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Carbonation problems with oxygen caps?

T

therobot

Been having problems with enough carbonation in my beer.  I use the oxygen caps usually, but noticed that when I opened the one Grolsch type bottle I had, the carbonation was great.  Is there any chance the caps aren't working correctly, absorbing more than just oxygen?  I know it sounds silly, but was really suprised at how much better the carbonation was in the grolsch bottle.

Probably a problem with how well I'm capping them, but just wanted to pose the idea.
 
I only bottle, and switched to blank, silver O2 caps quite a while ago.  I noticed no difference in caps.  I use a red "baron" plastic capper.  I did learn recently that the temperature of the beer when bottling is important.  Warmer beer holds less dissolved CO2, so we must use more sugar.  The BS Carbonation tool helps dial that in. 
 
I also use the O2 caps and a red baron caper.  I had problems  until I found the chart in Palmer's book "How to Brew", free online if you google it, and started matching my temperature to the level I wanted to carbonate to and use the amount of sugar in weight indicated.  It is in section 1 chapter 11 near the end.  Don't let it worry you the chapters are very, very short.  Also, boil your sugar, cool, add to bottling bucket, siphon in the beer, and stir well, not splashing, for a couple of min..  It sounds like your solution wasn't mixed in well.  It's a shame they tell us newbies and intermediates to "just add 5 oz. and you'll be fine".  Different beers should be carbonated to different levels and people have different tastes in those ranges, not to mention temperature of the beer has a lot to do with it.  Go with the warmer temperature of either what the beer was fermented at, or is setting at at the time of bottling.  That is the one thing Palmer isn't clear on.  If the temperature of your beer rises after fermentation CO2 will gas out.  If it falls there isn't as much in there as the then current temperature indicates, 
 
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