Squeezing before bottling

[squirrell]

I have read in a few places that if you squeeze the air out of a PET botlle after filling and before putting the cap on that you will get better carbonation. Is this an old wives tale?

Also, thinking of pimping up a Coopers Lager with the following - am I on the right track?

1 Coopers Lager
1 BE1
3-500 grams Light dry malt
20 grams Cascade @5 and @ 15 (could also do pride of ringwood for a more classic aussie taste?)
23 litres
SAFALE 05 yeast.

I also have some carapils - is there any advantage to adding 100g of this - will i already have enough body and head?

 

[gsouth82]

I doubt its an old wives tale. Oxygen is beers worst enemy so if you were to squeeze it out then better for the beer I guess.
My LHBS guy always recommends when bottling to:
1. prime the bottles
2. fill all the bottles (and sit a cap on)
3. cap all the bottle (starting with the first one filled).
His theory is that the priming sugar will start being eaten by the yeast, producing CO2, which is heavier than oxygen. This would sort of purge the oxygen from the head space of the bottle.
I've done it before and got quite a symphony of bottle tops tapping away on the bottles as the yeast started its work.

As for the recipe, looks good to me. The Cascade will shine through with those additions. I wouldn't put and POR in and just enjoy the Cascade!

 

[NewtownClown]

I doubt its an old wives tale. Oxygen is beers worst enemy so if you were to squeeze it out then better for the beer I guess.
My LHBS guy always recommends when bottling to:
1. prime the bottles
2. fill all the bottles (and sit a cap on)
3. cap all the bottle (starting with the first one filled).
His theory is that the priming sugar will start being eaten by the yeast, producing CO2, which is heavier than oxygen. This would sort of purge the oxygen from the head space of the bottle.
I've done it before and got quite a symphony of bottle tops tapping away on the bottles as the yeast started its work.

As for the recipe, looks good to me. The Cascade will shine through with those additions. I wouldn't put and POR in and just enjoy the Cascade!

The yeast won't be producing co2 that quickly/ If anything, it will be residual co2 coming out of suspension. Basically, The yeast go through the same phases, during the "lag phase" they are consuming the tiny amount of o2 that will be present.
Otherwise, this forum would be full of "Bottled my first batch 3 weeks ago and all my beer smells like wet cardboard - is this normal?" threads

 

[Liam_snorkel]

EDIT: never mind - NewtownClown has it covered

 

[pat86]

I haven't used POR but Cascade is great, for a basic pimping if you are just using a hop addition I think you'll notice a bigger difference with cascade.

Using some steeped crystal is very easy, I would recommend it as well.