Bubbles forming after bottling

[TrapperX]

Two issues but believe I have the second one figured out.

This is my second year making syrup and I feel my first year went great.
This year I am already doubting what I am doing...
I tend to over think things so step in and say "hey you don't need to do that!" if I am going overboard.

I tapped 5 trees last year and got 6 quarts, so this year we are going to do 10-15 maybe. My wife want to give out some as gifts and the kids just want more to enjoy.
We collected 32 gallons of sap in the warm up we just had from 3 trees, Had them buried in a snow pile and all were still nice and clear.

After I collect I filter through coffee filters and boil on a turkey burner in a large stainless pot and finish on the stove top.
I bought a 20x12x6 stainless steel pan for finishing this year. I like the large surface but the pan was dancing on the stove top and hoping this was because it was new.
Then the syrup started making big pops and splattering (glad wife was not home) so I added a couple lids to help with the splatter.
I brought the syrup to 215 and filtered it with 2 pre filters and wool right back into another pot to finish, read somewhere to make the last filtering quicker.
Didn't loose a lot of temp in the process and finished it off at 59 on the brix scale, filtered again around 195-200 and poured into our bottles and capped and laid them on their sides.
At this point there was not one bubble in there and when I got up this morning this is what I had, 2 bottles were fine and were the last ones poured.

The second issue I believe is niter and think when I filtered the second time it was to hot, I am guessing.
Any ideas on the bubbles?

http://trapper.ws/b1x1y.jpg

http://trapper.ws/b2x2y.jpg

http://trapper.ws/b3x3y.jpg

[maple milker]

I went through this a couple of years ago with those red caps. They do not seal completely. Get the gold or white caps with the rubber seal on the inside. I have had no leakers since I switched to the gold or white caps.

[wnybassman]

I went through this a couple of years ago with those red caps. They do not seal completely.

Whew! I thought it was just me. I used the red caps for the first time last year and when bottling, at least one out of five leaked when I tipped them on their side.

[psparr]

The dancing pan was probably just irregular heating of it. One area hotter than the other. Just flexing a little.
As for the splattering. Are you using any defoamer or vegetable oil to keep the bubbles down while boiling? Without it the boil will get out of hand.
Putting lids on it only allows what you boiled off to condensate and fall back in the pan.
As for the niter, are you squeezing the filter to get the last of the syrup through? That will push the niter through. Also rough handling when cleaning the filter will lessen its ability.
The bubbles will probably settle out on their own. Try laying them on their sides for only a few minutes. Anything longer than that isn't really helping anyway. The syrup will have already cooked to below 180 degrees. You can't filter too hot, unless your syrup is too dense, but that's another story. The hotter the better for filtering. Just don't take it up past 190-195 after filtering.

[maple milker]

They give you the red caps sort of by default because their name is on the side. I went from about 25 percent leakers to just one or two which I merely tightened down a little more when a few bubbles started.

[happy thoughts]

If I read this right, it's not leaks but bubbles that are the problem.

Last pic definitely looks like niter. As for bubbles, can't say I've ever seen that many in my own small batches but I bet they were in there but went unnoticed. I bet they'll break down and clear over time. The only thing I can think of is air getting incorporated when transferring syrup from containers or into the bottle. Maybe poured too fast or from too high of a distance? Hope someone else has a better answer. Did you wash the filter from last year's use? No chance of any soap, right?

[happy thoughts]

As for the dancing pan, I agree with psparr. I was always taught that the pan should fit the burner. While an oblong pan that size might do well on an arch, it's not ideal for a round burner on a stovetop because of the uneven heating. Are you using an oblong burner like some gas stoves have?

[TrapperX]

I went through this a couple of years ago with those red caps. They do not seal completely. Get the gold or white caps with the rubber seal on the inside. I have had no leakers since I switched to the gold or white caps.

She did ask me and I didn't know there was a difference and will get some different ones.



The dancing pan was probably just irregular heating of it. One area hotter than the other. Just flexing a little.
As for the splattering. Are you using any defoamer or vegetable oil to keep the bubbles down while boiling? Without it the boil will get out of hand.
Putting lids on it only allows what you boiled off to condensate and fall back in the pan.
As for the niter, are you squeezing the filter to get the last of the syrup through? That will push the niter through. Also rough handling when cleaning the filter will lessen its ability.
The bubbles will probably settle out on their own. Try laying them on their sides for only a few minutes. Anything longer than that isn't really helping anyway. The syrup will have already cooked to below 180 degrees. You can't filter too hot, unless your syrup is too dense, but that's another story. The hotter the better for filtering. Just don't take it up past 190-195 after filtering.

Yes the pan was on our stove top with two separate burners and makes sense. I have read about the defoamer but the foam has never been a problem and the more I think about it the popping might have been also caused by using the two separate burners. I only added the lids at the very end when the popping got real bad but took them off after I lowered the heat a little.
Good to know that it cant be filtered to hot.



If I read this right, it's not leaks but bubbles that are the problem.

Last pic definitely looks like niter. As for bubbles, can't say I've ever seen that many in my own small batches but I bet they were in there but went unnoticed. I bet they'll break down and clear over time. The only thing I can think of is air getting incorporated when transferring syrup from containers or into the bottle. Maybe poured too fast or from too high of a distance? Hope someone else has a better answer. Did you wash the filter from last year's use? No chance of any soap, right?

Yeah I am pretty sure it is niter also :( and will be most likely mixing it all back in our next batch. My wife wants to use for gifts so I don't want any of that in there.
When I poured it into the bottles it was low and slow because I remembered that from last year. I only use hot hot water no soaps on the filters and I just read that getting the bottles hot 200 deg in oven will help things.



As for the dancing pan, I agree with psparr. I was always taught that the pan should fit the burner. While an oblong pan that size might do well on an arch, it's not ideal for a round burner on a stove top because of the uneven heating. Are you using an oblong burner like some gas stoves have?

Yes I was and will not be doing that again.
It was a new pan and really wanted to use it :D

Thanks everyone for the quick responses

[Ed R]

I've never had a problem with sugarbush supplies caps in the past. It looks like some niter is suspended in the foam and some settling out of niter. Also looks like to much turbulence during canning. Tip your glass up right a minute or two after canning and the foam will dissipate somewhat. Check your filter, your passing sugar sand somehow or you have contaminated the clean side(outside) of your wool filter during the cleaning of your wool filter.

[wnybassman]

I get loud pops and bangs when there is heavy sugar sand on the bottom of the pan. Much like heavy sediment in the bottom of your hot water heater if you are on a well with black sand.

[TrapperX]

I've never had a problem with sugarbush supplies caps in the past. It looks like some niter is suspended in the foam and some settling out of niter. Also looks like to much turbulence during canning. Tip your glass up right a minute or two after canning and the foam will dissipate somewhat. Check your filter, your passing sugar sand somehow or you have contaminated the clean side(outside) of your wool filter during the cleaning of your wool filter.

Since this was my second time making syrup it is a good chance I did something wrong, but I have been reading/refreshing everything on the site I had time for.
I am not saying it is the caps but when I first poured the syrup in, there were no bubbles until the next morning 7 hrs later and poured it nice a slow to not get any
and there were two bottles that didn't have any bubbles.
I did buy two of the wool filters last year and was probably a little rougher on it and will be using the new one on the next batch in hopes of improving my results.

[Big_Eddy]

Bubbles are from leaking caps. You put hot syrup in the jar and capped it, then laid it down. As the syrup cools it contracts and causes a vacuum in the jar. The vacuum draws a steady stream of air in through the leaking cap causing the bubbles in the syrup.

When you lay your jars down, look at them closely after about 10 mins. You will see the stream of bubbles if they are leaking. Sometimes you can tighten the cap and get them to seal. Sometimes you need to replace the cap. Just be careful tightening when the cap is hot or you will strip the threads.

[TrapperX]

I get loud pops and bangs when there is heavy sugar sand on the bottom of the pan. Much like heavy sediment in the bottom of your hot water heater if you are on a well with black sand.

There was a very very thin coat cooked completely to the bottom but is scrubbed right off. I am guessing that was some of the sugar sand cooked to the bottom of the pan :confused:

[TrapperX]

Bubbles are from leaking caps. You put hot syrup in the jar and capped it, then laid it down. As the syrup cools it contracts and causes a vacuum in the jar. The vacuum draws a steady stream of air in through the leaking cap causing the bubbles in the syrup.

When you lay your jars down, look at them closely after about 10 mins. You will see the stream of bubbles if they are leaking. Sometimes you can tighten the cap and get them to seal. Sometimes you need to replace the cap. Just be careful tightening when the cap is hot or you will strip the threads.

The more I am reading, it looks like that was the case.
I did tighten them sung but not over tightened.
It was a long day so right after the last pan was washed I went to bed.

[mellondome]

If I read this right, it's not leaks but bubbles that are the problem.



The leaks will allow air in slowly as the syrup cools. If left on its side, it will look just like foam.

[mountainvan]

try rinsing the bottles with water before filling. I now rinse all my plain galleone bottles.

[TrapperX]

try rinsing the bottles with water before filling. I now rinse all my plain galleone bottles.

I actually rinsed the bottles out in 175 deg hot water, but did not know about warming them in the oven to 200 deg.
Small batches for us so not a big deal to throw 6-8 bottles in there to warm up.

[TrapperX]

I have about an 1/2 inch of sugar sand in bottom of bottles so they will get re-filtered in the new filter, now that I know how to care for it properly.

Just like any hobby sometimes you learn as you gou :rolleyes:

[wnybassman]

There was a very very thin coat cooked completely to the bottom but is scrubbed right off. I am guessing that was some of the sugar sand cooked to the bottom of the pan :confused:

Yep, it ain't much. Just a thin gritty substance on the bottom.

[tbear]

I use steam table pans for finishing on the stove over two burners. It sounds like you tried the same. The dancing pans kind of freaked me out too! I've found if I start the burners on low and gradually turn them up as the syrup heats they don't dance. Even doing that I don't leave them for a moment until they begin to boil. I had the pans rock to the point of syrup all over the stove top and hot elements! ONCE! Talk about a mess! The language wasn't very attractive either. Ted

[MidMichMaple]

Wish I had read this thread before bottling! This was my first attempt at bottling in "official" syrup bottles and I ended up with the dreaded leaking air bubbles. Unfortunately I had more end up like the one on the right. Happy with the one on the left though!

http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l487/vboon26/Mobile%20Uploads/image_4.jpeg (http://s1120.photobucket.com/user/vboon26/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_4.jpeg.html)

[Run Forest Run!]

Well MidMichMaple, regardless of the bubble situation that you are mentioning I've got to compliment you on your crystal clear end product. Nice job!

[MidMichMaple]

Thanks Karen! I'm very happy with how clear it turned out. I did get a lesson in niter formation towards the end of my bottling, though. I didn't have enough syrup left in the pot for my thermometer to read correctly, so the thermometer went down below 180, which led to me cranking up the burner. Well, the thermometer was wrong, and my syrup got too hot. So I have a few mason jars with cloudy syrup. Thankfully I ran out of fancy bottles before that happened. :cool: