Foam is killing my bottled beer!

Hi there.

Bottled an English pale ale at the start of Nov. and it's good to drink. Problem is that we over-primed it and it starts foaming A LOT out of the top of the bottle when I chill one then open it. All of the bubbles push the layer of yeast sediment up off the bottom of the bottle and the yeast that does not get pushed out of the top rolls around inside the beer. The bubbles are so prolific the yeast never settles back to the bottom of the bottle. If I opened one and set it in the sink to let it foam out then wait for the yeast to settle back down it would take so damn long the beer would be warm and flat by the time it was ready to pour!

I really don't want to get rid of the beer because it tastes fantastic (when I've managed to get a drink of it without the yeast floating around in it). Is there a trick anyone knows to release the pressure in the bottle quickly without causing a foam blast that disturbs the yeast layer?

Try chilling it down for at least a week and see if that helps...

Already tried that. The one I opened just before posting the thread was in the fridge for 10 days. I'll try longer though...

Over priming is over priming.

Ain't no fix for a severely over carbonated beer.

How much priming sugar did you use?

open and recap on the foam

Reply to BierMuncher: too much obviously! It was a cup of honey. I've used the same honey out of the same container for a couple of other beers and they turned out fine. I know that honey is kind of weird to use because the amount of fermentable sugar in the honey is variable but like I said I had used this particular honey before. I was also using an English ale yeast I had never tried before and that may have had something to do with the difference in bubble. It's fun to experiment but next time I brew with yeast I've never used before I'll go for good old corn sugar...

I'll definitely try recapping. That sounds like it could get messy but it's really good beer so why not...

How long was the beer in the fermenter before you bottled.

if it was a new yeast to you are you sure it was done before you bottled?

I thought it was done when I put it in the secondary. The lock had stopped perking and the hydrometer readings had leveled off. Only kept it in the secondary for 10 days or so. It's totally feasible the yeast wasn't finished though because it makes sense in relation to the problem. Maybe pay closer attention to the primary fermentation and leave it in the secondary longer?

I've had beer that did this as well. I blame it on a stuck fermentation and maybe rousing the yeast during bottling that's overcarbing it. Anyways I just get a large glass, open the beer and slowly pour as much in the glass as possible. Sometimes it'll still foam out the bottle, but you'll waste less. Pouring the bottle in a beer pitcher is probably a better idea. Then you can put the pitcher in the fridge while the foam settles.
By the way, any beers you have left should probably go into the fridge in case it's getting worse.

too much head is not always a bad thing

What if you put it in the freezer to chill, and take it out just as the first ice is forming in the neck? It might allow you to pour it out before it starts foaming like crazy.

Alternatively, what if you loosened the cap to the point where gas keeps escaping, but at a low rate, keeping the foam down? One the excess pressure is bled off, you should be able to pour safely.

Or, least practically, get a block of dry ice, and set your bottle on top. Wait for the yeast to freeze to the bottom, then pour off the beer.

Thanks. It's going into the fridge now.

I had the same problem with a brewhouse Oktoberfest. I didn't over-prime, so it must have been taken out of fermentation too early, although the hydrometer reading was okay. I also made the newbie mistake of opening the first bottle of the batch in front of company, namely, at my grandson's first birthday, at my daughter's house with her husband's relatives and friends. The sucker hit the ceiling, cupboards, everything. Oh well, it was like champagne! Right?

Bandulu said:

I thought it was done when I put it in the secondary. The lock had stopped perking and the hydrometer readings had leveled off.

Click to expand...

But did the gravity level off where you expected it to? The recipe would have an expected final gravity that either the original creator, or yourself, should have calculated.

if it should have been 1.020 and it 'leveled off' at 1.030...it wasn't done.

or the simple fact that the honey lost moisture over time, causing sugar concentration to increase...caused more sugar in this priming than in the past batches.

I had the same problem with my Gaelic Ale clone. I did 2 things. First, I opened, them them fizz for a few mintues than recapped them. It didn't solve the problem and made the beer defintely drinkable as opposed to drinking carbonated yeast. Next, I put one that i did not recap in the freezer while I enjoyed one of the recapped beers, went to the freezer, and poured. It fizzed but not as crazy as the first one did.

I'd just do as others have suggested, and slowly open the cap, and let it foam out. Then recap with new caps and you're good to go. Yes, a bit of work, but likely the only method that will consistently work well.

I had to do that to some Soda I bottled and didn't put in the fridge. I had several bottle bombs, and had to wear a mask to ensure I didn't get shrapnel while un-carbing them.