I have a recipe that I have brewed several times. This time it is way overcarbed. I did everything exactly the same but for some reason when I pour it into a glass I get a glass full of foam. no spewing out of the bottles, no off taste once the foam subsides, just a LOT of foam. I am pouring extremely easily and slowly with a tilted glass. This has been bottled a couple of months. I know I missed something somewhere but what can I do with this to keep from having beers that look like they have thick whipped cream on top lol.
WAY over carbed beer
- Thread starter OHIOSTEVE
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bottlebomber
Well-Known Member
Im not 100% on this but it sounds like you may have some contamination. I've never had this happen to a whole batch, but I have had individual 22s that hadnt been sufficiently cleaned, and those ones were exactly like you described. As soon as I touched the church key to the cap it damn near shot off, and the beer was so overly carbonated you couldn't even pour it. After noticing a couple like that and dumping them out I noticed they had some spots of dried funk from a previous batch. Most of it was fine though. Are you sure its all like that? Maybe your carboy wasn't clean. Are you brewing in a bucket or plastic carboy? Those are infamous for harboring bacteria. Just my 2
Cold Country Brewery
Well-Known Member
How did you prime?
How long did you let it sit in the fridge before you opened?
How long did you let it sit in the fridge before you opened?
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
Beer tastes fine, no sign of infection tste wise. I batch prime and evidently added more sugar than I thought or something.No issue with the beer in the bottle at all, no caps flying off or bottle bombs, BUT as soon as it hits a glass BOOM foam everywhere.
FromZwolle
I don't want to be cremated, I want to be malted.
is the beer actually more fizzy (carbonated) than normal, or is this just an over-foaming issue?
how do you weigh your sugar?
also, how do you wash your glasses?
how do you weigh your sugar?
also, how do you wash your glasses?
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
not sure how to answer the first question. It does churn in the glass quite a bit but no more than the other batches. The head however is super thick and creamy but HUGE.
This is after it had set a few minutes and had the rest of the beer slowly added to it. As I said the taste is fine, but the foaming is just way overboard.
Wyrmwood
Well-Known Member
beats flat beer 
I have used as much as 8 oz corn sugar in a 5 gal batch and have had a few foamy beers. I have since gone back to 5 oz (or 4 cups gyle), and I just make sure to stir. After the first case, I stir again. Racking on top of the sugar doesn't really give you an even distribution, at least not in my experience, so you can have a few "foamy" beers as well as a few under-carbed. Since I began racking to my kettle to bottle and stirring well initially and again after the first case, I get much more even carbonation. I also rack with a suspended cane to get some air in there; helps the yeast along.
I have used as much as 8 oz corn sugar in a 5 gal batch and have had a few foamy beers. I have since gone back to 5 oz (or 4 cups gyle), and I just make sure to stir. After the first case, I stir again. Racking on top of the sugar doesn't really give you an even distribution, at least not in my experience, so you can have a few "foamy" beers as well as a few under-carbed. Since I began racking to my kettle to bottle and stirring well initially and again after the first case, I get much more even carbonation. I also rack with a suspended cane to get some air in there; helps the yeast along.
I had a beer doing a very similar thing. I would pour a 22 oz bomber into a three beer mug and could only pour 1/2 of the beer at a time. Eventually what I discovered was leaving it in the fridge for a very long time (week or two) would keep it from foaming as bad. This beer was brewed and bottled last summer I have now given a couple of these away and no complaints. So I'm not sure if age helps as well?
RugerRedhawk
Well-Known Member
Blashpemy! I'd pour them into a big bucket and let them settle for an hour before dumping them out.
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
beats flat beer
I find that racking on top of the sugar gives me very even carbonation, and NO WAY should you be introducing oxygen into the beer intentionally at bottling IMO.
Indyking
Well-Known Member
My guess is that you inadvertently used more sugar in this one (I have my own share of blame on this one
Or... you have the bottles carbing in a higher room temperature than the previous batches.
Indyking
Well-Known Member
My guess is that you inadvertently used more sugar in this one (I have my own share of blame on this one) Or... you have the bottles carbing in a higher room temperature than the previous batches.
Double post: I'm sorry!
) Or... you have the bottles carbing in a higher room temperature than the previous batches.Double post: I'm sorry!
rycov
Well-Known Member
he's asking about the beer, other than the foam. is it carbonated regularly? or super bubbly? or not bubbly enough?
erikpete18
Well-Known Member
Is it possible you've got more proteins in this batch, either due to the grain bill or a poor hot/cold break? I just ask because I've got a beer in the keg now that I wasn't able to chill quickly and it definitely developed some chill haze from the protein left in suspension. In addition to that, I get a large, thick, sturdy head whenever I pour it and the only thing I can figure is I've got so many proteins in solution that they're doing an excellent job of reinforcing the head. Since I keg I know its not an overcarbonation problem (other keg is fine), so that might be something to look at if its a head - and not necessarily carbonation - issue.
Ok,I guess I should throw in my 2c worth as well. I put some of my Summer Pale ales in the fridge after 3 weeks at room temp in the bottles. We ran out of craft beers watchin vids,so I pulled out 2 after only 1 day. Now,it should also be noted that I didn't get the wort on this one cooled down far enough (forgot the ice!) before pitching,so chill haze city. Not very much,though. But...I went to pour it into my glass,& it was about 90% foam! Tasted/smelled fine.
After 6 days in the fridge,I get that thick,velvety head,but not near the foam I'd gotten on day 1. So give'em 5-6 days to chill down,& that protein haze settles out more. Watch the new video on Home Brewer TV,it talks about that.
After 6 days in the fridge,I get that thick,velvety head,but not near the foam I'd gotten on day 1. So give'em 5-6 days to chill down,& that protein haze settles out more. Watch the new video on Home Brewer TV,it talks about that.
Wyrmwood
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I almost dropped that last sentence; I guess I brew dangerously
Yeah, I almost dropped that last sentence; I guess I brew dangerously
I agree with you fully, there's no way you will get even distribution of the sugar soln just by racking on top of it in my experience. The sugar soln is >> more dense than your wort and it is starting out on the bottom so you are going to have a density gradient top to bottom. After getting uneven carbonation a couple of times I figured out I needed to stir before bottling. If I'm kegging I don't bother.
And oxidation is like the boogey monster of home brewing. It is mentioned in almost every thread and yet almost no one has ever actually experinced an off flavor from it. I think folks worry about it way too much. Maybe if you are making a barley wine you anticipate having on hand for several years to a decade you might want to worry about it, but if you are making your house brew that you know you are going to go through fairly quickly then fugettaboutit
rycov
Well-Known Member
i think you wouldn't have an oxidation problem anyway, unless you were intentionally putting oxygen in it. most people just give a stir or a swirl without churning the beer.
Hang Glider
Beer Drinker
Yeah, I almost dropped that last sentence; I guess I brew dangerously
that, or you just love the taste of wet cardboard.
have to agree with others - keep the beer as quiet as you can on bottling day - no splashing, no oxygen... splashing and oxygen are good only on yeast-pitching day.
Disagree - I have done it, I have tasted it. I have lost points on competitions because of it.
Pilgarlic
Well-Known Member
Steve: In reading your original post, it appears that right now you're looking for some solution to your immediate problem. Here it is: lift the caps enough to hear a Pfffffft! then reseat the caps. If you're careful in lifting the caps they'll reseal fine. If not, blow your kids' inheritance and put new caps on. I've had to do this twice and it has worked pretty well. Of course there is no way for you to predict that you've released enough CO2, but you can be sure you'll have less. An option is just to let it settle a bit after pouring and swirl the beer itself if it's actually overcarbed.
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