[SoyJames]

I've noticed that my more recent batches of homebrew don't seem to be carbonating as much as they used to. I've not done a whole lot of batches since the first (I've just bottle Batch06), but I was wondering if my bottle capping procedure or capper device itself might be the problem. I really haven't done anything too different since the first batches which carbonated beautifully.

Could it be I'm not "putting the caps on tight enough"? I do worry a little about breaking the bottle or the capper when bottling...
or
Maybe the capper is broken somehow and not properly sealing the bottle?

Anybody have experience with this?

Thanks in advance,

James

[salgy]

different styles of beer also have differing carbonation... did you change the style? are you bottle conditioning at a lower temperature (this will increase carbonation time)... are you using the same priming sugar? there are a lot of other factors that i would look into before blaming your equipment

[Llewner]

Yeah, capping is pretty fool proof. Depending on your capper, it's almost impossible to break a bottle while capping. Don't try to reuse pilsner urkel bottles if you have a hand capper. They break because of the huge necks. Maybe your caps were cheap / old and have bad seals. If everything else is the same (sugar, yeast, sanitation, etc) then caps could be the culpret.

[SoyJames]

Thanks for the replies...

I'm starting to wonder if the culprit is my sanitizing procedure. Too much bleach left over in the bottles after rinsing specifically... I use 3 ml of bleach in a sink of cool water, then rinse in another sink of hot water. I guess I'd better invest in a bottle washer.

Does anyone boil/steam their bottles (the way Grandma used to do with mason jars)? I'm wondering if that would be an adequate way to sanitize them...

James

[dlihcsnatas]

Originally Posted by SoyJames

Thanks for the replies...

I'm starting to wonder if the culprit is my sanitizing procedure. Too much bleach left over in the bottles after rinsing specifically... I use 3 ml of bleach in a sink of cool water, then rinse in another sink of hot water. I guess I'd better invest in a bottle washer.

Does anyone boil/steam their bottles (the way Grandma used to do with mason jars)? I'm wondering if that would be an adequate way to sanitize them...

James

I am so glad you have said something about the sanitizing bottles thing. Since I am a bit of a lazy person I don't always rince my bottles after pouring a fresh mug of ale. To be honest I sometimes let them set around a few days, well sometimes a few weeks, and there is this nice crusted mess in the bottles. This has made me wonder how is the best way to sanitize....
OK so I am wanting the impossible!!!
So far the best way to clean such a mess is to use a nifty metal brush thing I ordered from the internet that takes out the big stuff but now I am looking at the stuck on small stain type stuff. I have used bottle brushes, bleach baths, and other chemical ways but none seem to be real efficient. This has also made me concerned when bottling if I was thorough enough on rinsing the chemicals out before bottling.
Anyone know the best and safest way to reuse a bottle with loads of yuck in them?

[MadMaltMasher]

Originally Posted by dlihcsnatas

Anyone know the best and safest way to reuse a bottle with loads of yuck in them?

Well, until recently I lived in NY state with a bottle bill and I would go to the "good beer store" and buy back all the 22 oz bombers they had. Also a lot of 16.9 oz English and Polish and Russian and German etc. MANY of these had huge blobs of mold / crusty yucky stuff and I have not found 1 yet that did not come sparkling clean in a laundry sink filled with warm water and 5 oz of regular old chlorine bleach and left to sit for a couple days. I then tke em out and use a $7.95 brass bottle washer and put em in boxes and stack em up. When I bottle I use a tsp of no rinse (C-Brite) in a little Italian up-squirting washer I found at a garage sale for $.50. Hope it helps.

[MadMaltMasher]

Originally Posted by SoyJames

Thanks for the replies...

I'm starting to wonder if the culprit is my sanitizing procedure. Too much bleach left over in the bottles after rinsing specifically... I use 3 ml of bleach in a sink of cool water, then rinse in another sink of hot water. I guess I'd better invest in a bottle washer.

Does anyone boil/steam their bottles (the way Grandma used to do with mason jars)? I'm wondering if that would be an adequate way to sanitize them...

James

If the bleach is killing the yeast, I think the beer would be NASTY! You'd know it if there was enough bleach left to kill yeast.

[nickwc]

I soak my bottles in pbw overnight to get the labels off then i put the bottles in the dishwasher and run it using no soap just the hot hot water. works good and gets the dry.

[gm69camaro]

How much air space are you leaving in your bottles? I leave about 2" which works good for me. If you are over filling your bottles the carbonation will be low. The opposite is true if the bottle is underfilled. If you have ever had a half full bottle a the end of bottling a batch, you already know that those tend to foam up from overcarbonation due to the extra air in the bottle. I dont know if that is the problem you are having but I thought it would be worth mentioning.
As far as sanitizing goes, bleach stinks and could have a residual effect on the flavor. I would recommend using a no-rinse sanitizer like Star San which is a phosphoric acid food grade sanitizer that works great and leaves no residual odors. I swear by that stuff!

Good luck
Gordon

[dlihcsnatas]

Thanks for the info MadMaltMasher.

I don't have a laundry sink in my home but I do have a nice size wash tub that should have about the same effect. I will have to give it a try this weekend since I need to get ready for the brews I got going right now that should be ready for bottle in around 2 to 3 weeks.