Fill Level and Carbonation

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

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dartedplus
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
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Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2001 11:33 pm
Location: Hummelstown, PA, US

Fill Level and Carbonation

Post by dartedplus »

Could how full I fill my bottles affect carbonation. I ask this because I am having a problem with my latest batch, so I was adding some yeast to the bottles yesterday. When I got to a bottle that was only half full (the last one of the batch) it had a ton of carbonation. So is there a link between the two???

no fizz for me
Ed
fitz
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Pressure

Post by fitz »

There may be more of a pressure builup with the additional space, but odds are the priming sugar wasn't evenly distributed throughout the beer. Try dissolving the priming sugar into warm or hot water/wort before adding it to you prebottled beer. I also put the priming liquid into the priming tank, and then add the finished beer. This seems to help the sugar evenly distribute through the beer, and regulate carbonation.
dartedplus
Strong Ale
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Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2001 11:33 pm
Location: Hummelstown, PA, US

each bottle

Post by dartedplus »

I add the sugar to each bottle, its a little tedious, but its definitely evenly distributed. So uneven priming isnt the answer.
Ed
fitz
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OK, what about?

Post by fitz »

What about the cleaning process. If you use bleach, or an oxidizer to clean, you may be killing your carbonation that way. I don't know if you saw a post a while back, but I use onstep and pickling salt in the dishwasher, my glasses and bottles are beer clean, and I haven't had a problem.
Those are the only things besides temperature that should be affecting your carbonation. Other than that, better see if MESA Eric has anything to say about it.
xero1
Light Lager
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proper level measure

Post by xero1 »

Just go down to the local supermarket and purchase a brewing bottle dextrose leveler it gets the right amount every time for tallies and for stubbies as well
xero1
Light Lager
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also

Post by xero1 »

I had a batch that for some reason pulled out of the fermenter to early and it exploded every bottle so the next batch I was a bit worried and left it in the fermenter a bit longer (to long) I have found that the beer (blue mountain lager) lacks head retension and Im told it was from leaving it in the fermenter to long so getting it just right sems to be the go. But there is also some drops called big head that Im told increases the carbonation without exploding the bottles have a look at that as well
dartedplus
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
Posts: 339
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2001 11:33 pm
Location: Hummelstown, PA, US

it was tired yeast or...

Post by dartedplus »

my yeast must have been tired, or I was just too impatient, nah it couldn't have been that. Last week I added some yeast to the bottles and now everything is great. I should just add it when bottle and then I wont have this frustration. I dont always get to bottle when I should so it could sit in the carboy and go too long and have most of the yeast drop out.

Ed
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