Is there any way to look at the bottles to see if things are going right without opening them? Would there be visible bubbles in the neck or would it not bubble until opened?
Not really. I never really bothered. I just let them go for a couple of weeks then sacrificed one to the beer gods by opening it and drinking it 
I would say don’t worry about it and just let them do their thing for about two weeks, then try one out.
You can use a 12 oz soda bottle and squeeze to remove the headspace.
When it swells it should be carbonated.
Not my idea, but trusted individuals do this.
Saturday should be my day. I had tasted the beer up to the point of bottling. It was pretty good aside from being flat. I had a small amount left in bucket after bottling. The priming sugar made it incredibly sweet. I couldn’t drink it. I am hoping like hell it doesn’t stay that way.
Even with priming sugar it shouldn’t be sweet. Are you racking the beer onto the sugar solution and letting the swirl mix it together? I had problems with the sugar sinking to the bottom doing it this way, so I’d end up with a couple gushers and the rest of the batch under-carbonated. The amount left in the bucket would be ridiculously sweet. Make sure you stir really really well with a long-handled spoon, without any splashing.
Yes I racked onto the solution and let swirl. Damnit !!! I’ll cross my fingers and hope for the best I guess. It was only about 1/2 cup of beer left in bottom I tasted. But man it was super sweet.
Yup, been there, done that. It works for some people, but not for me. I’ve started adding it after racking, by pouring it into a ladle just submerged under the surface (to prevent splashing), and stirring it slowly for 30 seconds or so. It works really well for me, and the large bowl of the ladle really moves the beer around, especially if you stir up-and-down.
Lesson learned. How did the beer that was under-carbonated taste? Drinkable??
Also, for future reference, I use my racking cane and slightly swirl the beer in the bottling bucket every 10 beers or so if I remember correctly. This ensures the sugar doesn’t settle during the bottling process (which can be a little while for a 5 gal batch).
Yeah, they were fine. Just a little less carbonation than normal. Is there any way for you to tell which ones were the last ones you filled? You might want to drink those first as they’re most likely the ones that will end up over-carbonated.
I ended up with 48. I have them in cases of 24. I may can figure it out because the last box had a few SA bottles mixed in.
Is there not any noticeable bubbles in the neck at all that I should see?
Not really, not unless your caps are leaking. Remember that the pressure is going up in the bottle as it carbonates, which will keep more CO2 in solution.
I’ve had a few over-carbed beers that had zero bubbles in the neck before I opened them, so I wouldn’t say you’d be able to tell by looking.
Just my experience though.
10-4 Come Saturday I’m going in with high hopes and fingers crossed!!
I bottled my first batch almost 2 weeks ago and did the swirl thing also. Now I’m wondering if mine got mixed properly as well. Plan I sticking a couple in the fridge Saturday and trying them and hope for the best.
okay so Saturday was my day. I grabbed one from each box to test. Good news and bad.
Bad: Not yet ready;(
Good: Both bottles seemed to be equally lacking in carbonation. AND the sweetness from the priming sugar i had tasted was not there.
Ive moved to slightly warmer location and will try again next weekend.
Well tried again today. First one was overcarbed. Didnt gush but was drinkable. Tried again from the other box and it was flat as hell. Went back to previous box and tried another. It was flat also.
Will definitely make certain to stir from now on. On a lighter note: Beer still was very tasty both ways;)
Mix an over carbonated one with a flat one.
I was concerned about carbonation with my last batch. I racked on top of the priming solution and let it swirl together. Then I realized after all of the bottles were filled that I didn’t stir it around at all. So far so good though. I am drinking the bottles that I remember bottling first (16oz’ers) and they seem fine. Perhaps this way the bottles that MAY have had less solution have a little longer to sit.
On the few I have had I didn’t notice any bubbles at all in the neck when it was still sealed. :cheers:
