Gushers

So I My Irish Red is done. I dry hopped it in a secondary for about 8 days bottled it and I am now able to enjoy it about 2-3 weeks later. Now during the Enjoying process I get gushers! Pop the cap take a sip, set it down and about a minute later if you are not paying attention foam running down the side making a big mess and wasting the beer. I do not know if this is do to the dry hopping or because I let it set so long in the bottles before I drank it. It was a kit brew so I did not add anymore priming sugar, so again the only thing I can think of is it the hops I added. Anyone have any Ideas? Thanks in advance. :smack:

Only two things really cause gushers - overcarbonation or infection.

So you added 5 oz of priming sugar to a 5 gallon batch? Can you describe how you dissolved the priming sugar into the beer? You could have unevenly distributed the priming sugar even if you added the right amount, so some bottles will be overcarbed and some will be undercarbed.

Can you also describe how you cleaned and sanitized the bottles? Even a little bit of nastiness in a bottle can lead to bacteria that thrives and multiplies in beer.

Dry hopping is not the culprit here. Neither is 2-3 weeks for bottle carb/condition. (3 weeks is minimum for this process and it usually only improves the longer you give it). I would suggest a few things.

1. Did you use the priming sugar included in your kit? This is usually 5 oz which yields normal to high carb level in most beer styles.

2. Did you put your bottles in fridge before drinking? Cooling them helps dissolve the co2 into the beer better and reduced the chance of overflow.

3. I would HIGHLY suggest pouring your homebrew into a glass before drinking. As you place your bottle down, you'll release co2 from in solution and it may force the beer out the top of the bottle. Even more so, your home brew has more sediment/yeast in the bottom of your bottle that will get mixed back into the beer if you are constantly moving or shaking the bottle, as happens with drinking. Pouring it will allow you to leave this sediment in bottle leaving clearer, cleaner tasting, and less gas producing beer.

I think your gusher problem is a combination of the above points. Try refrigerating for a few days prior to drinking, pouring into a glass leaving the last 1/4 inch of beer, and next time, use an online priming sugar calculator to determine the amount of sugar needed to carb your batch.

Thanks that was fast. So yes you are correct about the amount of sugar used. As per the instructions in the Kit I dissolved the sugar in 2 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes. Then once the brew was in the bottling bucket I stirred in the liquid for about 5 minutes with a mash paddle.

As far as the Bottles go I used Starsan to clean the bottles. I also wash the bottles after I use them and then store them neck down in cases to stop anything from getting in them while being stored.

I thought I have read somewhere else on here about the hops maybe causing it thats why I thought that, but from the stand point of pouring it into a glass that makes a lot of sence. I have also run across Gusher from store bought Shipyard IPA which is a very hoppy beer aswell so again IDK but it did turn out tasting good atleast.

Wingnutt73 said:

Thanks that was fast. So yes you are correct about the amount of sugar used. As per the instructions in the Kit I dissolved the sugar in 2 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes. Then once the brew was in the bottling bucket I stirred in the liquid for about 5 minutes with a mash paddle.

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If your mash paddle is wood, that's not at all a good thing to stir with at bottling time. It's hard as heck to get the nasties out of the pores and other irregularities of wood. No problem while mashing, of course, but once the wort has cooled below 130*F, use only sanitized plastic utensils in good shape like a sanitized plastic spoon. It is possible that you infected your batch at bottling time by using the paddle (if it is wood).

One other possibility has to do with the temperature at which you bottle-carbed. If it was much under 70*F, they may simply need more time for the CO2 produced to be absorbed into the beer. Also, try putting a few in the fridge for 3+ days before trying another one. Bottles opened before their time can, indeed, gush.

Mashing paddle is plastic. But again good info. Lol as far as wooden stuff my wife has a bunch of them but I think they are nasty for the very reason you stated. I have kind of grown to be somewhat of a germaphob so Yea I hope I didnt infect It I try to stay very clean during the whole process. I guess dealing with the whole wort/yeast infections are bound to happen at some point but I am fairly certain it is not an infection.

Thanks again.

Wingnutt73 said:

Mashing paddle is plastic. But again good info. Lol as far as wooden stuff my wife has a bunch of them but I think they are nasty for the very reason you stated. I have kind of grown to be somewhat of a germaphob so Yea I hope I didnt infect It I try to stay very clean during the whole process. I guess dealing with the whole wort/yeast infections are bound to happen at some point but I am fairly certain it is not an infection.

Thanks again.

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Glad to hear it. Just had to be sure on that one about the paddle since I've seen several wooden ones out there.

Still consider leaving that batch alone for another couple of weeks at 70-72*F and then try one. You may be pleasantly surprised.

So I kind of did what you said I had some in the fridge from last friday that I cracked open today and no Gushers!! So maybe it was that they were not in there long enough or maybe it was what Topher suggested and that I didnt mix it as well as I thought. Either way its still Good beer.