Consistently Over Carbonated!!

[servadia]

A little help...

We're finding that we are consistently ending up with over-carb'd beer when bottling. Kegged beer is OK. Now, that tells me that we're using too much priming sugar. BUT...we've lowered the amount we're using and we're still getting over-carb'd beer.

We used to use 5oz of sugar and 2 cups water. We used this ratio regardless of the volume of beer we were carbonating. Our first few brews turned out fine. Eventually we began to find that we were winding up with bottles that were very seltzer-like. The taste was fine, just over-carb'd.

We decided to follow BeerSmith's guides and use much less sugar. We used 3-4oz depending on the volume and the style, but we're still getting over-carb'd beer. It is OK for a week or two but the longer it sits, the more carb'd it gets.

I talked to a guy at my LHBS and he felt that our procedures are fine. His thought was that maybe there is some low level contamination. I'm not sure how that's possible considering we are VERY over careful when we sanitize. Our bottles are cleaned and sanitized very thoroughly. There are no other "off" tastes or smells so I'm not confident in the contamination theory.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

 

[RichBenn]

A little help...

We're finding that we are consistently ending up with over-carb'd beer when bottling. Kegged beer is OK. Now, that tells me that we're using too much priming sugar. BUT...we've lowered the amount we're using and we're still getting over-carb'd beer.

We used to use 5oz of sugar and 2 cups water. We used this ratio regardless of the volume of beer we were carbonating. Our first few brews turned out fine. Eventually we began to find that we were winding up with bottles that were very seltzer-like. The taste was fine, just over-carb'd.

We decided to follow BeerSmith's guides and use much less sugar. We used 3-4oz depending on the volume and the style, but we're still getting over-carb'd beer. It is OK for a week or two but the longer it sits, the more carb'd it gets.

I talked to a guy at my LHBS and he felt that our procedures are fine. His thought was that maybe there is some low level contamination. I'm not sure how that's possible considering we are VERY over careful when we sanitize. Our bottles are cleaned and sanitized very thoroughly. There are no other "off" tastes or smells so I'm not confident in the contamination theory.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

How long are you leave them in primary and/or secondary? What styles? Do you check your hydrometer multiple days in a row for no change? All of these questions are to determine if the ferment is "really" done. For kegging, you may never notice it, as the cooler temps inhibit more fermentation and any additional fermentation may be masked by losing pressure when drinking it.

 

[servadia]

There are in each fermenter AT LEAST 10 days per brew...sometimes longer. I don't get a hydrometer reading each day...maybe 2 times during each fermentation cycle.

The styles have varied..Stout, Porter, IPA, and Pumpkin Ale.

 

[HItransplant]

How long are you leave them in primary and/or secondary? What styles? Do you check your hydrometer multiple days in a row for no change? All of these questions are to determine if the ferment is "really" done. For kegging, you may never notice it, as the cooler temps inhibit more fermentation and any additional fermentation may be masked by losing pressure when drinking it.

I like where youre going with this...

gotta take hydrometer readings, otherwise youre just pissin' in the wind.

+1

 

[akthor]

Try leaving them in primary at least 2 weeks, 4 weeks would be better.

 

[servadia]

Thanks for the thoughts. I don't think that we're short-changing the fermentation time though. Many other brews we've made have been roughly the same fermentation time. Granted, each beer is different but this has more of an onset in the past few months. Other brews we've done have been fine when fermenting for a lot less time. Plus, when we take hydrometer readings we don't transfer to the secondary or bottle until we're reached the appropriate gravity.

 

[Gremlyn]

Don't move the beer unless the hydrometer stops going down over 3 days, at least that's the rule of thumb. Do you have a hydrometer reading from before bottled a batch? If so, pour a sample of one of the over carbed beers into your hydrometer tube, you may have to wait for it to go flat, otherwise the bubbles with give you bad data. Report back with the final gravity before carbing, the gravity after carbing, and how much sugar you used...

Oh, and what kind of bottles and how full do you fill them?

 

[wyzazz]

Thanks for the thoughts. I don't think that we're short-changing the fermentation time though. Many other brews we've made have been roughly the same fermentation time. Granted, each beer is different but this has more of an onset in the past few months. Other brews we've done have been fine when fermenting for a lot less time. Plus, when we take hydrometer readings we don't transfer to the secondary or bottle until we're reached the appropriate gravity.

You're in PA, it's getting colder there now. Unless you're precisely controlling your fermentation temps I'll bet that the yeast are fermenting slower than you're used to. Leave the beer for 3 weeks (or longer) in the primary, then bottle or secondary and see if the issue goes away. Appropriate gravity? What is an appropriate gravity? Only the yeast can tell you when your beer is finished, the hydrometer is the only way you can talk to them.

 

[MonkeyWrench]

Make sure you are only priming for the amount of beer in your bottling bucket. You don't usually get all of a 5 gallon batch. I usually only get 48-50 beers, so about 4.5 gallons. If you prime it like it's 5 gallons, it will be slightly over carbed. Still not seltzer water though.

 

[passedpawn]

Maybe temperature related.

At what temp is the beer when you bottle? What was the highest temperature the beer got to after fermentation?

Cold beer retains much of the CO2 from fermentation. Adding 4 oz. of priming sugar, then bringing it into a warm house, will result in overcarbonation. Make sure to look at the priming graphs, sugar vs. temp.

Also, how do you sanitize your bottles?

 

[Revvy]

It is OK for a week or two but the longer it sits, the more carb'd it gets.

I talked to a guy at my LHBS and he felt that our procedures are fine. His thought was that maybe there is some low level contamination.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Well this is what is worrisome to me, that it gushes later. That is usually a sign of an infection.

But when do you first open your bottles? Do you wait the minimum 3 weeks (when the beer is stored at 70 degrees) that we recommend?

Like other's have said you need to FIRST insure fermentation is 100% complete before you bottle, otheriwise the beer is still consuming the fementable sugars in the beer, and putting out co2 based on THAT amount, AS WELL as the sugar you add to prime it with...that's a lot of co2 being generated.

Many of us leave our beers in primary for a month. This insure that the beer is finished, and let's the yeast clean up after itself. Or if you chose to rack to a secondary either wait to the gravity is stable over 3 days (via 2 readings) then rack for at least 2 weeks.....take the idea that the beer isn't finished fermenting off the table.

Then you can go back to the standard 4.5 to 5 ounces of co2, and bulk prime the beer. THEN don't touch the beer for AT LEAST 3 weeks, don't sneak one, or anything. Just walk away from the beer, then after 3 weeks take one and place it in the fridge for 48 hours then sample it....You should get an idea of the level of carbonation then....if it's not carbed wait another week and repeat...but it should be at a nice level after 3 weeks, if the beer is above 70 degrees...

Let's eliminate these two things, and then look at sanitization after we establish that you aren't doing anything wrong.

 

[tlael]

What kind of Sugar?
Corn or Table?

 

[RichBenn]

There are in each fermenter AT LEAST 10 days per brew...sometimes longer. I don't get a hydrometer reading each day...maybe 2 times during each fermentation cycle.

The styles have varied..Stout, Porter, IPA, and Pumpkin Ale.

I'm a little late on replying, but Revvy answered almost exactly like I would have: not finished or infection. Read his post over.

For the record, I've always left a beer like an IPA in for 3 plus weeks, and even my low alcohol beesr have ever been bottled in just 10 days(well, maybe when I listened to beginner advice in 1981). Leaving it in the primary (or secondary) for three weeks or more not only helps ensure complete fermentation, but sitting on the yeast cake tends to "clean up" the beer, making it taste better.

Rich

 

[HItransplant]

I'm a little late on replying, but Revvy answered almost exactly like I would have: not finished or infection. Read his post over.

For the record, I've always left a beer like an IPA in for 3 plus weeks, and even my low alcohol beesr have ever been bottled in just 10 days(well, maybe when I listened to beginner advice in 1981). Leaving it in the primary (or secondary) for three weeks or more not only helps ensure complete fermentation, but sitting on the yeast cake tends to "clean up" the beer, making it taste better.

Rich

It seems pretty agreed upon that time can only help your beer... so, when in doubt, i just leave it alone... give it a few more days. Then when youre sure, ... give it a few more

I dont know that waiting will ever get easy though