Crumpled bottles

[Andy44]

Hi,

I bottled up my kit cider about a month ago, so the other night I put one in the fridge as the bottle was firm and when I removed it from the fridge the bottle was slightly crumpled, and when I opened it there was hardly any fizz and tasted watery.

Any ideas what has gone wrong, I put about 1.5 teaspoons of sugar in each.

Cheers

 

[Stevieboy]

How long and where did you leave it initially after bottling?

 

[Andy44]

How long and where did you leave it initially after bottling?

Hi Stevieboy,
It's been about 5 weeks in the shed

 

[Stevieboy]

Hi Stevieboy,
It's been about 5 weeks in the shed

OK - in this recent heat that should have been plenty....and since you stated that the bottle was firm we have to assume some bottle fermentation happened. I assume you bottled soon after initial fermentation finished - i.e. there was plenty of yeast in suspension still.

 

[Andy44]

OK - in this recent heat that should have been plenty....and since you stated that the bottle was firm we have to assume some bottle fermentation happened. I assume you bottled soon after initial fermentation finished - i.e. there was plenty of yeast in suspension still.

Yes bottled when gravity was right, I can't remember if there was yes in suspension

 

[MrRook]

Yes bottled when gravity was right, I can't remember if there was yes in suspension

There was; it takes a lot of time and/or effort to end up without enough yeast still in suspension to carb. Even brilliantly clear beer still has yeast in suspension.

 

[Stevieboy]

There was; it takes a lot of time and/or effort to end up without enough yeast still in suspension to carb. Even brilliantly clear beer still has yeast in suspension.

Mr Rook - agreed - just running through the options - fridge excessively cold?

 

[Andy44]

There was; it takes a lot of time and/or effort to end up without enough yeast still in suspension to carb. Even brilliantly clear beer still has yeast in suspension.

(there was yeast) yes the cider was cristal clear, on the plus side its still drinkable.

 

[Andy44]

Mr Rook - agreed - just running through the options - fridge excessively cold?

I will check the fridge, but I opened another one which didn't go in the fridge and is was the same.

 

[DavidDetroit]

By chance, could the plastic and liquid have been warm and therefore expanded because of the heat and not carbonation? And when it was put in the fridge, it contracted?

 

[Andy44]

By chance, could the plastic and liquid have been warm and therefore expanded because of the heat and not carbonation? And when it was put in the fridge, it contracted?

That's a thought, when I fill the bottles I squeeze them and then put the top on? So maybe they contracted back, so I wonder why they haven't carbonated

 

[DavidDetroit]

That's a thought, when I fill the bottles I squeeze them and then put the top on? So maybe they contracted back, so I wonder why they haven't carbonated

I'm not sure if you left a little air in there or not. I don't believe you would want to remove all of it because it needs to be converted to CO2, give the carbonating process something to work with.
I'm including the possibility that the caps weren't super tight.
What was the temp in the shed?
I wish I could be more help.

 

[Andy44]

I'm not sure if you left a little air in there or not. I don't believe you would want to remove all of it because it needs to be converted to CO2, give the carbonating process something to work with.
I'm including the possibility that the caps weren't super tight.
What was the temp in the shed?
I wish I could be more help.

Thanks, yes there was a little bit of air in there and I double checked the caps the temp in the shed was 22 ~ 24c. Could I recarbonate them?

 

[DavidDetroit]

Thanks, yes there was a little bit of air in there and I double checked the caps the temp in the shed was 22 ~ 24c. Could I recarbonate them?

That temp was fine which cancels my "too hot" theory. By everything you've said, they should have carbonated.
You can recarbonate but save that as a last resort.
You said there was some fizz. I would wait two more weeks and test one.

 

[Andy44]

That temp was fine which cancels my "too hot" theory. By everything you've said, they should have carbonated.
You can recarbonate but save that as a last resort.
You said there was some fizz. I would wait two more weeks and test one.

OK thanks

 

[bobukbrewer]

I'm not sure if you left a little air in there or not. I don't believe you would want to remove all of it because it needs to be converted to CO2, give the carbonating process something to work with.

Not sure this is correct. Air is 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen. Enzymes break down sugars into alcohol and water and carbon dioxide, this is ( I think) the mechanism that pressurises bottles.

I suspect a very cold fridge has allowed the CO2 to dissolve back into the beer, with a loss of pressure in the bottle.

 

[Ale House Rock]

Hi,

I bottled up my kit cider about a month ago, so the other night I put one in the fridge as the bottle was firm and when I removed it from the fridge the bottle was slightly crumpled, and when I opened it there was hardly any fizz and tasted watery.

Any ideas what has gone wrong, I put about 1.5 teaspoons of sugar in each.

Cheers

My suspicion is that the caps were not tight enough and although your bottles re- inflated with CO2 initially, as the pressure rose, the bottles didn't hold it. Then, when you put in fridge, as temp fell, the bottles crumpled. I think you could try again. Add your sugar, squeeze out the air, cap tightly, put them somewhere warm enough. Check the bottles every day and when you can see them re-inflating, check all your caps are still on tight. You could try with a couple of bottles initially to check you've still got viable yeast in there.

 

[trummy]

Why not take a bottle had more sugar and see if it recarbs? In the heatwave I had a brew finish and since I had nowhere cold I syphoned it into a pressure barrel added 2ndry sugar and just left it. Its absolutely fine, its cleared and well pressurised. No way could your shed not be be warm enough through that heat

 

[Andy44]

My suspicion is that the caps were not tight enough and although your bottles re- inflated with CO2 initially, as the pressure rose, the bottles didn't hold it. Then, when you put in fridge, as temp fell, the bottles crumpled. I think you could try again. Add your sugar, squeeze out the air, cap tightly, put them somewhere warm enough. Check the bottles every day and when you can see them re-inflating, check all your caps are still on tight. You could try with a couple of bottles initially to check you've still got viable yeast in there.

Thanks I will give that a try

 

[Andy44]

Why not take a bottle had more sugar and see if it recarbs? In the heatwave I had a brew finish and since I had nowhere cold I syphoned it into a pressure barrel added 2ndry sugar and just left it. Its absolutely fine, its cleared and well pressurised. No way could your shed not be be warm enough through that heat

I have just opened a bottle with very little fizz and added more sugar and it was like a volcano.