Why is beer boiling out of bottle when opened

A few months ago I brewed an Oatmeal Stout. After bottle conditioning and then sitting for a while in the pantry I opened one. It was really foamy and seemed to keep boiling out of the bottle. I had given several out to friends and they said the same thing. Did I bottle it a little too soon? Is this a sign of over carbonation? I didn't have any bottle bombs, (which is good). I had made this same beer before and had no issues. I did make it a little different when i steeped the grains but overall it was made the same way. Only did one gravity reading before bottling. My theory is there was just a little bit too much fermentables when I added the priming sugar. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

"I didn't have any bottle bombs"

Famous last words. Amish, you are about to. Time to start uncapping those bottles while wearing a bike helmet and mask. Seriously!!! You beer is overcarbed and may continue until the bottles start to explode. We can talk about why later, but for now, you are in a serious situation. I would tell the folks you gave bottles to discard them carefully.

Amishbrewing said:

A few months ago I brewed an Oatmeal Stout. After bottle conditioning and then sitting for a while in the pantry I opened one. It was really foamy and seemed to keep boiling out of the bottle. I had given several out to friends and they said the same thing. Did I bottle it a little too soon? Is this a sign of over carbonation? I didn't have any bottle bombs, (which is good). I had made this same beer before and had no issues. I did make it a little different when i steeped the grains but overall it was made the same way. Only did one gravity reading before bottling. My theory is there was just a little bit too much fermentables when I added the priming sugar. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

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could be over primed, could be infected, maybe fermentation wasn't complete. OG/FG?

Were they fridged for some time before opening? Process? Amount of priming sugar used? Need some more info.....

Boiling?

Sounds like you have a "gusher".

the first batch I made was a 1.056 OG and a FG of 1.014. The second batch was an OG of 1.060 and a FG of 1.022. I used the package of priming sugar that came with the Brewers Best box kit in both. I didn't write the amount down but am pretty sure it was 8oz. The bottles were in the fridge for a week or so before opening. Not sure about the couple I gave out. They were happy with the flavor,body, and color of the beer. Just the extra foam was the only concern.

Im guessing this is a 5 gallon batch? 8oz is way too much priming sugar. For my higher carbed brews (2.5-2.7 volumes of C02), ill use a little over 4oz. Definitely open them all and proceed with caution.

Is this gushing problem after they've sat in the fridge for a few hours or warm?

I'm not sure on the size of the package. Could have been 4 oz of priming sugar. This is for a 5 gallon batch. I had the bottles in the fridge for a few days up to a week before opening. So they were chilled. I will put another one in the fridge for a few days and see what happens

Was your FG stable before you bottled? How long did this beer go before bottling? Also, how long in the bottle before you put them in the fridge?

I brewed this on May 5 2013. Racked to secondary May 11. Bottled May 27. Placed in closet for 2-3 weeks before I put a couple in the fridge. Seemed ok at the time. It was after a couple months that I opened another bottle and that's when I got the gusher. Didn't make sure of stabiity first. I won't make that mistake again.

A good rule of thumb is the FG remaining the same for 3 days in a row. I don't even bother popping the lid on the fermenter until 3 weeks go by. The 3 week rule usually works for me.

Also, when measuring dry goods like sugar in oz, you need to measure with a scale and not a measuring cup. For example, a cup of liquid is 8 oz, but if you measure out a cup of sugar and put it on a scale it will only weigh about 4 oz.

It seems like your going to keep going with the bottles you have. That is your choice, but again, you need to be really careful with bottles that have so much carb that they gush foamy beer when you pop the cap. Refrigeration will slow carbonation but not stop it, and it won't remove the pressure that has already built up in the bottles.

Have you ever seen bottles that explode? Shards of glass go everywhere, including being embedded in the walls. Not to mention the beer that soaks your carpet and dries before you notice it. We have all been there, but luckily most have not been around when one goes in your face. Good luck.

Racking to secondary at 6 days seems very early. I also use the 3 week rule for primary if I am going to do a secondary. I usually give my beers a month or more in primary if I am not doing a secondary. Of course time depends on OG and what style of beer you are making. FG will stabilize and stop dropping when your beer is done, but most beers develop with age beyond the time it takes to just fully ferment. Patience and temperature control are the first two things that have improved my beer ten fold. Its difficult to wait but well worth it!

One good thing is there is no carpet in the house for beer to soak into. Also I keep the bottles in the box they came in so if anything were to happen any possible shards would be better contained in the box. I use a secondary fermenter to for clarity of the beer. I have roughly 10 of these left and will be very careful with them. This beer was my 5th one made and so far has been the only problem one. At first there was no problem just within the last 2 months it became problematic. Thanks for all your comments and advice

I bottled a chocolate milk stout and have a similar issue. The brewers best packets are 5 oz of sugar and I assume this was too much. I wonder if the head retention from the stout being a thicker beer could be the issue? over carbed but the head doesn't "pop"? Mine open fine, but after a minute or two, it will start foaming over the bottle. I did 2 week primary and 2 week secondary. I know the 5oz pack was overkill for the stout. Mine had been refridgerated for a week before opening when this happened as well. Beer is good, but way too much head. probably a 1/4 beer and 3/4 head when poured in a glass.

So far....knock on wood, I haven't had any bottle bombs either. It's been about 2 months since I bottled and they've been sittin in my pantry closet except for the ones I've put in the fridge.

BigFloyd said:

It doesn't sound like you're adding cherry puree or anything. So why, pray tell, are you guys racking stouts into a secondary?

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Some folks just like using the secondary process. I don't, but there are some learned folks here that swear by them.

I was never good at bottling. I had the same junk happen. I would measure out the sugar precisely, protect against infection, ferment until every possible sign showed the coast was clear. Then I would bottle, 4 weeks later the beer was great, then 2 months later the carb levels would start creeping up until they started gushing. I would come on the site here and mention my issue, people would ask if I fermented long enough. Then mention if I was keeping everything sanitized. I would then review all this things I was doing that seemed correct. Then after going through all those steps, I would end by popping the caps off the last half of the batch and dumping it down the drain. Then repeat.

You know how I fixed my problem? Started kegging. Now my beers sit in kegs for months with no signs of infection, at the carb levels I want. A little gelatin makes them nice and clear. So happy, thanks kegconnection

BigFloyd said:

It doesn't sound like you're adding cherry puree or anything. So why, pray tell, are you guys racking stouts into a secondary?

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If for no other reason, to free up primary fermenter space for the next batch.

I was never good at bottling. I had the same junk happen. I would measure out the sugar precisely, protect against infection, ferment until every possible sign showed the coast was clear. Then I would bottle, 4 weeks later the beer was great, then 2 months later the carb levels would start creeping up until they started gushing. I would come on the site here and mention my issue, people would ask if I fermented long enough. Then mention if I was keeping everything sanitized. I would then review all this things I was doing that seemed correct. Then after going through all those steps, I would end by popping the caps off the last half of the batch and dumping it down the drain. Then repeat.

You know how I fixed my problem? Started kegging. Now my beers sit in kegs for months with no signs of infection, at the carb levels I want. A little gelatin makes them nice and clear. So happy, thanks kegconnection[/QUOTE]


I've been home brewing now for about 3 years, and I've had the same time same problem number of times. Especially with the kits that I bought from Northern Brewer I find that the sugar they recommend priming with is too much if you're going to wait 2 months or longer before you finish off the beer. I started using my own carbonation levels which is closer to about 2.7-3.3 oz of corn sugar for priming. I don't achieve the same carbonation levels that might be desired for different styles, but I never get bottle bombs, the bottles are never overflowing when I open them, and there's still enough carbonation so that the flavor is still exactly what I'm looking for.

Kegging is cost prohibitive for me right now, so that's not an option.

A small amount of wild yeast or bacteria in the bottles would explain it. They'll carb fine after a fee weeks but if you leave them at room temp they gradually overcarb and drop down to say 1.010 or 1.005. Refrigerate if possible after 3 wks to preserve the beer and keep from over carbing. Of course some beers need to age longer than that but in that case you need to be more careful with sanitation and priming. Definitely use an online priming calculator that takes into account the temp of the beer.

BigFloyd said:

It doesn't sound like you're adding cherry puree or anything. So why, pray tell, are you guys racking stouts into a secondary?

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I rack it over to make for a clearer finished product. That and I can get another batch started

saxman1036 said:

I was never good at bottling. I had the same junk happen. I would measure out the sugar precisely, protect against infection, ferment until every possible sign showed the coast was clear. Then I would bottle, 4 weeks later the beer was great, then 2 months later the carb levels would start creeping up until they started gushing. I would come on the site here and mention my issue, people would ask if I fermented long enough. Then mention if I was keeping everything sanitized. I would then review all this things I was doing that seemed correct. Then after going through all those steps, I would end by popping the caps off the last half of the batch and dumping it down the drain. Then repeat.

You know how I fixed my problem? Started kegging. Now my beers sit in kegs for months with no signs of infection, at the carb levels I want. A little gelatin makes them nice and clear. So happy, thanks kegconnection

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I've been home brewing now for about 3 years, and I've had the same time same problem number of times. Especially with the kits that I bought from Northern Brewer I find that the sugar they recommend priming with is too much if you're going to wait 2 months or longer before you finish off the beer. I started using my own carbonation levels which is closer to about 2.7-3.3 oz of corn sugar for priming. I don't achieve the same carbonation levels that might be desired for different styles, but I never get bottle bombs, the bottles are never overflowing when I open them, and there's still enough carbonation so that the flavor is still exactly what I'm looking for.

Kegging is cost prohibitive for me right now, so that's not an option.[/QUOTE]

Ditto....Same problem with me, was using almost all 4.5 oz priming sugar packs that came with kits. Then I bought a scale and I shoot for pretty low co2 vol leading to low to mid 3 oz amts and the carb now comes out perfect for me and no more pouring a glass full of foam...

I noticed this kit has 8oz of maltodextrine, could you have possibly mixed up the priming sugar and malto?

Get the remaining bottles as cold as you can without freezing them to minimize foaming. Pop the caps off of 2 to 4 bottles and immediately recap them in the same order that you opened them. Don't let them foam over for too long before getting a cap back on them or you will loose too much carbonation and beer. You will most likely need to rinse them off or they will be sticky. You will no doubt have a bit more head space in the bottles but since you will be capping on foam, you should not have any problem with oxidation.

(edit) Unless you have good reason to beleive your beer is infected, there is absolutely no reason to dump any of it down the drain.

Use whatever protective equipment you think you need. At the very least, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes.

Amishbrewing said:

the first batch I made was a 1.056 OG and a FG of 1.014. The second batch was an OG of 1.060 and a FG of 1.022. I used the package of priming sugar that came with the Brewers Best box kit in both. I didn't write the amount down but am pretty sure it was 8oz. The bottles were in the fridge for a week or so before opening. Not sure about the couple I gave out. They were happy with the flavor,body, and color of the beer. Just the extra foam was the only concern.

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Your beer was not done fermenting. Your final gravity is much too high. Also you used twice as much bottling sugar as other suggest. Open the beers carefully then recap them
And see in a couple says what they are like.

Beer that hasn't reached final gravity shouldn't be bottled with priming sugar. At least multiple days of stable gravity before bottling is necessary to prevent this. 5oz of priming sugar in a 5 gallon (finished, racked to bottling bucket volume) batch will yield between 2.8 and 2.9 vol CO2 in a batch of beer at around 60°F. If that weight of sugar causes gushers you have:
1)bottled a beer that isn't finished fermenting.
2)bottled a beer that has a stable gravity with an infection.
3)bottled a beer with incorrectly measured priming sugar.
4)not chilled your beer long enough in the refrigerator to make the CO2 get absorbed in the beer.
Longer time in bottle (2 months) won't cause overcarbonation unless your beer hasn't reached FG or it is infected with a bug that will take some time to ferment the sugars/dextrins that your yeast hasn't been able to ferment.

Begin2Brew said:

I noticed this kit has 8oz of maltodextrine, could you have possibly mixed up the priming sugar and malto?

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No I made it the right way. When using the kit I would always seperate the priming sugar from the rest of the ingrediants

Yeah Your really don't need to secondary a good stout. Its black/brown. You can't see any haze or clarity anyways. My last stout I let sit in the primary for 4 weeks before bottling. I still have had a few gushers. Have you had any non gushers or does every one you open spew forth foamy goodness. With stouts it is hard to tell when you should stop bottling and leave some to the beer gods. I bet you pulled a little trub in some of the bottles towards the end and those are the bottles you have been drinking. I usually let my bottles chill for at least a week, upright and open them over the sink with a couple of glasses or a pitcher just as a precaution. I also usually bottle my stouts in flip top bottles that i can quickly recap should I see any trouble from it. Well at least I did…I moved on to kegging so I don't really worry about it anymore.

How is trub going to cause gushers, aside providing more nucleation points?

I've been seeing this with several of my recent stout recipes and it's starting to piss me off to be honest.

My beer prime for 3 weeks minimum, bigger beers 4 weeks.

Usually 4 - 4.3 oz of table sugar is what I use for my stouts.

Last batch was a big breakfast stout 8.3% and it too starts to foam over upon opening a bottle.

I've had this happen to a few other beers that were fine for months then bam, they all did it out of the blue. Had others do it right from the start after 3 weeks of carbonating.

My fix for this is go .5 oz or up to 1oz less of priming sugar for any beer with a recommended amount of sugar at 4oz or more. I'll let it sit longer to carb and so what if it's not fully carbed it's carbed enough for me and I'm tired of volcano beers. Especially stouts, they can dam near be flat and still be good.

Cider123 said:

Some folks just like using the secondary process. I don't, but there are some learned folks here that swear by them.

I was never good at bottling. I had the same junk happen. I would measure out the sugar precisely, protect against infection, ferment until every possible sign showed the coast was clear. Then I would bottle, 4 weeks later the beer was great, then 2 months later the carb levels would start creeping up until they started gushing. I would come on the site here and mention my issue, people would ask if I fermented long enough. Then mention if I was keeping everything sanitized. I would then review all this things I was doing that seemed correct. Then after going through all those steps, I would end by popping the caps off the last half of the batch and dumping it down the drain. Then repeat.

You know how I fixed my problem? Started kegging. Now my beers sit in kegs for months with no signs of infection, at the carb levels I want. A little gelatin makes them nice and clear. So happy, thanks kegconnection

Click to expand...

BridgewaterBrewer said:

A small amount of wild yeast or bacteria in the bottles would explain it. They'll carb fine after a fee weeks but if you leave them at room temp they gradually overcarb and drop down to say 1.010 or 1.005. Refrigerate if possible after 3 wks to preserve the beer and keep from over carbing. Of course some beers need to age longer than that but in that case you need to be more careful with sanitation and priming. Definitely use an online priming calculator that takes into account the temp of the beer.

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This answers the first quote--bottle were fine but got a little gusher bug in them. I had this problem with a few batches, so I started bleach soaking bottles for a few days after use instead of brushing them (which sometimes left a yeast residue or ring around neck). I also starting taking apart my bottling spigot to clean it better before sanitizing.