Stupid twist top bottles.

I had one 22oz twist top make its way into my clean batch of bottles when bottling my IPA a couple weeks ago. Well sometime over night it popped off, so now I am having flat IPA for breakfast.

Side note: My IPA looks almost like a brown ale! I don't know why it's so dark. It's supposed to be a nice light golden color since it's the recipe for The Maharaja by Avery.

If you post recipe and process we can help you with your color woes.

Sorry about your flat ipa...at least your not putting it to waste! I've capped twist offs before but sometimes you get unlucky.

looneybomber said:

I had one 22oz twist top make its way into my clean batch of bottles when bottling my IPA a couple weeks ago. Well sometime over night it popped off, so now I am having flat IPA for breakfast.

Side note: My IPA looks almost like a brown ale! I don't know why it's so dark. It's supposed to be a nice light golden color since it's the recipe for The Maharaja by Avery.

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That happned with me, with some Blue mooon. Bottles. Forgot they were twist offs. Then forgot Coors, or Anhauser owns them. No more Blue moon.

DocScott said:

If you post recipe and process we can help you with your color woes.

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Click the URL in my signature. It's the "IIPA". Wait, I'll just post it, hang on a sec.

Recipe:
6.6lbs light LME
8lbs Pale 2-row
0.5lbs Victory
0.5lbs C-120

60min: 30g Magnum
30min: 15g Magnum
30min: 30g Northern Brewer
0min: 2oz Simcoe
0min: 2.5oz Cascade
dry hop 3oz Simcoe
dry hop 3oz Cascade

DocScott said:

Sorry about your flat ipa...at least your not putting it to waste! I've capped twist offs before but sometimes you get unlucky.

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I made a wheat beer and bottle 24 twist tops without any problem and I've defended them in the past. Looks like I will stop using twist tops!

Seems to me a half pound of crystal 120L would darken it like that. Don't need much to get more color than say,a lager.

looneybomber said:

Recipe:
6.6lbs light LME
8lbs Pale 2-row
0.5lbs Victory
0.5lbs C-120

60min: 30g Magnum
30min: 15g Magnum
30min: 30g Northern Brewer
0min: 2oz Simcoe
0min: 2.5oz Cascade
dry hop 3oz Simcoe
dry hop 3oz Cascade!

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The c-120 will darken the color. You may have darkened it a bit more depending on your process too. Many times if the extract is added earlier in the boil, it will darken during the boil due to maliard reactions. You can lessen this by adding the extract at/near the end.

My capper will not cap twist off bottles. I know some folks have had some luck doing it but I never have.

Good thing I got tons of pop top bottles

If you wanted a little more malty backbone with lighter color,crystal 10L or 20L would've been a better choice,imo.

DocScott said:

The c-120 will darken the color. You may have darkened it a bit more depending on your process too. Many times if the extract is added earlier in the boil, it will darken during the boil due to maliard reactions. You can lessen this by adding the extract at/near the end.

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I add my LME with 5-10mins remaining in the boil. Just enough time to pour it in and get the boil to start up again.
The C-120 is what Avery asks for in their recipe.
http://averybrewing.com/brewery/recipes-for-homebrewers/
I think the next time, I will drop the C-120 to .25lbs.

Varmintman said:

My capper will not cap twist off bottles. I know some folks have had some luck doing it but I never have.

Good thing I got tons of pop top bottles

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My cappers will do twist top bottles, but this twist top bottle looks just like a crimp top where the capper grabs the neck. Let's see if I can find a picture.


It's a 22oz Goose Island 312 bottle, like the one on the right. Kind of tricky of them, making bomber bottles with a twist top.

Looks like you followed the recipe ok, and process looks clean. I'd then look to change the recipe as you and union have suggested.

I would recommend you cut the amount of c-120 rather than sub in lower crystal malts. The 120 is more toffee flavor rather than caramel/sweet of the c-10 to c-40. This is the fun and challenge of cloning commercial brews on our small scale systems!

I have plenty of hops, so I think I will have to do this beer again, but with more hops and less malt! It seems way too malty/sweet. My FG was too high. I'll sub out some LME for some sugar and drop that C120.

I think this will be brew #11 in line to be brewed this summer though. I'll check my list again, but regardless, with classes, speaker building, home theater finishing and my long to-brew list, I will be busy this summer!

Late extract additions will improve the flavor & give lighter color. All the caramelization going on with all the extract in at the beginning will also raise FG a little by making more long chain sugars.