Temp of beer when Bottle priming?

[Clean Brewer]

Hello all,

Just wondering if say I was to Bottle a lager, is it better to let it come up to room temp before priming etc?

I bottled my first lager tonight and bottled at 4 degrees and it sh!t me off how much foam I got...

I just 2/3 filled and then topped up but it still makes a bit of a mess, I understand it is because of the co2 in solution?

Cheers

[rwh]

wtf sounds wrong. You using a little bottler? Priming with what sugar? I bottle at 4 all the time, have no probs...

[Lachy]

I've tried priming lagers (that were fermented at below 14 degrees) with ordinary white sugar, and the increased surface area (well, compared to using carbo drops anyway) always knocks a heap of CO2 out of solution resulting in foam. Instead of priming and filling all the bottles and then capping all at once, I have to prime and cap each bottle before moving onto the next.

I don't seem to get this issue with ales brewed at 18 degrees or above, so I guess it has to do with solubility of CO2 at low temperatures.

[warra48]

When do you add your priming sugar or drops to your bottle?
If you do it after you've filled them, you will have a problem.

I always prime the bottles (I use caster sugar) before filling them, and I've never had a problem, ever.

If you've not had a problem with ales bottled at 18ºC, then I would let your lagers come up to that temperature before attempting to bottle them.
The colder the liquid, the more CO² it can retain in solution, and hence there is potentially more CO² to be released when filling.

[Lachy]

Yep, you're right - I do prime after filling. That certainly explains my foaming problem.

[Clean Brewer]

wtf sounds wrong. You using a little bottler? Priming with what sugar? I bottle at 4 all the time, have no probs...

Yes, using little bottler, usually prime with castor sugar but tried dextrose this time...

I don't seem to get this issue with ales brewed at 18 degrees or above, so I guess it has to do with solubility of CO2 at low temperatures.

I dont have a problem there either and that is what I thought about the co2..

When do you add your priming sugar or drops to your bottle?
If you do it after you've filled them, you will have a problem.

I always prime the bottles (I use caster sugar) before filling them, and I've never had a problem, ever.

If you've not had a problem with ales bottled at 18ºC, then I would let your lagers come up to that temperature before attempting to bottle them.
The colder the liquid, the more CO² it can retain in solution, and hence there is potentially more CO² to be released when filling.

I add sugar before filling and as I said havnt really had this problem with ales at 18c+

This is the reason I asked the question, I thought it had alot to do with the co2 in suspension..

[rwh]

Yes, using little bottler, usually prime with castor sugar but tried dextrose this time...

Well, that's your problem then. Dextrose often causes foam-over because of its small grain size. Dextrose is a fine powder. This powder provides so many nucleation points that the gas rapidly comes out of solution giving you a foam over. Switch to using sucrose and your problems should go away (due to the grain size being so much larger in regular table sugar than in dextrose).

[matr]

+ 1

Made that mistake myself but will never do it again.. (Never been so angry while making beer)

Have used plain old sugar ever since and never had a problem..

[Clean Brewer]

Well, I generally use caster sugar, but then for the first time I bottle a lager, I go and use dextrose..

Was a bit pissed off since I had to half fill the bottles then go through and finish it off on the second run, didn't waste to much though..

Oh well, I've only got 3 more batches to fully bottle and then it should be keg time.

Its funny, when I started I thought yeh, bottling isnt so bad, its therapeutic, now it gives me the sh!ts...

Takes forever, sanitising, draining, priming, bottling, capping, labelling, waiting, chilling and then drinking.. Too many steps...

[spatch]

Thats cos you do so much of it.
600 odd stubbies in 4 monthes, I've done approx 300 worth in the same time
but 1/2 are done in longnecks so only had to wash and sanitise 200 odd bottles.

You must have a pretty damn fine stash going on!

[Trough Lolly]

Clean Brewer, I always use dextrose to prime with (I'm after carbonation, not flavour) and I've never had a foam over with my little bottler. It sounds like a flow rate problem. Either the flow is too fast into the bottle or you have something stuck in the tap that causes turbulence in the beer enroute to the bottle. Have you pulled your taps apart and had a good look at them lately?

Cheers,
TL

[rwh]

You bottle priming, TL? Or bulk priming?

[Clean Brewer]

Thats cos you do so much of it.
600 odd stubbies in 4 monthes, I've done approx 300 worth in the same time
but 1/2 are done in longnecks so only had to wash and sanitise 200 odd bottles.

You must have a pretty damn fine stash going on!

Yes, most of them though have been in longnecks also, and yes I do have quite a stash, hence the reason im only going to bottle my last 3 batches and have a rest until I get my keg setup going..

I am the only one that drinks my beer also so it goes a long way, during my rest im going to get some AG gear setup to occupy my mind..

Clean Brewer, I always use dextrose to prime with (I'm after carbonation, not flavour) and I've never had a foam over with my little bottler. It sounds like a flow rate problem. Either the flow is too fast into the bottle or you have something stuck in the tap that causes turbulence in the beer enroute to the bottle. Have you pulled your taps apart and had a good look at them lately?

Cheers,
TL

I had a think about that one also as the beer does go into the bottle very very fast and it does swirl around a shit load, maybe I could just turn the tap on a little and slow down the amount of beer coming down into the bottler..