From over carbed to no carb in a month.

[Matt3989]

Hi guys, I brewed an American ale partial mash a couple months ago, and the first bottles turned out great, but pretty heady (I had to pour half of it in a glad and wait ten minutes to poor the rest in), but now, there is no carbonation at all, and it tastes like cardboard....flat cardboard.

Do you think that's just bad crowns? I used the same bottle/sanitation method/Capper as always. But it was a partial mash kit from a LHBS and it came with it's own caps.

 

[mrduna01]

The cardboard taste is most likely oxidation which makes sence since your bottles are flat... Caps didn't seal well it sounds like.

 

[RIC0]

I believe that is caused by oxidation someone would have to keep me honest here.

Grab a bottle or two and see if you can twist a cap with your hand. Also did you leave too much headspace in the bottles??

 

[Matt3989]

No more head space than usual, I always bottle with a bottling wand, so it keeps things pretty consistent.

 

[Rowdy]

how old is your capper? those red winged plastic guys are meant to be replaced after they wear out..

 

[Matt3989]

Not very old... Maybe 200 bottles through it. Although I've been looking for a corker/Capper anyway, so I can cork some sparkling mead, that may be my next investment

 

[homebrewdad]

Cardboard = oxidation. Combine this with flat beer, and I'd agree - check those caps.

 

[ludomonster]

I remember listening to Jamil Z. talk about how he burned through a wing capper at his brewery. The wing capper works better on some bottles than others.

 

[unionrdr]

The bell in the capper can be replaced. You don't need to replace the whole capper. It's the bell that gets stretched out & doesn't squeeze as tight as it wears out. Even if you can't quite turn them,they can leak under pressure. I've found grainy yeast & crusty stuff around & under the lip of the bottles after removing the cap. Gotta get a new bell for the capper & soak the lips of all the bottles clean.
My currant theory is that the crud is building up,however thinly,on the lip area of the bottles. Enough to where it slowly allows co2 to escape when a certain psi level is reached. Compounded By the caps being very slightly loose from the bell begining to wear.
It's easy to tell which bottles don't work with a wing capper. The lil bottle neck grippers don't grip the odd shaped neck properly,& they get hung up on the edge of the now crimped cap. I have to pull a little section of the crimped edge up a bit to get it off. Smithwick's & saporro are 2 of these.

 

[Matt3989]

Alright thanks for all the help, I'll give that a shot