Carbonation

[gibbiem]

Made a brew with Coopers APA but added some extra hops to the boil. Was in primary for 1 week and dry hop 1 week then bottled. I used the coopers carbonation drops so would have thought each bottle should be the same but some that I open really hiss and others sort out quiver ha ha. Any ideas why?

[tazzymutt]

I can't say why that it but I have had similar experiences even when I batch prime and know that the priming sugar was evenly distributed. I just learned to pour very gently until I know how lively a particular bottle is, then adjust the pour as necessary to get the right amount of foamy brew topping.

Happy brewing,


Ian.

[gibbiem]

Cheers Ian. They all pour OK, its just some sound like opening a can of coke and some sound like opening a bottle of water ha ha

[Nunez100]

What sort of caps / capper are you using? Sometimes if the cap isn't on right it can let pressure out.

[gibbiem]

Nunez100 - Just a pack from Tesco. Thinks they might be Youngs. The other stuff they sell is Youngs. Bottle capper is this one - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/23101777 ... 80&ff14=95

I thought it might be what you mentioned but thought if the cap wasnt on correctly it would pop off with the pressure?

[rorymullan]

No, it just releases the pressure. The pressure doesn't build up, it'll find a gap to escape.

You should be able to tell by looking at the bottles if the cap is on correctly. If they're flush to the sides like this:

http://static3.depositphotos.com/100580 ... th-cap.jpg

Then it's likely not whats causing the problem.

Are the bottles all at the same temp when you open them? Cold beer will absorb more of the CO2 and you'll get less of a pop than a warmer beer. How is the actual carbonation?

[gibbiem]

Well they all live in the shed so I think so. The beer its self seems fine. No head retention but its only a kit so not expecting wonders