Flat beer when using wilko swingtop bottles

[BucksBob]

Has anyone else experienced flat brews when using swing-top bottles? After a 40 gap in home brewing I've started again using garden grown hops, East Kent Goldings, Wye Target & Cascade, I'm really pleased with the flavour but I added 6 wilko swing top bottles to my usual crown top bottles and the beer in the swing tops are all flat, am I just unlucky and have got a bad batch or should I have done something to the rubber seals apart from sterilise them?
Thanks in advance
Bob

 

[Dutto]

Welcome to The Forum.

I think you must just be unlucky OR the Wilco bottles aren't up to scratch.

I use flip-tops regularly and even after a year on the shelf the beer still has enough carbonation to give it a head.

When installing the flip-tops I put both parts (body and seal) in sanitising solution (StarSan) before fitting them together and then drop them back into the sanitising solution before fitting them to the bottles.

 

[Mungri]

Has anyone else experienced flat brews when using swing-top bottles? After a 40 gap in home brewing I've started again using garden grown hops, East Kent Goldings, Wye Target & Cascade, I'm really pleased with the flavour but I added 6 wilko swing top bottles to my usual crown top bottles and the beer in the swing tops are all flat, am I just unlucky and have got a bad batch or should I have done something to the rubber seals apart from sterilise them?
Thanks in advance
Bob

You should't have to do anything to them Bob. I use 3 different types of swing top. Grolsch 440ml, Lidl beer 500ml and B&M bottles 500ml. All of them are fine after multiple uses.
Do they feel nice and tight when closed off?

 

[Leon103]

Never
I mostly use flip tops now and never had an issue

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi @BucksBob
Do you batch prime, or do you add sugar to each bottle?

 

[Ben034]

I use the Wilko bottles and haven't had any issues after a number of years. As long as you have to apply strong pressure to close the lid (they should be stiff to close especially when new) it should not leak the gas being produced in priming.

 

[BucksBob]

Hi @BucksBob
Do you batch prime, or do you add sugar to each bottle?

Thanks everyone, sounds like I've just been unlucky with this batch, I prime each bottle, maybe I forgot a couple! :-)

 

[Cwrw666]

I've got a load of old Grolsch bottles and some green swingtops that originally contained some other type of |German lager. The mrs. got them for me when she worked in a pub in the mid 80s. Most of them are still on their original seals and still work after all this time. Funnily enough the green ones tend not to hold pressure as well as the Grolsch ones though I can't really see why. You may just have a dodgy batch. Get a different sort.

 

[Bigcol49]

I prime each bottle, maybe I forgot a couple! :-)

Hi!
That was my first thought.
Test the bottles - make 3 litres of syrup add some yeast and keep them warm for two weeks.

 

[Mungri]

Thanks everyone, sounds like I've just been unlucky with this batch, I prime each bottle, maybe I forgot a couple! :-)

Maybe forgotten to prime a couple, but all six?
Anyhow as @Bigcol49 says, you can test them out without wasting precious beer.

 

[phildo79]

It has happened to me a number of times. Every now and then there will be one bottle that is flat. I use Grolsch bottles and I batch prime. The weird thing is, I have marked these bottles to see what happens with the next brew. And guess what, they are always just fine. I've added table sugar to flat bottles and put them aside for 2 weeks. And guess what, they are just fine. It's also happened to a mate of mine a few times. It's almost as if I have syphoned off the only 450ml of beer in the FV that hasn't been touched by the sugar. Bizarre!

 

[BucksBob]

great idea, I'll test with some sugar water and yeast!
Thanks again

 

[BrewHouse]

It has happened to me a number of times. Every now and then there will be one bottle that is flat. I use Grolsch bottles and I batch prime. The weird thing is, I have marked these bottles to see what happens with the next brew. And guess what, they are always just fine. I've added table sugar to flat bottles and put them aside for 2 weeks. And guess what, they are just fine. It's also happened to a mate of mine a few times. It's almost as if I have syphoned off the only 450ml of beer in the FV that hasn't been touched by the sugar. Bizarre!

It could be a bit of debris caught in the seal that gets flushed out next time you use.

 

[Gulpitdarn]

Just bought some Wilko swing type bottles only two or three weeks ago, No problem with mine! I carbonated with coopers drops... could not wait full two weeks for them to work and beer was just nice. Its kinda exciting to hear that 'fisshhshhzz' when you first open.

('fisshhshhzz' = Sound of gas escaping when pressure released)

 

[Brewed_Force]

Have you opened any that have crown caps ?
If they are flat then the problem is with your priming. If not, it's the swing tops leaking.

 

[Bigcol49]

('fisshhshhzz' = Sound of gas escaping when pressure released

Hi!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pschitt