Odd noob carbonation question

[Pasta]

So my first batch has been in bottles at about 70 degrees for 4 weeks. When I bottled I put it all in 12 oz bottles except for one 16 or 20 oz brown plastic root beer bottle to see when carbonation started. I tried a bottle at 2 and again at 3 weeks and they were flat. No biggie. I bottled my second batch the other day and emptied the plastic root beer bottle so I could use it again. The beer in the plastic was actually carbonated and not bad. I got stoked and threw a 6 pack in the fridge and tried a bottle yesterday and it was flat. So the question is, would there be a reason for beer to carbonate quicker in plastic or was it a fluke? Is it normal for some bottles to carbonate quicker than others? And if a bottle is lightly carbonated at room temperature will it be less carbonated when cold?

 

[flars]

The bottles should carbonate evenly no matter what they are made of.
The yeast produce CO2 as they use up the priming sugar solution. The CO2 first fills the headspace which creates the pressure in the bottle. Chilling the beer for a few days forces the CO2 into solution.

The beer will carbonate as long as the bottle caps do not leak. The bottles will carbonate equally if the priming sugar solution was mixed evenly throughout the bottling bucket.

Bottle conditioning at 70° to 75° is ideal. Full carbonation will take longer at cooler temperatures.

 

[Pasta]

Got it. I'm wondering if the plastic bottle could have carbed sooner because it had less head space? I think I'm going to move my bottles into a smaller room with a portable heater.

 

[max384]

If the plastic bottle with what I presume is a screw-on cap carbonated just fine and the glass bottles didn't, I wonder if maybe you didn't cap the bottles correctly, and they're leaking CO2. Were they all stored in the same place?

If they're not carbonating at 70°, they're not going to carbonate with a heater next to them either.

 

[Pasta]

I don't think I capped them improperly, they're holding pressure. It's weird, I checked some glass bottled ones and they're carbed fine at room temperature and have a nice head, but after chilling in the fridge they're barely carbed. There's some carbonation but not as much and it doesn't foam when poured. I'm guessing they just need more time, but is it normal that they'd appear more carbed at room temperature than at fridge temp?

 

[JoppaFarms]

Did you make sure to rack ON TOP of the bottling/priming sugar? Did you give it a swirl after racking to make sure it was properly mixed? In my first few attempts at bottling, the first 12 or so bottles ended up over carbonated, the last 12 ended up rather flat. I think it was because the priming sugar was not evenly mixed in the bottling bucket. This could be one reason, although you would have some bottles carbonated by now. Just a thought, but my vote is on incorrect capping.

 

[flars]

I don't think I capped them improperly, they're holding pressure. It's weird, I checked some glass bottled ones and they're carbed fine at room temperature and have a nice head, but after chilling in the fridge they're barely carbed. There's some carbonation but not as much and it doesn't foam when poured. I'm guessing they just need more time, but is it normal that they'd appear more carbed at room temperature than at fridge temp?

This may happen because CO2 is released more easily from a warm solution than the chilled one. Another day of refrigeration may give you the head retention you are looking for.

 

[max384]

I don't think I capped them improperly, they're holding pressure. It's weird, I checked some glass bottled ones and they're carbed fine at room temperature and have a nice head, but after chilling in the fridge they're barely carbed. There's some carbonation but not as much and it doesn't foam when poured. I'm guessing they just need more time, but is it normal that they'd appear more carbed at room temperature than at fridge temp?

You either didn't cap some of them correctly or you didn't stir the priming sugar well enough. I can't see any other possibilities here being likely.

 

[Pasta]

I poured the priming solution into the bottling bucket after about 1/2 gallon had transferred. I didn't stir it, I figured the flow from the siphon tube would do that. I'll do it next time.

How are some ways I could cap incorrectly? It seems so simple I don't see how it's even possible. I'm using a hand held cap press, basically has two handles you push down on. I mean, cap goes on the bottle, press goes on that, and it crimps the edges. It seems like it's either on or it's not.

 

[Pasta]

And like I said before, it's foamy at room temperature, so wouldn't the cap have to be doing its job for that to happen?

 

[JoppaFarms]

Is it carbonated at room temp? Or just foamy and flat once the head dissipates?

If it's just foamy then I suspect you just have a very slow carbonation going and the CO2 isn't in suspension yet, it is just filling the headspace in the bottle. Only solution for that is time.

 

[jjw5015]

What was your O.G.? That will affect carbonation time. This sounds like the beers need to be refridgerated longer for the C02 to drop into solution. I don't stir my priming sugar in. I just add it little by little as the bucket fills up and have never had bottle bombs or flat beer.

 

[Pasta]

I came in under volume from the start so my OG was pretty high, about 1.080. So I guess it makes sense it will be a slow carbonation. Am I right in thinking it only really carbonates at room temp, and then in the fridge a while it forces it into solution, so it still could need more time at room temp? Man, I think I'm going to just start kegging haha.

Oh, and it was lightly carbonated, not just foamy. And I just pulled another bottle from the fridge and it was a little better.

 

[TheBrewingBear]

Am I right in thinking it only really carbonates at room temp, and then in the fridge a while it forces it into solution, so it still could need more time at room temp?

Basically, yes.

If you would like the beer to carbonate more, the best thing to do would be to wait. The last batch I bottled was undercarbed at 1 month. It got to where I like it at the 2 month mark. My temps were a bit on the cool side at about 65 degrees +/-.

Higher gravity beers generally take more time to carb. The yeast in suspension won't be as vigorous as a lower gravity beer. They may take up to 6 months in some cases.

I'd recommend brewing another batch. Homebrewing is all about having something in the pipeline, so you don't run dry. Plus it'll give you something else to do while you wait for your bottles to carb up to your liking.

Good luck!

 

[ubnserved]

I have only bottled leftovers from the keg.. and this is the reason why.
Kegging is so much less work and you can get the proper carbonation in a very short time. Plus you don't have to open a beer that is not ready to find out if it is ready.

PS: For all of those that open those beers that are not ready and still want to enjoy them the way they are supposed to be a little trick I discovered is if you have a soda stream you can add carbonation to it using it.
Pour you beer into an oversized mug. If you beer is suppose to have a big head use a bigger mug. Hold the mug under the soda stream with the straw submerged in the beer. One very short burst will carb a semi flat 12 oz beer. If that is not enough wait for you head to settle and repeat process. I used this trick one night when my gas ran out and didn't realize it.