First Brew: Mixed Results, Suggestions Welcome!

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JayHawkeBrewer
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First Brew: Mixed Results, Suggestions Welcome!

#1 Post by JayHawkeBrewer » Tue Oct 08, 2013 1:49 pm

So we brewed and bottled our first beer about a month ago, a Autumn Amber Ale Extract kit. 3 weeks in the bottle, and we are getting mixed results. Some bottle have no carbonation, some have a TON. Some bottles have great taste, some taste off, with a "dishwater" taste. I know we might not have mixed the corn sugar well enough, or left a dirty bottle (or 15) in there....

Any other suggestions?

usdtc00
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Re: First Brew: Mixed Results, Suggestions Welcome!

#2 Post by usdtc00 » Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:13 pm

When I was bottling I always used a big rubermaid tub to soak the bottles to get the labels off, then for soaking in star san, hang from a bottle tree to dry. I put the priming solution / sugar water in the bottom of the bottling bucket before racking the beer from secondary and let the whirlpool effect mix it. I've never tried the dishwasher sanitizing method.

If you're looking for other carbonation methods there are those drops you put in each bottle. I had a friend that tried them and they worked ok until you get near the end of the bag and they're chipped or broken in half and then the results are inconsistent. http://www.amazon.com/Coopers-Brew-Prod ... B003E5ZYB8

I'm guessing that you already know not to use screw top bottles, it's unlikely they'll seal consistently from what I've read.

In most cases the bottles improve over time.
Now Serving: Petite Saison d'Ete, Antithesis-Saison du Vin, Red Wine Pyment Mead
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What if we made: Porter? Stout? Belgian Dark Strong?

JayHawkeBrewer
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Re: First Brew: Mixed Results, Suggestions Welcome!

#3 Post by JayHawkeBrewer » Wed Oct 09, 2013 8:11 am

Yeah, we soaked the bottles overnight in a cooler of oxyclean, then cleaned them, and star san'd em. We put the corn sugar in the bottom as well. And we ended up with bottles with 0 carb and some with TONS of carb.

This 2nd batch we thoroughly cleaned/rinsed/star san'd the bottles, and we poured the corn sugar in increments as we racked in. Then we did a gentle stir just to make sure. I'm hoping this 2nd batch comes out better.

Thanks for the ideas!

Sláinte!
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Re: First Brew: Mixed Results, Suggestions Welcome!

#4 Post by Sláinte! » Wed Oct 09, 2013 12:39 pm

Did you use the corn sugar straight up or did you make a simple syrup with it first?
Dan

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JayHawkeBrewer
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Re: First Brew: Mixed Results, Suggestions Welcome!

#5 Post by JayHawkeBrewer » Wed Oct 09, 2013 1:35 pm

Yes, we boiled it in 2 cups water before we added it.

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Re: First Brew: Mixed Results, Suggestions Welcome!

#6 Post by JMcG » Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:13 am

When you say "added in increments" do you mean you added smaller portions of sugar to smaller portions of finished beer?
That would likely keep stratification to a minimum with the smaller volumes involved.
Glad I keg, but sometimes there is slightly more than 5 gal in a batch so I do a couple "bomber" size bottles with ~1/8 tsp of corn sugar. I often like the "bottle conditioned" beer better, but the delay and inconvenience of doing the whole batch...
jim

JayHawkeBrewer
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Re: First Brew: Mixed Results, Suggestions Welcome!

#7 Post by JayHawkeBrewer » Thu Oct 10, 2013 9:34 am

Great info Jim. We weren't very precise on how much came out of the fermentor. I know it was around 5 gallons. I am looking forward to going to keg as soon as i can. The bottles have their purpose, but are a total PIA.

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Re: First Brew: Mixed Results, Suggestions Welcome!

#8 Post by kevputo » Thu Oct 10, 2013 10:12 am

I've never had any issues doing like Duane (usdtc00) mentioned: mix the priming sugar w/ water, place in bottling bucket, then transfer beer into bucket. That mild whirlpool action has always been enough to mix the sugar in. I did at least 30 batches that way.

Being a little off about the total amount of beer out of the fermenter might give you slightly overcarbed or undercarbed beer, but that would be an across the board problem, not bottle-to-bottle inconsistency.

When I hear you say some bottles had NO carbonation, my hunch is you may not be getting the caps sealed on those bottles.

Are you using something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Bottle-Capper-Red ... B000Q6ARMY ? That's what I use/used, and I know at first I was pretty timid that I was going to break something if I didn't stop crimping once the handles went over-center. It took awhile to get a feel for it.

I also learned that some bottles have different neck geometry that makes the cap crimp tighter with less force on the handles. Also, using too much force with that capper can bow the little metal inserts that grip the neck of the bottle. I've had to flatten mine back out a time or two.

Anyway, I guess my suggestion is to trust the process. Just make sure the bottles are clean & sanitized, add the priming sugar to the full batch for consistency, and try to make sure the caps are crimped on there good & tight.

One last thought: were all of the bottles stored in the same place after filling? Cooler temps = longer carb time. So if you & your buddy split up the batch after bottling, and one of you put them in the fridge while the other put them in a closet, that could make a big difference.
Kevin Hansen

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Re: First Brew: Mixed Results, Suggestions Welcome!

#9 Post by JayHawkeBrewer » Thu Oct 10, 2013 10:50 am

The bottling part is probably our issue. I know that we were pretty tentative with the capper, but on this second batch we were pretty heavy handed, so hopefully that will solve that issue. My greater concern is the "off" taste. I'm still thinking it was dirty bottles, since we have gotten some that were perfect.

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