losing carbonation when beer gets too cold

[reibrew]

hey everyone,

i brewed a batch of beer and bottled them in brown bpa screw top bottles. Left them to carbonate for about 2.5 weeks and popped one in the fridge. when the bottle went in it was firm to the squeeze, however after it was chilled for a day the bottle was notably squishier and the beer had no head and was flat. I put another bottle in but only left it a couple hours in the fridge, it was cool but not really cold and it seemed fine.

I haven't drank enough to find out if it was just a bad bottle, however I don't think it is. In previous batches I've been fine getting the bottles really cold, any suggestions? Am I doing something wrong? This beer seems less carbonated then my previous (first ever) brew.

Thanks!

 

[solbes]

The CO2 will go into solution much easier when it gets cold. Thats why the bottles aren't as firm.

Before you start to worry about under carbonating this batch, I would give it another week or two in a warm place (70F preferrably). Then put one in the fridge for 2-3 days. It sometimes takes awhile for all of the CO2 to go into solution.

 

[pwndabear]

from what you said, you may have had a bad bottle or you may have not put enough primer into your batch when you bottled.
judging from the fact that the second bottle you put in was perfectly fine, i would say you had a bad bottle.

 

[unionrdr]

Likely not a bad bottle. I have the Cooper's PET bottles with screw caps in case I need'em left from my micro brew kit. The screw caps have to be gorilla tight,so when chilled they stay tightly sealed. That's the problem. I noticed even steeljan recognized the need to get'em so tight you almost can't unscrew them. dito here. It sounds like the caps aren't evenly re-tightened after filling. They must be rediculously tight to hold co2 pressure.

 

[DroolingNeoBrewery]

I have used plastic for years with soda and beer. unless you are reusing pop bottles you don't need to tighten them with pliers [small embellishment, i actually use one of those rubber grip mats to do it]. The issue here is the 2.5 weeks = not long enough particularly if you used something like carb drops/tabs. I would wait 3-4 weeks, longer if you can. my first beer took 5 weeks to reach peak carb levels, second with a lower gravity took about 4. both stay carbed even after more than a week in the fridge. give the yeast more time, go the beer store and get some research materials in the mean time. I don't know if you can get them back east but Howe Sound Brewery http://www.howesound.com/brewery/beers.aspx has some great craft brews that come in reusable 1 litre swing top bottles. this is pretty much the only thing i buy at the store now. the rest of my bought beer comes in growlers from the local brew pub.

 

[unionrdr]

I never used pliers on the screw caps. You tighten them down after filling,place in there box. Then go back & check them. Sure enough,another half turn or so was needed to get them properly tightened. I'm talking about PET beer bottles here with new caps. They won't hold co2 pressure if not really tight. And when I used Cooper's carb drops,it was 3 weeks minimum to get decent carbonation. But I always follow the 3 week minimum rule anyway. I've learned better,whether carb drops or bulk priming.

 

[DroolingNeoBrewery]

I never used pliers on the screw caps. You tighten them down after filling,place in there box. Then go back & check them. Sure enough,another half turn or so was needed to get them properly tightened. I'm talking about PET beer bottles here with new caps. They won't hold co2 pressure if not really tight. And when I used Cooper's carb drops,it was 3 weeks minimum to get decent carbonation. But I always follow the 3 week minimum rule anyway. I've learned better,whether carb drops or bulk priming.

I do the same with PET beer bottles, but I think snug is more than enough. maybe different cabs, the caps I get from my lhbs have a rubberish insert (because of this I don't reuse them).

 

[unionrdr]

My whole point is,the caps have to be screwed down to where they can't be tightened anymore. Because when they're chilled,materials contract,thus becoming a bit looser. I think that was part of the problem.

 

[Biobrewer]

Before you start to worry about under carbonating this batch, I would give it another week or two in a warm place (70F preferrably). Then put one in the fridge for 2-3 days. It sometimes takes awhile for all of the CO2 to go into solution.

OR you can make a modest investment of $200, get a Blichmann Beer Gun, a couple kegs, and a CO2 tank, and never worry about bottle carbonation ever again. It may seem like a lot of money, but once you spend it, you will be happy you did. Bottle has never been so easy!

 

[reibrew]

This is the third time I've used these bottles, what is the typical life of the caps/bottles? I'd imagine the caps would need replacing every so often.

I also checked and I bottled them march 16th, so it's not even 3 weeks yet.

 

[DroolingNeoBrewery]

This is the third time I've used these bottles, what is the typical life of the caps/bottles? I'd imagine the caps would need replacing every so often.

I also checked and I bottled them march 16th, so it's not even 3 weeks yet.

I wouldn't reuse the caps for beer (soda yes if being cheap), once you seal the caps the plastic ring or plastic/rubber seal gets compressed/dented/crushed and wont really seal the same again. if your reusing caps that could be the issue.

 

[unionrdr]

The guys on the Cooper's forums say they get 5-6 uses out of the caps before replacing them. I haven't used those bottles that many times yet. But the seals don't get drushed as much as one would think. Even the Cooper's tech guy says pretty much the same thing.

 

[reibrew]

So here's an update, today is 3 weeks since bottling. Bottles are in the fridge and are still really solid, enjoyed a beer last night chilled and it turned out great.

I'm guessing I just didn't leave them long enough to carb. I also shook all the bottles around when I found the first one to be flat; might have helped.

On a few bottles I noticed a slight bulge in the plastic cap - perhaps a little too carbed now?

This is my third batch with these bottles, im hoping to get at least 5 uses as caps are around 10c each.

On a related note; given I'm Canadian; where's a good spot to pick up more pet bottles? Preferably 500ml as that would fit my glasses perfectly.

Thanks for all the replies. As usual, the answer was more time