Recent content by DialMBrewing

Yeah, there's really no way to know for sure. I'm just going to be really meticulous with everything next time. Fermentation for both batches was between 2 and 3 weeks. I just used a primary fermenter, not a secondary. It's so warm here right now that "room temperature" is in the high 70s...

To me, it seems like it's mostly the head. I have/had been drinking some of these gusher batches, and it doesn't seem overcarbonated once the gushing dissipates.

I have only been checking the FG once (right before bottling), and they have been within range.

Good idea; I should probably just replace those things. No, I am not rinsing off the Iodophor solution. It was my understanding that it's OK not to rinse it. I've done this with all my batches, even those that turned out well. Good point about contamination at the bottle level. Since they...

I used 5.5 oz. (by weight) of maple syrup. This was the amount recommended in Palmer's "How to Brew". The porter had cane sugar in it. Again, I referred to Palmer's book and used 3.7 oz. As far as cleaning the equipment goes, I usually just clean it as good as possible with water/sponge...

The porter had been bottled for about a month before the bottle bomb. Most were being stored at room temperature (that's where the bottle blew). Even the chilled ones were gushing (though slower) after being in the refrigerator for a week or more.

I'll check that - thanks for the tip! :)

Thanks! I'm thinking it's an infection, as I am pretty sure that I used the right amount of sugar and the OG and FG in each case led me to believe the beer was done. I'll keep the recapping idea in mind for the future, though. It seems like these were pretty far gone, but if I had caught it...

That's what I think, since it happened to 2 batches. I'm going to take everything apart and take some extra time cleaning and sanitizing next time.

Thanks - that's a good idea. Maybe I'll just soak them all in an extra bucket (after cleaning really well). If you do that, is it OK if you bottle while they are still wet?

Hi, everyone. I started brewing beer back in March, and my first four batches turned out pretty good. The first two were extract; the third and fourth were all-grain. My last two batches have been . . . strange. My fifth batch was supposed to be the Jaggery Pale Ale in "Radical Brewing"...