Why do different bottles have different flavours...

TheDuke

This may be an odd question (and maybe even a stupid one) but I have a random selection of bottle shapes (all 500ml) and I find that there are variances in the flavours and clarity between different bottles.

When I pour from the 500ml I pour very carefully into a 33cl glas and then the rest into a second glass with a full pour (so it get a the sediments and I don't serve that to others).

Sometimes I get a cystal clear pour with a crisp taste but sometimes it's cloudy half ways through the pour and has more of a wheat beer flavour. Has the bottle shape any impact on this? Probably a crazy question but wanted to put it out there. My hunch is that tall and thin is the better option as there is less sediment movement when tilting the bottle.

I'm still in the experimental stage trying to get to that 'just the way I like it' recipe... maybe I should re-introduce double fermentation... more work but possibly the answer...

Thanks

TheDuke

Ok, I figured it out as I happened to have a clear 'stubby' bottle and very carefully followed the flow... I could see the sediment at the bottom start showing and then comming through the neck half way through the pour so I stopped...

all crystal clear with a crisp taste....

Double fermentation from here on in....

thelaoislad

I'm new to the brew game as well ,
but I found the same with my first batch , Cooper's IPA .
Its been in the garage now for about 6 weeks,after 2 weeks in FV and another 2 weeks conditioning in the bottles at 20C ..
i 've been working my way through the 40 odd bottles there is def a different taste with some ..
One i had last night was nice, previous night not so nice at all ..
I put it down to a possible slight variation in sugar added to them .
There is more sediment in some , and what I try to do is leave that behind and to get a cleared glass full .
But there is also a taste difference in some bottles, even if the actual bottle is same shape etc
Reckon thats just the home brew game .

re the Double fermentation , I did that with the IPA , worked fairly good, didnt do it on the next batch, a Muntons Cerveza beer , and the diff is huge .. the beer is v cloudy and a lot more sediment ..
I think I didnt add enought sugar to prime also , as its fairly flat ..should have gone more that the half t spoon ..
u learn the hard way

RasTa

I know nothing about kit beers but could you throw a whirfloc or Irish moss in at some point and would it clear it up?

Bottles would have no bearing on the flavour

BeerNut

RasTa wrote: »

I know nothing about kit beers but could you throw a whirfloc or Irish moss in at some point and would it clear it up?

No, those are kettle finings. The only real way to clear it in the bottle is coldness and time.

TheDuke

thelaoislad wrote: »

I think I didnt add enought sugar to prime also , as its fairly flat ..should have gone more that the half t spoon ..
u learn the hard way

Use this - http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

> Boild water and let it cool
> Put water into a sterilsed jug and stir in the dextros
> Transfer beer to seconday container (avoid air getting in)
> pour in dextrose water mixture (gently so no air gets in)
> stir gently (again try and not splash)
> fill into bottles

I have never had a flat bottle or a bottle bomb - the CO2 is always perfect (one of my small wins)

Knifey Spoony

Just a few things about the above steps:

> Boild water and let it cool
> Put water into a sterilsed jug and stir in the dextros

You should really boil the dextrose in the water for ten minutes as you want to sanitize the dextrose just in case. The consensus seems to be that you don't have to let the water cool down before adding it to the bottling bucket. This because it is such a small volume of liquid compared to the volume of beer i.e the excess heat will have little effect.

> Transfer beer to seconday container (avoid air getting in)
> pour in dextrose water mixture (gently so no air gets in)

I would reverse these steps. Add the sugar solution to the bottling bucket first (without splashing) and then rack the beer on top of the solution (again, without splashing). This means that the motion of the beer while it is being transferred will evenly distribute the sugar solution throughout without the need for stirring. This avoids the risk of oxidizing the beer by stirring.

But, saying that your process seems to work for you.

TheDuke

thanks for the guidance... and good idea on the boiling dextrose with the water... an extra step of precaution...

matt007

I am making all grain brews and my current favoured yeast is Gervin Ale Yeast.
This leaves a very solid yeast base in the bottle allowing a full pour with no yeast.

thelaoislad

Tks for that advice , i was considering doing that on my current brew of Yorkshire bitter , due for bottling in 5-7 days , but I didnt know how much sugar to actually mix in . I have a 2nd FV , and i seem to get better results by leaving the brew in the 2nd for 2-3 days before bottling to reduce sediment ...so adding the sugar now into the fv seems way to go ..
tks again

I tried one of my ' almost flat ' muntons cervase beers again last night , in the bottle now for 6 weeks..its tastes a bit better with the extra week , but not v clear at all , and v little carbonation ..in other words , pretty flat !
I prob wont toss it down the sink just yet , if it continues to improve .. but i def got the sugar addition to the bottle wrong on that one .

I also have a BullDog Cider thats bottled now for 3-4 weeks, gave that one some extra sugar , about full T spoon full , ( maybe a bit more in some bottles) and its lovely..
my best brew so far.. I'll def do that one again ...
it was little bit pricy at ~~€28 I think , but was worth it .Guys in the shop ( Home brew Co ) were right with their advice on that one being good
no sediment at all , when I left it in the 2nd fv for 2 or 3 days .
one thing i noticed with the yeast provided with that kit, fermentation was v slow to start , nothing at all for maybe 3 days, then it kicked off with a vengenance ..
If anyone likes a cider, thats one to try

TheDuke

Im no expert but I wouldn't put the sugar to the second fermentation but only add it before bottling.

The sugar kicks off a fermentation process in the bottle but the co2 can escape. That's how it works. You might still end up with flat beer if you do it in second fermentation stage

thelaoislad

I agree ,
I usually move the brew from the 1st FV to 2nd for 2-3 days , then bottle with the tap on the 2 nd FV into the bottles using the handy bottling device , and add the t spoon sugar..
this has worked well 3 times
my mistake was not adding enough sugar to the cervase beer ..should have gone full spoon

If I intend to dissolve the sugar first and add it just prior to bottling I wont be able to use the 2nd FV to remove some of the solids before bottling ..
Kinda catch 22 ..

TheDuke

Would add more work... I stick with it though as for all the problems I've had flat beer was never one of them...

Hingo

If you're going to Batch Prime (IE add the total amount of Sugar or whatever you're using to the batch before bottling) don't add it to a full fermenter.

Best way of doing this is clean & sanitize an empty fermenter (with a tap & bottling wand if possible) to use as a bottling vessel/bucket. Boil your priming solution for 10 mins -( water + dextrose/sugar/DME/LME whatever) and lob it in the empty vessel and rack your beer in on top. This way the priming solution will mix evenly & consistently throughout the beer as it fills up in your bottling vessel. If you've already racked your beer to a second vessel to condition/clear up - don't add the priming solution in on top, rack it to another vessel with the priming solution (as above) and then bottle.

If you're thinking you've under/over carbed your beer (or just worried) then use this nifty link - http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

If you don't already, might be worth getting in or setting aside a dedicated fermenter bucket with a tap/spigot and bottling wand to use for only bottling purposes.

As for the bottle theory in your OP - I think I know what you meant, but there's a lot to consider. The yeast itself (as someone mentioned) might behave different deping on the type.. I used Windsor in a brew before, looked like the final challenge in the crystal maze for about 8 weeks, and when it did settle, it was easily upset. should always try pour in one for those batches. Also if you're pouring a bit fast and there's air-pockets going back in the bottle (the old Glug-Glug-Glug noise) slow down your pour slightly. - These are just my tips anyway.