Gusher?

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WIBeerGeek

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So, I have been drinking my first two batches of homebrew for almost a month now. I went to open a bottle of bitter tonight and foam started to shoot out, was able to try a little bit and it tasted bland. I thought it might have just been the one bottle, so I got a second. The second didn't gush as fast but it too had very little flavor. So, I went and got a third bottle of bitter and one bottle of my German Wheat. The third bottle of bitter is a little bland, but not as much as the first two and the weizen has gotten spicier, but also tried to gush out of the bottle..

I always wash out my bottle with jet bottle washer, use a bottle brush, jet it again, and then sanitize with a vinator bottle rinser and then put it on a bottle tree to wait until I bottle it.

Am I missing a step? Could I be getting a gusher infection from my plastic bottling bucket, or plastic fermentation bucket? I have been very careful to not scratch the buckets when I clean the, and sanitize them thoroughly before use, but I now have two beers with what might be an infection, one in secondary, and one in primary... I hope the two that are still in fermentation aren't infected too..
 
How did you carbonate,how much and volume.Did you properly chill them? Was all your bottleing equip well sanitized also?
 
Everything was sanitized, or at least I believe I properly sanitized it. Both of my first two were kits so I added the recommended amount of sugar for carbonation. As far as chilling them, I haven't been chilling the bitter and it hasn't been a problem. I prefer my bitters at cellar temps (low 50s). For the wheat, this is the first one that I haven't chilled, so maybe it was just over carbonation with the wheat. I moved a couple bottles of both and a couple bottles of the bitter that I racked onto jalapeños, hopefully it's an over carbonation issue

However, if it is an over carbonation issue (fingers crossed), is there any reason why it would take over a month to show up?
 
Sometimes and often do i not reach full carbontion until a month,especially if i know i had carbonted a bit much.I usually wait for it to happen,like my last few i knew i did because i got a few less bottles for my small batch and it took another few weeks to really get that sizzle of a carbonation.Foaming on the other hand is excessive and ive been there but only reached a slow foaming,so i know my limits with priming sugar now.
Another thing you did not mention was how long did you ferment? Did you check your finished gravity to know it was done and did you see or smell anything peculiar before you bottled? There is an answer to gushing its a matter of your process.

Ive used one step in my airlocks and had them in my basement,i swear it wore out and i aquired some funk because of that,not to mention i didnt have a good seal around the rim.Warmer temps and humidity vaunerability didnt help if the co2 escaped and some funky air made its way in. For that reason i wont stick them in my basement longer than 2 wks even though i have a dehumidifier when needed. I keep my airlock low,and spray in fresh every week,now using idophor.

Also with using idophor,i dont feel comfortable using that more than a week then i either add fresh every week or replace it with a fresh batch that i used for brewing.I think that was key to what happend with me,at least i think. Having it in a cool dry draftless area is a good idea.Mainly for me when it happend it was in warmer temps(high 60's) in my basement with onestep in my airlock not changing it out periodicaly,with a not so good seal sitting 3+ wks. Oh and not to mention i was using wooden lids at the time for my 2 gallon jars and also aquired a green mold around and underneath the lid.Ive replaced those as well and i swear it was only after i used t-58 and s-33 yeast that made it vaunerable as well.
 
If you added the recommended sugar for carb but didnt reach your full volume intended exactly-to approximatly,you would have overcarbonated.
 
Echoing the above but I have a few things for you to consider...

Normally when bottle carbing like you are you need to chill the beers for 24 hours at least and 48 is better in the fridge. This allows the Co2 to absorb into the beer correctly. IF you still have gushers after that you have an issue that needs investigating but it sounds like you are opening the bottles while they are to warm.

I FULLY understand liking the bitters at cellar temps but the BEST way to drink them is going to be to toss them in the fridge, open them and pour them as normal then set the glass on the counter for a few minutes OR drink out of a glass that you can hold that will transfer the heat from your hands to the beer (like a pint glass). IMO you are better off to let the beer warm than to open it up and have it foam like crazy.

If you want to serve beer at cellar temps you will need to use much less priming sugar than normal.

Chill a bitter and a wheat overnight, try again tomorrow night and let us know how it goes.
 
Forgot to reply here.. Cooling the beers did work, they are still a bit over carbonated, but they don't gush anymore.
 
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