two. When I bottled, I gave them another shot of star san. I bought one of those things that sits on top of the tree that squirts the star san into the bottles. So is that the problem? I didn't clean them well enough?

A lot of new glassware will have residual oils and other byproducts from fabrication. I would give them a good soak in bleach water or a PBW mix which should help dissolve anything that might be in there.

 

[Hex23]

The bottles were new, so therefore clean. All I did was dunk them in warm water, give them a quick bottle brushing, and let them dry. When dried I gave them a shot of star san. They sat on a bottle drying tree for a day or two. When I bottled, I gave them another shot of star san. I bought one of those things that sits on top of the tree that squirts the star san into the bottles. So is that the problem? I didn't clean them well enough?

Also consider the glassware you're pouring into.

 

[slym2none]

psst, start kegging

Or, OP, save a couple hundred bucks and get your bottling technique down right.