My swing tops are making me crazy...

[MTimonin]

So, my wife loves this one particular kit, the Brewer's Best Red Ale. I make it every other batch, more or less. This past time, we decided to put it into EZ Cap swing tops, because that means, when we split a bottle for dinner, we each feel like we've got enough beer, but neither of us feel like we got too much. Plus, the bottles look pretty.

Bottling was about two months ago, and for the most part, we were happy with it. Except, right around Thanksgiving, we started opening bottles that were flat. Like, completely flat, no bubbles, no nothing. So, ok, I checked the forums, and found that this is a known issue with EZ Cap bottles. Chalk it up to learning, maybe test them before the next round, and replace seals as needed. The last two bottles that came out flat, we tucked back into the fridge, to use for cooking. Today, I opened one of those for that purpose - and it's not flat! Tiny bubbles! Not a bunch of head, but totally legit carbonation. So - what gives? It was flat like water two days ago.

 

[Owly055]

I use nothing but swing tops........... The trick is to check them during secondary...... if you see a stream of bubbles, it's going to be flat. At that point, pop the top and flip the gasket over and reseal. It's flat anyway at this point so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Another practice that seems to work is to flip the gaskets every time you bottle.

It may NOT be the bottles.......... I think flip tops get blames a lot of times when they are not at fault. If one bottle is flat.... it's the seal. If all of them are flat, it's a problem with your priming.....

H.W.

So, my wife loves this one particular kit, the Brewer's Best Red Ale. I make it every other batch, more or less. This past time, we decided to put it into EZ Cap swing tops, because that means, when we split a bottle for dinner, we each feel like we've got enough beer, but neither of us feel like we got too much. Plus, the bottles look pretty.

Bottling was about two months ago, and for the most part, we were happy with it. Except, right around Thanksgiving, we started opening bottles that were flat. Like, completely flat, no bubbles, no nothing. So, ok, I checked the forums, and found that this is a known issue with EZ Cap bottles. Chalk it up to learning, maybe test them before the next round, and replace seals as needed. The last two bottles that came out flat, we tucked back into the fridge, to use for cooking. Today, I opened one of those for that purpose - and it's not flat! Tiny bubbles! Not a bunch of head, but totally legit carbonation. So - what gives? It was flat like water two days ago.

 

[mrdail87]

How long have you had the bottles? Gaskets are so cheap you could easily replace all of them if you want.

 

[MTimonin]

Well, if all the bottles were flat, I'd say it was probably the priming, but only some of the bottles are flat. I should mention that I have some older bottles and some newer bottles (and, of course, I didn't mark them in anyway, so I have no way of knowing if the old ones or the new ones are at fault, or even which bottles are old or new...) Anyway, yeah, next time I'll test for leaks and re-seal. In the meantime, I suppose I'll just play Russian Roulette each time I open a bottle...

 

[Owly055]

Well, if all the bottles were flat, I'd say it was probably the priming, but only some of the bottles are flat. I should mention that I have some older bottles and some newer bottles (and, of course, I didn't mark them in anyway, so I have no way of knowing if the old ones or the new ones are at fault, or even which bottles are old or new...) Anyway, yeah, next time I'll test for leaks and re-seal. In the meantime, I suppose I'll just play Russian Roulette each time I open a bottle...

You can of course pop the tops, and you will instantly know if they are flat or not. If your head space is normal, you won't lose a significant amount of carbonation........ put a sticker on the flat bottles so you know which ones need new gaskets, or need the gaskets flipped. Or just plan on replacing all the gaskets. I have much better success if I flip gaskets every time.

From now on, take a look every day when your bottles are in secondary. If you see a stream of bubbles in one, chill it and pop it open and flip the gasket. I use clear bottles, so it's pretty easy to see.


H.W.

 

[JohnSand]

You might also try re-priming the flat ones in the bottle. I had a flat bottle of IPA, I added priming sugar and recapped. It's still carbing.

 

[ruralbrew]

I have a dozen liter flip tops and I always flip the gaskets when I fill them. If they look a little worn I just replace them. I have never had one that didn't carbonate. If the bails seem a little loose I will tweak them a bit with a pair of pliers.

 

[riderkb]

I used to have a large collection of swing tops that my father in law collected in the early 90's. The ones that still have soft gaskets without cracks can be sealed by bending the bail to get a little more sealing force. Sometimes you can find a batch of gaskets that is a little thicker than the stock part.

Try carbing the questionable bottles on their sides, like wine bottles. Some leaks are small enough that the liquid's surface tension is enough to seal them.

 

[Melana]

I've got two 2L growlers with flip tops (hopefully) carbing up right now. It's been two weeks and i'm praying for carbonated beer. It was the beer on top of a starter I made for a large batch.

 

[Owly055]

I've got two 2L growlers with flip tops (hopefully) carbing up right now. It's been two weeks and i'm praying for carbonated beer. It was the beer on top of a starter I made for a large batch.

I would be afraid of bottle conditioning in flip top growlers....... I'm not at all confident of their pressure capacity........ When bottling kombucha, I use a rubber band to hold the bail down instead of latching it. I just loop it through the bail with a half hitch, and run the band under the bottle using size 64 rubber bands......... This is a good safety, and allows them to relieve at about 30 psi on a 1L EzCap bottle. I end up with nicely carbed booch, and no danger of bottle bombs. Beer doesn't worry me......... I know exactly what I'm getting. But I would really be uncomfortable with growlers. EzCap bottles are good to over 100 psi.... what's a flip top growler good for?

H.W.