So I have just started drinking my second batch. First bottle seemed like had a bit too much carbonation for my tastes. So a few days later I opened a second bottle and poured into a glass. The glass immediately filled with foam and over flowed. I think i figured out my problem. Does this sound right? I made the batch from a kit which included the necessary amount of priming sugar. But I shorted the recipe by a gallon of water to get a bit more flavor out of it. So I'm thinking being a gallon short caused the amount of priming sugar to be too great, hence over carbing. No exploding bottles yet and its been 3 weeks though. Does that sound like a reasonable explanation for my all head pour?
Is this the answer to my overcarb problem?
- Thread starter canuckmug
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Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
yes....
In the future, use one of the calculation sites to determine how much sugar to prime with... Like this site... Without knowing the brew temp (guessing it was about 68F at bottling time) you probably hit around 3.2 CO2 volumes (assuming you bottled a full 4 gallons)... If you bottled less, and had a lower temperature, then the volumes will be higher. Depending on the bottles you used, you could be coming close to their failure point. Or, at the very least, crossing the safe point for carbonation. I would be cautious when moving and opening them...
Revvy has mentioned to others (doing very similar things) to pour the brew into a pitcher before drinking it. That way, you'll get more brew once the foam has settled down.
Next time, weigh the priming sugar to match your CO2 volume goals, as well as actual volume of brew to be bottled and enter in the brew temp. Otherwise, you could get bottle bombs in your hands. From everything I've read, that could lead to an emergency room/doctor visit to get stitches...
I've yet to have anything carbonate THAT high... Although I suspect my hard lemonade might be on the higher scale. But, I have all those bottles inside a plastic bin, where they will sit for at least a solid month.
In the future, use one of the calculation sites to determine how much sugar to prime with... Like this site... Without knowing the brew temp (guessing it was about 68F at bottling time) you probably hit around 3.2 CO2 volumes (assuming you bottled a full 4 gallons)... If you bottled less, and had a lower temperature, then the volumes will be higher. Depending on the bottles you used, you could be coming close to their failure point. Or, at the very least, crossing the safe point for carbonation. I would be cautious when moving and opening them...
Revvy has mentioned to others (doing very similar things) to pour the brew into a pitcher before drinking it. That way, you'll get more brew once the foam has settled down.
Next time, weigh the priming sugar to match your CO2 volume goals, as well as actual volume of brew to be bottled and enter in the brew temp. Otherwise, you could get bottle bombs in your hands. From everything I've read, that could lead to an emergency room/doctor visit to get stitches...
I've yet to have anything carbonate THAT high... Although I suspect my hard lemonade might be on the higher scale. But, I have all those bottles inside a plastic bin, where they will sit for at least a solid month.
boo boo
Well-Known Member
You either had too much priming sugar for the amount of beer or you have a gusher bug from sanitation problems. That or your beer wasn't finished fermenting
Watch it carefully over the next week to see if carbonation gets greater.
Watch it carefully over the next week to see if carbonation gets greater.
XXguy
Well-Known Member
I'd be guessing that since this is your second ever beer, the answer is that you need to let it sit in the bottle for a few more weeks before trying it out again.
Watch this:
If you made the Original Gravity higher, by not diluting as much with water, it's going to take even more time to properly condition. Yes, you probably over-carbed it if you added 5 oz of sugar to 4 gallons of beer, but it's not an extreme amount of overcarbonation.
It also helps to chill the beer in the fridge for at least 48 hours (or even longer) before you drink it. This will help to make sure that the carbonation pressure dissolves down into solution in the beer... resulting in bubbles rather than foam.
Read up on Revvy's blog: "Of patience and bottle conditioning"
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/blogs/revvy/159-patience-bottle-conditioning.html
Watch this:
If you made the Original Gravity higher, by not diluting as much with water, it's going to take even more time to properly condition. Yes, you probably over-carbed it if you added 5 oz of sugar to 4 gallons of beer, but it's not an extreme amount of overcarbonation.
It also helps to chill the beer in the fridge for at least 48 hours (or even longer) before you drink it. This will help to make sure that the carbonation pressure dissolves down into solution in the beer... resulting in bubbles rather than foam.
Read up on Revvy's blog: "Of patience and bottle conditioning"
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/blogs/revvy/159-patience-bottle-conditioning.html
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