Plastic Bottles Carbing Better Than Glass

[BausFight]

Hello all! First post!

Also, my first batch of beer. I bottled about half glass (not twist off) and half plastic (coopers bottles).

The plastic bottles are very noticeably better carbonated. The plastic bottles are all the same, the glass ones are all sorts of sizes. All of the normal sized glass bottles have been on the flat side, except one really small one (it was a cider bottle) which carbed up great. EVERY plastic one has been perfectly carbed. It's been ~2 weeks.

What's going on?

 

[FirstAidBrewing]

Tighter seal on the plastic bottles perhaps?

I assume it's all the same batch so there is no difference in priming sugar. That really only leaves the seal on the bottle.

 

[BausFight]

Yeah it's all the same exact batch. I was assuming the caps too. Hmm, that's worrisome. They came with the kit and all the bottles are in great shape, only reused from my own recycling.

Is it possible they are carbing up faster in the plastic bottles vs glass? Thanks for your help!

 

[FirstAidBrewing]

Well if we go off the tighter seal hypothesis, maybe (and I don't know as I've never used plastic bottles) you were more cavalier with tightening the caps on the plastic bottles as opposed to worrying about breaking glass? Just a guess...

That being said as long as you don't have any major leaks, perhaps it will take a little longer to carb in the glass.

Again just a hypothetical

 

[UndeadFred]

Nope, your capping job isn't working and the glass bottles are leaking. Glass and PET should carb up the same with a entire batch prime like we are all assuming you did...

 

[BausFight]

Right on, thanks for the help. I wasn't sure if it was a common thing or not. I really like the plastic bottles though so I bought another pack. I'll let these glass bottles sit a while and just enjoy the brew from the plastic ones!

 

[brew_darrymore]

I will agree with what UndeadFred said.

Check your bottle capper procedure.

 

[AkTom]

I usually bottle several in plastic pop bottlesc the rest in glass. I don't find any difference. Plastic lets me know when it's carbed up. Not necessarily ready to drink though. Pop bottles are great to take Incognito to the beach and other places.

 

[Magnus314]

You can go ahead and crimp down the glass ones better (I assume they're not twist off, right?) and drink the plastic ones until the glass carb up better...

 

[iijakii]

The fact that all of the plastics have been fine definitely make the glass ones suspect, but let's play a safe bet and see if it's just a time issue. At two weeks most beers should be pretty carbonated, but depending on temperature (it is starting to get cold...) etc they might just need more time. I'd wait another week or two before trying another glass. If then they're still wonky then your crimp(er) is likely to blame.

 

[BausFight]

Thanks guys. Actually after posting this I had a plastic one where the carbonation was a tad less than the other plastic ones. Maybe I'm pluckin'em too soon. I'll give them some more time.

 

[snow16]

Could it be that your priming solution wasn't mixed into the beer very well before bottling? Maybe there was a higher concentration of sugar at the bottom of the bucket and you bottled up the plastic bottles first? Just a shot in the dark...

Anyway, I'd wait it out a little longer. Enjoy the beer either way...!

 

[unionrdr]

I used the Cooper's 740ml bottles for a while. Didn't carb as fast as the glass, but by a small difference in days. I think it's the difference in how well the priming solution mixes in the bottling bucket, & which type of bottles get filled first. And definitely check how tight your capper is crimping them.

 

[BausFight]

Just because I hate open-ended posts, here's an update:

They all carbed up with more time.