AnthonyR1525228508 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I recently made a batch of Coopers OS Draught - 1kg BE1 and 8gms white sugar for secondary fermentation. It's been bottled for several weeks in Coopers PETs (not first-time use bottles), and the bottles in storage are all rock-hard. So far I've had about a dozen of them and before drinking they spend at least 2 days in the fridge. After they come from the fridge the bottles are now squishy and the beer is decidedly under-carbonated. Tastes OK, but not something I'd offer a guest. Every bottle from this batch has been like this. Anyway, is it possible chilling causes the bottle to de-gas? (I have not had this problem with other batches in PETs either new or used.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Sorry Anthony, I really don't know what your problem is but, chilling won't "de-gas" the bottles. As a matter of fact, gas comes out of liquid the warmer the liquid gets. A good example is when pouring a beer into a warm glass you will get a lot of head (foam). It is because the gas is escaping the liquid at a faster rate than desirable when it hits the glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I can't help either. Sorry Anthony. I use PETs and I have never had that problem. Maybe check the caps are on tight as you put them in the fridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 That's a new one for me Anthony. I'd suggest that the caps weren't on tightly but you say they were rock hard before going in the fridge so I'm stumped [unsure] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biermoasta Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 That is normal, the cooler temperatures make CO2 go into solution more readily, causing the pressure to drop. This cooler temperature means that when poured the CO2 will also be more reluctant to leave solution (ie. you wont see as many bubbles), that is why warm beer is much more fizzy, and produces more head. When you say the beer is undercarbonated, is that due to the lack of head? Or no bubbles seen in the beer? Or a mixture of both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Biermoasta, is it normal that the bottles would go from "Rock Hard" to "Squishy" when chilled in the fridge? It just seems a bit extreme based on my experience with PETs. If de-gassing occurs with mine it is not really noticable. Anthony, what temp do you store the beer prior to refrigeration? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biermoasta Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Depends what the original poster means by squishy. Once my bottles (even one batch which I bottled too early, so it is way over carbonated) have been in the fridge for a while I am certainly able to squeeze the bottles and the sides indent, which they wouldn't do when warm. How long has the beer been in the bottles? Perhaps they just haven't had enough time for secondary fermentation to fully occur? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Good point. I just assumed that squishy meant really squishy. Sorry, its not very scientific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squishy Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Why are his bottles turning into me????[biggrin] [biggrin] [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyR1525228508 Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 There's very little head and not a lot of carbon bubbles in the beer. Glasses are washed properly and are ok when used with other beers. Scientific term "squishy" means you can compress the sides quite easily by squeezing with your hand. "Rock hard" means you can barely make an indent squeezing with your hand. I'll try a bottle at room temp just to see what result I get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyR1525228508 Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 That's "squishy" with a lower-case "s"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weggl Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Anthony, this might sound silly, but you said 8g sugar. Was that 8g per L or was it 8g per batch? If it was 8g per batch, take the lids of and drop a couple of sugar pills per bottle. But be quick because they will try to foam over very fast. I have had the same problem when i was using pills. When I had dropped only one pill in instead of two, they were rock hard but soft when chilled, fixed it by dropping in one more pill. Warren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Was that 8g per L or was it 8g per batch? Good point Warren - I missed that [bandit] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weggl Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 You must be slowing down old mate.[pinched] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Nothing new, I was never the sharpest tool in the shed [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyR1525228508 Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 8g per longneck. Actually it might be 6g - I used the Bigelow sugar measure. And yes, I used the big end for longnecks. I am 100% sure. Well, 99% definitely. In the interests of science I am drinking a room temp beer. Despite the rock hard bottle and a nice "tch" sound (not to mention the "tsk" sound from the missus - it's like an echo!) the beer is as flat as the cold ones. I think it is mystery solved - under-carbonated beer will still make your bottle hard (um, so to speak...) but cold beer, holding more gas, takes some of the pressure off making it squishy again. OK, enough of that... Now all I have to do is work my way through a dozen or so lifeless beers. At least it tastes ok... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weggl Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Anthony, I've had a few that went soft when chilled, I re- sugared them, some with one pill and they came good. Why dont you try 1 bottle with one pill and one with 2, keep them warm for a week and see how they go? Warren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewJ14 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Its normal for the bottles to be softer in cool conditions. Overexagerate this by pouring hot water into an empty PET and then placing the lid on tight. As it cools the air pressure reduces and sucks the sides of the PET in. Shouldnt affect the carbonation tho as the CO2 should have been absorbed into solution by this point. How long was it left at above 18degC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.