Random flat bottles

[dae06]

My brother-in-Law and I brewed our first batch about a month ago. This last week we were letting others try our beer. Out of 9 bottles, we found 7 that were totally flat and two with very good head. 7 of the 9 were at my house stored upright. (2 good and 5 flat)

The other 2 were at my brother-in-laws, laying on there sides. Both of his were flat, yet no fluid leaked out making me think there was not a problem in the capping process.

The first 12 or so bottles we tried a week ago were fine.

Any ideas as to why a random problem with flat beer?

 

[McGarnigle]

It could be a problem with capping if they were not entirely tight. Air can escape when liquid cannot. If you used miscellaneous empties, were some screw tops, or something like that?

Also, what was your priming procedure? Maybe the sugar didn't evenly mix into the beer.

 

[DavidSteel]

You probably didn't mix your priming sugar in well and thus got some super carb beers and some non/little carb beers. Other than that, you may not have waited long enough for the co2 to go back into the beer.

 

[dae06]

You and I think alike. I'm not sure how to fix the capping problem if this is what is causing the problem. We tried very hard to make them cap correctly.

No screw on caps were used.

Regarding the priming. We did stir in the priming sugar mix, but we did not stir throughout the bottling. I was told by the fellow who sells the kits that this may have been the problem. We will stir a couple of time during the bottling this time to make sure it is evenly spread throughout the beer.

 

[thelastdandy]

for what its worth, i've never stirred during bottling to avoid oxidization. i just boil the priming sugar in about a litre or so of water and add it to the bottling bucket before i start to siphon the brew into the bucket. it seems to always mix in for me fine with out stirring up the brew.

 

[McGarnigle]

As last dandy says, you can let the swirl of the siphoning do the work for you. That's probably a lot better than pouring priming sugar liquid in and stirring.

Another issue would be whether you put all the bottles in the fridge before drinking. Chilling helps CO2 dissolve. If some bottles were at room temp the whole time, maybe just chilled a bit before serving, that could work against you.

 

[ian-atx]

I do the same as thelastdandy; boil sugar in a pint or so of water for a few minutes then dump that in the bottling bucket. Then rack on top of that, usually the hose from the siphon is up against the side of the bucket (think of it coiled at the bottom) and when the beer flows in, causes it to whirl around and will mix well.

Did you make sure the bottles were not screw top bottles? Even if you have pry off caps, screw top bottles can sometimes make for a crap seal.

 

[dae06]

As last dandy says, you can let the swirl of the siphoning do the work for you. That's probably a lot better than pouring priming sugar liquid in and stirring.

Another issue would be whether you put all the bottles in the fridge before drinking. Chilling helps CO2 dissolve. If some bottles were at room temp the whole time, maybe just chilled a bit before serving, that could work against you.

I'll make sure to get the priming sugar mix well next time to eliminate that possibility.

As far as putting the bottles in the fridge: I put them in to cool down the night before. Is that a poblem? I assume most everyone here likes cold beer and puts them in the fridge before drinking them..

ian-atx: I use Corona bottles that are not screw off tops. I think dark bottles are recommended, but why is that?

 

[PatMac]

What type of sugar did you use? What temperature were the bottles carbonating in?

 

[bce22]

ian-atx: I use Corona bottles that are not screw off tops. I think dark bottles are recommended, but why is that?

There is nothing wrong with Clear (or green) bottles, as long as you keep them out of the light. Light will cause your beer to skunk. It can happen in a brown glass bottle as well, but it is more likely to happen in a clear or green bottle.

Keep them covered and out of the light and your beer will be great.

I also agree that you will have better luck to simply make up your sugar solution and pour it into your bottling bucket and then siphon on top of that. This will mix the sugar into your beer evenly and you'll never have the same issue again.

 

[TipsyDragon]

i know exactly what the problem was. you didn't wait long enough.


what was the temp you stored the bottles at? 74-ish?

you HAVE to chill your bottles at least 24 hours before serving or you will get a beer shower when you open the bottles. typically i chill mine for a week before serving. it gives the yeast time to settle out and pack tightly on the bottom of the bottle.

like the Sam Addams commercial says clear bottles don't block UV rays and skunk your beer. brown bottles block almost all of it. but if you keep your bottles in the dark then you really have nothing to worry about.

 

[PatMac]

The dark bottles are recommended to avoid light getting to the beer.

When light hits and interacts with the hops in the beer it creates a chemical byproduct that is identical to that of skunk's spray. Hence the term "skunky beer".

With clear bottles the beer can easily be exposed to light if they're not stored in a dark place. The darker bottles help protect the beer from the evil light rays.

 

[dae06]

What type of sugar did you use? What temperature were the bottles carbonating in?

Boy, I don't have the sugar next to me right now, but it was what the place I bought the kit from sold me.

The bottles were carbonating in a ~65-70 degree room. My houses room temperature.

I love the quick responses I get on this forum.

 

[klyph]

Try leaving them in the fridge for a few days to let the CO2 infuse into the beer.

 

[lunchbox]

Could this also be a problem with sanitation? For example, if bleach was used, could it kill the yeast if it wasn't cleared out before bottling?

 

[dae06]

i know exactly what the problem was. you didn't wait long enough.


what was the temp you stored the bottles at? 74-ish?

you HAVE to chill your bottles at least 24 hours before serving or you will get a beer shower when you open the bottles. typically i chill mine for a week before serving. it gives the yeast time to settle out and pack tightly on the bottom of the bottle.

like the Sam Addams commercial says clear bottles don't block UV rays and skunk your beer. brown bottles block almost all of it. but if you keep your bottles in the dark then you really have nothing to worry about.

The bottles were in the fridge close to 24 hours, but I didn't get a beer shower, I got flat beer.

As far a the clear bottles. I do keep them in a dark room in the closed case that the original bottles came in.

LOL, I can't keep up to all of the responses, I love it.

 

[dae06]

Could this also be a problem with sanitation? For example, if bleach was used, could it kill the yeast if it wasn't cleared out before bottling?

We did use the sanitizer powder that came with the kit and mixed a solution and clean everything real well, but you never know. Nothing was used other than that and the cleaner prior to the sanitizer.

Can someone explain to me about needing to be in the fridge for 24+ hours before drinking? Will the bottles be too carbonated or under carbonated if they are not cooled long enough?

 

[bce22]

I don't recall seeing how long it's been since bottling your beer. The minimum is 3 weeks at 70F and the bigger the beer (higher the OG) the longer it can take to carb. If you haven't already check out Revvy's blog at:

http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/

 

[lunchbox]

We did use the sanitizer powder that came with the kit and mixed a solution and clean everything real well, but you never know. Nothing was used other than that and the cleaner prior to the sanitizer.

That stuff is probably the no-rinse sanitizer. That should be fine.
Can someone explain to me about needing to be in the fridge for 24+ hours before drinking? Will the bottles be too carbonated or under carbonated if they are not cooled long enough?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it forces the carbonation into the beer, instead of resting in the "head space" area.

 

[dae06]

I don't recall seeing how long it's been since bottling your beer. The minimum is 3 weeks at 70F and the bigger the beer (higher the OG) the longer it can take to carb. If you haven't already check out Revvy's blog at:

http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/

Sorry, we bottled about 5 weeks ago.

 

[bce22]

I'm going to guess that the simplest solution is most probably the correct solution. So i will say that if most of the bottles are carbed than the ones that are flat were either not capped correctly or you didn't get the priming sugar in the bottles.

Maybe someone else can chime in, but you might be able to get away with this:

1. buy some carb drops from your LHBS.
2. Place some beers in the fridge.
3. IF carbed...enjoy
4. IF not carbed add carb drop and recap
5. Store bottle for 3 weeks at 70F
6. Try again in 3 weeks

 

[dae06]

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Sorry for the novice questions, but here is another one:

After I bottle, the beer needs to sit in room temp (~70 degrees) for a least a week. Can the bottles sit at room temp for an unlimited amount of time and then chilled for at least 24 hours before drinking?

After the week or so in room temp., can the they be left in a fridge for a long time or is it better to leave them in room temp up until a few days before I drink them?

I hope this makes sense to you.

 

[BigB]

I would leave them at room temperature for 3 weeks. Then move them to the fridge at least 24 hours before serving. Although I had beers carb up beautifully in 7 days, that is cutting it close. Besides, a longer rest in the bottle will give a better tasting beer.

 

[lunchbox]

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Sorry for the novice questions, but here is another one:

After I bottle, the beer needs to sit in room temp (~70 degrees) for a least a week. Can the bottles sit at room temp for an unlimited amount of time and then chilled for at least 24 hours before drinking?

After the week or so in room temp., can the they be left in a fridge for a long time or is it better to leave them in room temp up until a few days before I drink them?

I hope this makes sense to you.

Some have differing opinions on this. Most say that it should bottle condition for a MINIMUM of a few weeks. I've heard that however long it fermented, it should bottle condition. Of course bigger beers might take longer. After that time, you should put it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

As far as how long... that depends. Some beers should be consumed fairly quickly (not within days mind you... but months) like an IPA due to the hops basically having a half-life. Other beers can get better with age, and might take over a year to truly get fully conditioned.