If using flip tops do you uses less priming sugar than crown caps? Batch primed as usual for 20 bottles, 12 flips 8 crowns. All of the 12 flip tops were way over carbed and caused gushers. 2 of the 8 crowns have been perfect.
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I had the exact same experience with fliptops and it wrecked my head.
I just reduced the priming sugar and it was all ok again.
Fliptops should be no different than crown caps.
If using grolsch bottles, they may be 440ml rather than 500ml.
Consider batch priming for greater consistency.
Is it possible that the flip tops some how infected the beer.
Dirt in the bottle, bad seals ?
The washer in the fliptop can harbour bugs from previous usages.
Ideally you should remove the washer and thoroughly clean it separately. Failing that, heat sanitise your bottles in a dishwasher or your boil kettle
I'm becoming sceptical about the flip tops, for the reason above. I thought initially they would be less work than crown caps, but if you take the time to individually clean the washers etc I think you lose the time again, I'd be confident that all of the crown caps are perfectly sanitised.
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All my bottles get steeped in hot water and sanitiser before bottling so dont think its an infection issue.
The seals are all good too I think, guessing I'd have had leaks if they weren't with that much pressure in the bottles.
Never had issues with infected flip tops myself and I've had them for about 5 years now. I do make sure that they get a good soak in W5 though. The Germans reuse them plenty of times too (albeit, they get industrially cleaned).
I have had issues with flip tops gushing, but it's for the usual drill of the bottle not being clean enough- my fliptops get rotated much quicker than crown capped bottles, which are used for storage. So it's not a washer problem per se.
Quote from: TheSumOfAllBeers on May 22, 2017, 11:07:48 AM
The washer in the fliptop can harbour bugs from previous usages.
Ideally you should remove the washer and thoroughly clean it separately. Failing that, heat sanitise your bottles in a dishwasher or your boil kettle
Don't use the dishwasher for washing bottles. From bitter experience I can testify you will get completely random cleaning from this. I spent years trying to figure out bottling issues as a result of using the dishwasher. I would instead recommend soaking bottles with a 40C oxy solution for approximately 10 minutes. Use a bottle brush to give the bottom a good cleaning, drain and rinse out with clean water. Afterwards rinse it with star san and use. For flip tops I would remove the seals and soak them in 40C oxy solution also and rinse them before putting them back on. To echo others points consider batch priming the entire batch in one go. If your still getting gushers with the flip tops consider ditching them and replace them with some new bottles. Sometimes bottles acquire wild yeast and it can be troublesome to shift.
Shanna
Quote from: Stecleary84 on May 22, 2017, 03:58:08 PM
All my bottles get steeped in hot water and sanitiser before bottling so dont think its an infection issue.
The seals are all good too I think, guessing I'd have had leaks if they weren't with that much pressure in the bottles.
Sanitiser is not enough, you need to clean and sanitise before use. Use something like Oxy or VWP to ensure the bottles are clean and free from any dirt or residue. Rinse them in plenty of cold water to remove any trace of the chemical residue and then sanitise with something like starsan. The sanitiser won't shift dirt.
Shanna
Quote from: Shanna on May 23, 2017, 02:05:09 PM
Quote from: Stecleary84 on May 22, 2017, 03:58:08 PM
All my bottles get steeped in hot water and sanitiser before bottling so dont think its an infection issue.
The seals are all good too I think, guessing I'd have had leaks if they weren't with that much pressure in the bottles.
Sanitiser is not enough, you need to clean and sanitise before use. Use something like Oxy or VWP to ensure the bottles are clean and free from any dirt or residue. Rinse them in plenty of cold water to remove any trace of the chemical residue and then sanitise with something like starsan. The sanitiser won't shift dirt.
Shanna
They are all rinsed when i use them, then all scrubbed the next day with a bottling brush and VWP before put away.
Bottling day i steep them in boiling water, then sanitised before filling.
I'm still thinking it was a pressure issue and not infection
Quote from: Shanna on May 23, 2017, 02:02:55 PM
Don't use the dishwasher for washing bottles.
I didn't say to use a dishwasher for washing bottles.
I said for sanitising. Use the heat to kill bugs that are harbouring in hard to clean areas.
Most of my bottles get washed shortly after use, which keeps them clean. Everything else gets put in a box for tougher clean.
Thing about a dishwasher is it's not that clean to begin with so there's a high chance of blasting crud into your bottles when you use it to sanatise. That crud then gives the bacteria someplace to hide so your sanatiser of choice doesn't get everything on bottling day.
If you had a dishwasher that was just for bottles, no issue, otherwise there's a chance.
Not saying that the DW is your exclusive source of sanitation.
Heat sanitised flip tops will stay sanitary for a short period of time only. Obviously clean interiors before you bottle.