Last couple of batches have had some wacky carbonation issues.
Had a couple of bottle bombs, potentially due to aggravated movement and temp changes due to manhandling cases, icing down in coolers, and hauling around at the beach, etc.
That said, I’ve had some strange differences from within the same batch, where some of the bottles are coming up flat, others overcarbed, and others pretty normal.
Last batch is a good example. Belgian WIT recipe from LHBS, so all the same ingredients, down to priming sugars.Brewed the same recipe as my first batch, and the whole thing turned out as perfect as could be expected. Brewed this one the same way, and the taste is almost identical. The only difference I can figure is that the fermenting temp on the original batch was about 68-70, and this time it was about 73. Warmer than ideal, but the flavor was pretty much the same, and followed the same schedule, even let some sit an extra week. Opened 4 bottles in a row… one was on the flat side, one overcarbed, two normal.
I’ve started adding the priming sugar after racking and mixing it with a ladle. No need to even cool it down. The problem is that the sugar solution is so dense, it tends to sink to the bottom and stay there. Hot liquids mix better, and using the ladle I can get a lot of up-and-down motion when stirring, which I think helps get it mixed together.
You could also have a problem with leaking caps, but I’ll bet it’s more of a mixing issue.
I have a batch ready to bottle tonight or tomorrow, so I will try it that way.
Honestly, I don’t remember 100% if I added the primer before or after with my first 2 batches. They turned out perfect. It’s possible that I added it after racking.
It really helps minimize splashing if you just barely submerge the bowl of the ladle below the surface of the beer and pour the priming solution into the bowl of the ladle. My 2 cents, I hope it works out for you.
Why are you adding beer to the solution and boiling it? I’m just curious. I’ve always just boiled water, added sugar to dissolve, brought it back to a boil for a few mins then cooled and added to my bottling bucket. Is there some benefit to adding some beer to boil as well?
There are a few ways of mixing. I’ve done both, putting the solution in first and putting the beer on top of it, and vice versa. Just to be sure, I give it a slight stir every 8-10 bottles. Some will say you risk oxygenating, but I haven’t noticed any issues. Obviously don’t go crazy, but a slight swirl isn’t going to hurt.
[quote=“Templar”]Why are you adding beer to the solution and boiling it? I’m just curious. I’ve always just boiled water, added sugar to dissolve, brought it back to a boil for a few mins then cooled and added to my bottling bucket. Is there some benefit to adding some beer to boil as well?
There are a few ways of mixing. I’ve done both, putting the solution in first and putting the beer on top of it, and vice versa. Just to be sure, I give it a slight stir every 8-10 bottles. Some will say you risk oxygenating, but I haven’t noticed any issues. Obviously don’t go crazy, but a slight swirl isn’t going to hurt.[/quote]
I add the beer because that’s what the recipe called for. Says to take 1 cup of beer, 1 cup of water, add the sugar and boil for 3-4 minutes, then cool and add to the bottling bucket. Pretty sure now that’s how I did my first 2 batches, then I think I read here somewhere about putting the priming solution in the bottling bucket first to mix it better before my 3rd and 4th batches. so I will try racking first, and adding the priming solution after on this next batch.
I just use a measuring cup to weigh the sugar. Then add boiling water to the cup. Stir until it’s all dissolved. The cup gets dumped in the bucket at the start of racking. I give the beer a bit of a stir after racking.
They have you boil some of the beer with the sugar? Granted a cup isn’t much compared to 5-gallons, but it seems to me all this would accomplish is killing some yeast, and boiling off some alcohol.
Yeah. not sure why the recipe calls for adding beer with it. I’ll try priming after racking this time. My notes from the first couple batches don’t say when I added it.
