Overcarbed?

Just had a bottle of double choc stout foam up out of the bottle and all over. I had it I. A 70+ degree farenhiet room for the past two weeks. Threw this one in the fridge for 3 days. Should I move the rest to a cooler room maybe 68ish for a while? Will that fix this?
I used 4.5 oz of priming sugar btw.

Know exactly how much beer you have in the bottling bucket. A half gallon more or less than 5gl can make a difference. Try weighing you sugar instead of using cups if you are doing that. Make sure the beer is done and the yeasts have finished their job. These things can really help with bottle carbing. There really isn't a way to changeyhe carbonation already built up in those bottles.

It's also possible you had a gusher infection in one bottle. I'd get another one in the fridge to try out ASAP just to make sure. If that one is overcarbed, then I'd get the others cooled down so they don't go further.

I also had this happen to one of my brews, my step dad opened one up and said it just foamed out for a good minute or 2. He opened up another one and that one was fine. I would try to open another maybe that was just a bad bottle.

Just had this happen as well. Mine have been in bottles for 3 weeks. I just figured it needed more time in fridge to incorporate co2.

My foaming one tasted fine allthough it looked horrible with all the yeast bits being thrown out.

actually it could be almost the opposite, theres a video out there showing this, but if you dont allow enough time in bottle, CO2 will be genrated in the headspace but it wont go fully into solution, producing the problem that youre describing

just an update. i'm guessing that was a single infected bottle. when i bottled i bought a case of fliptop bottles that were new. after the first one blew up, i put one of those in the fridge for a week. that one had perfect carb.
i used the soak on oxiclean method (to clean them). is there a time when you need to do a bit more than that?

eppo said:

Just had a bottle of double choc stout foam up out of the bottle and all over. I had it I. A 70+ degree farenhiet room for the past two weeks. Threw this one in the fridge for 3 days. Should I move the rest to a cooler room maybe 68ish for a while? Will that fix this?
I used 4.5 oz of priming sugar btw.

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eppo said:

just an update. i'm guessing that was a single infected bottle. when i bottled i bought a case of fliptop bottles that were new. after the first one blew up, i put one of those in the fridge for a week. that one had perfect carb.
i used the soak on oxiclean method (to clean them). is there a time when you need to do a bit more than that?

Click to expand...

I'm guessing more likely that at two weeks the co2 hadn't fully integrated into solution hence the gusher, and that 9 days later they are actually more fully carbed and not gushing.

Take a look at the video in my blog, I think since stouts tend to need more time to regulate, what you saw at 2 weeks is the same thing demonstrated at 1 week in the video.

I betcha there was nothing wrong with the beer, just that you opened it too soon. The 3 weeks at 70 we recommend is a minimum in most cases.

Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning.

I have a related question...

How likely/common are bottle bombs? Basically, are they easy to create or do you really have to mess something up to cause one?

thenbagis said:

I have a related question...

How likely/common are bottle bombs? Basically, are they easy to create or do you really have to mess something up to cause one?

Click to expand...

I've never had one. But some brewers have had more than a couple!

It's easy to create them, but it's also very easy to prevent them.

If you use proper sanitation, wait until fermentation is completely over, and bottle with the correct amount of priming sugar, you will never have a bottle bomb.

thenbagis said:

I have a related question...

How likely/common are bottle bombs? Basically, are they easy to create or do you really have to mess something up to cause one?

Click to expand...

You really have to mess something up to get one, a 12 ounce glass bottle holds nearly 4 volumes of co2 before blowing. A normal carbonation level in beer is 2-2.5. You either have to bottle too soon, while fermentation is still going on, add way too much sugar, or have an infection.

Otherwise, unless there is a flaw in the bottle, which happens on occasion, those are the only ways you can get them.

thenbagis said:

I have a related question...

How likely/common are bottle bombs? Basically, are they easy to create or do you really have to mess something up to cause one?

Click to expand...

I have had only one and it was a weak bottle. You really have to mess something up to get bombs from most bottles.

recently brewed a nut brown ale and used all the priming sugar provided w/the kit. looked at it later and it was a full cup of sugar! (8 oz). should I be concerned? I noticed Palmer mention "venting" bottles that have been overprimed. should I consider this? bottled 6 days ago.

apologeticus said:

recently brewed a nut brown ale and used all the priming sugar provided w/the kit. looked at it later and it was a full cup of sugar! (8 oz). should I be concerned? I noticed Palmer mention "venting" bottles that have been overprimed. should I consider this? bottled 6 days ago.

Click to expand...

Well did it say 8oz or was it a measured cup? They are not the same with dextrose. If it was a measured cup, it'll 've fine but it'll be pretty fizzy. If it was 8oz, it'll be out of control.

it just said 1 cup

1 cup probably isn't too much- it'll be highly carbed but not too much.

I weigh my priming sugar, and usually use 4 ounces by weight, which is probably around 3/4 cup or a bit less.

8 ounces of sugar, by weight, is way more than 1 cup! So, if you used about 1 cup, you'll be fine.

phew! thanks guys. I'm really glad I asked about this. i was getting kinda nervous about it.