Bottled beer query

kairos · Post by **kairos** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:32 am

A couple of months back I made a 23ltr batch of a TT Landlord clone - conditioned for about 10 days after fermentation. Before bottling it tasted just like the real thing - really impressive.
However, every other bottle tastes great and some are almost tasteless. (This isn't just my drunken opinion, severel friends have noticed the same thing!) Can anyone suggest why this might have happened and what I could do in the future to avoid a similar thing happening again?
Thanks.

booldawg · Post by **booldawg** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:42 am

I've noticed this from time to time. How did you prime? I've always put it down to unequal amounts of priming sugars affecting the conditioning.

kairos · Post by **kairos** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:15 pm

I used a graduated syringe and sugar syrup so it should have been an equal amount in each bottle.
One friend suggested that since the yeast will be in different concentration at different levels in the conditioning tank, the beer from the top (last to be drawn off and bottled) might contain least and therefore affect the finish. Any thoughts on that? If so, would a (very gentle) stir be any good before bottling?

farmhousekeg · Post by **farmhousekeg** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:30 pm

Personally I always dissolve all the sugar in a little beer (200mls) and then add that back to the 2ndary FV where I give it a gentle stir but not enough to stir up a load of yeast (a little bit won't hurt). Then I let it settle while I clean all my bottles and bottle it straight from the FV. Certainly sounds like you have got an uneven distribution of yeast and/or priming sugar.

On the other hand, are all the bottles carbonated equally? You mention that the taste differs between bottles. That could be down to more than just yeast activity in the bottle, but I am no expert!

Dr. Dextrin · Post by **Dr. Dextrin** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:10 pm

Could some of your bottle caps have been leaking a bit? What's the carbonation like?

Scooby · Post by **Scooby** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:50 pm

Do you drink one good one followed by a poor one straight after? (or visa versa)

I can have pint from a cornie that tastes great, the next day a pint from the same cornie tastes poor. I put it down to my taste buds not being on form, something I've eaten or mood at the time. It's like going down the pub and and having a pint that tastes so good it hardly touches the sides, another time the same pint doesn't slide down the same.

ferlyn388 · Post by **ferlyn388** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 2:19 pm

kairos wrote:I used a graduated syringe and sugar syrup so it should have been an equal amount in each bottle.
One friend suggested that since the yeast will be in different concentration at different levels in the conditioning tank, the beer from the top (last to be drawn off and bottled) might contain least and therefore affect the finish. Any thoughts on that? If so, would a (very gentle) stir be any good before bottling?

A syringe is a simple piston pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly in a tube. And a syrup is a thick, viscous liquid, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars, but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. How is the process that you have take? Can you give us some point of view?

[Commercial link removed by admin]

Billy Hunt · Post by **Billy Hunt** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 2:29 pm

I just put a carbonation drop in each bottle. Seems to work for me.

wmfd · Post by **wmfd** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 2:51 pm

ferlyn388 wrote: A syringe is a simple piston pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly in a tube. And a syrup is a thick, viscous liquid, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars, but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. How is the process that you have take? Can you give us some point of view?

Point of view: I think you've just failed the Turing test.

Post by **Jim** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:30 pm

wmfd wrote:
ferlyn388 wrote: A syringe is a simple piston pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly in a tube. And a syrup is a thick, viscous liquid, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars, but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. How is the process that you have take? Can you give us some point of view?
Point of view: I think you've just failed the Turing test.

He (it) also failed the 'don't post a commercial link in your first ever post' test (link removed).

kairos · Post by **kairos** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:50 pm

Interestingly given (some) of the comments above (!) the ones that are pretty tasteless are also almost flat.
I am using Grolsch-style bottles if that is of any help.
Thanks.

wmfd · Post by **wmfd** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 4:54 pm

kairos wrote:Interestingly given (some) of the comments above (!) the ones that are pretty tasteless are also almost flat.
I am using Grolsch-style bottles if that is of any help.
Thanks.

Back on topic!

Could it be serving temperature - cooling it might make it taste less? (might also make it less fizzy)

David

farmhousekeg · Post by **farmhousekeg** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 5:17 pm

wmfd wrote:Could it be serving temperature - cooling it might make it taste less? (might also make it less fizzy)
David

Cooling should make it more fizzy as more CO2 will be dissolved at lower temperature.

edit1now · Post by **edit1now** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:26 pm

Are all your rubber seals on the swing-tops OK? I've had a couple of duff bottles when I used the original seals (ancient - I was given the bottles) ans I think the ones I replaced were OK.

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