Random bottles don't carb

[GreyRaven]

I've been reading through threads looking for information, sorry if this seems repetitive.

I'm using wire top bottles that are similar to EZ Cap, but about $10 less per case from my LHBS. I like the bottles overall, but I have had two batches of Belgian in these bottles where the occasional bottle doesn't carbonate. I'm losing about 35% of my batch to this problem (I really don't like flat beer, even when the wort tastes good). I take care to stir my primed wort before bottling, and re-stir it every few bottles to try and prevent the priming sugar from settling or being uneven. I think I'm getting it evenly dispersed.

I noticed the swing tops don't always seat directly in the center. After the first batch I came to the conclusion that this was the issue. On the second batch I took more care to line up the caps before locking down the bail. Fewer bad bottles so far, but I still have the problem. My very few EZ Cap bottles work flawlessly thus far, which gets me thinking about the difference in the rubber used for the gasket.

Any wisdom to help me get a more consistent bottling using these bottles? I want to give away a few bottles to family and friends but I worry that I will hand out a faulty one.

 

[ol-hazza]

I'm gonna guess that the problem is with the rubber gasket, replace them all (or just those that you identify as not working).

They are probably old and brittle.

 

[slym2none]

Random "You should keg, bottling sucks!" comment in 3... 2... 1...

 

[GreyRaven]

Random "You should keg, bottling sucks!" comment in 3... 2... 1...

LOL I would love to keg, but I'm just a poor boy, from a poor family... Dang, now that song is stuck in my head.

 

[slym2none]

Heh, sorry about that. It's just that any time someone mentions they are having troubles with bottles, someone almost always comes in and says "This is why you should keg..." and it gets a little tiresome. I know I don't go into kegging-only threads and and talk about how bottles are better in my opinion, yet I expected it here.

I am glad it didn't happen, and I am sorry for messing up your thread.

 

[joshesmusica]

What size batch are you working with here? Are you racking onto the priming sugar in a bottling bucket? Are you creating a bit of a whirlpool motion when you're doing this? I'm sure there will be plenty with evidence as to how they stir the beer (by the way once fermentation has started its no longer wort, it's beer. So even if it's uncarbonated, it's still beer), you're just begging for oxidation.

If it a smaller batch a little stirring won't likely do you in, but I would advise you to go very slow and don't splash at all.

I would say that if the sugars were dissolved unevenly, you other bottles would be overcarbed. If this isn't the case, it's likely bad gaskets.

 

[GreyRaven]

Heh, sorry about that. It's just that any time someone mentions they are having troubles with bottles, someone almost always comes in and says "This is why you should keg..." and it gets a little tiresome. I know I don't go into kegging-only threads and and talk about how bottles are better in my opinion, yet I expected it here.

I am glad it didn't happen, and I am sorry for messing up your thread.

No worries, I completely understand where you're coming from.

 

[GreyRaven]

I'm doing 5 gallon batches. I'll keep your advice in mind to make sure I don't oxygenate the beer when priming. I think that replacing the gaskets is the next step in troubleshooting. A set of 100 gaskets at the LHBS is only a few bucks. I think I'll start marking the "bad" bottles and see if swapping the gaskets changes things up.

Thanks all.

 

[Beernik]

I'm gonna guess that the problem is with the rubber gasket, replace them all (or just those that you identify as not working).

They are probably old and brittle.

I agree with this.

The next one that you open that is flat, inspect the gasket. It probably has a bunch of little cracks in it. I pull the gaskets off whenever I find a flat bottle.

With proper storage (open and in a cool, dry place) gaskets can last a really longtime. But they still wear out. A bag on new gaskets cost about the same as a bag of bottle caps.

 

[Grantman1]

Random "You should keg, bottling sucks!" comment in 3... 2... 1...

You should keg, bottling sucks!

 

[slym2none]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahafacepalm.