I have a honey wheat that has been in bottles for about a month now. When I open some of the bottles, the head flows out at a stead pace, not rushing, but forcing a drink of foam quite often. The pour itself produces much head. Is this an infection or is something else at work here? Reason being, I changed my sterilization technique to cooking the bottles for 1 hour at 350 F while covered with aluminum foil while they cooled and am wondering if I didn't do something correct ( ie aluminum wasn't fully secured, too many bottles, etc.)
Contamination Problem?
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LordHedgie
Well-Known Member
How's it taste? Could be an infection, could be too much priming sugar, could be bottled too early. Did you use real honey? Honey takes longer to ferment from what I understand (never used it myself).
It tastes as it should, its just hard to drink with all the head. I think I used 1 cup of honey as a primer for a 5 gal batch. It is possible I bottled a little too early and over did the beer. I think I bottled after 14 days, without a secondary because it was a wheat beer. Sorry I can't be more specific right now. I left my binder at home and I'm away at school. 
Supplies came with, just no binder.
Supplies came with, just no binder.LordHedgie
Well-Known Member
I'd say you likely bottled too early. Open 'em over the sink instead of the Persian carpet, it'll be OK.
Once the gravity is stable, and it's at an expected level of attenation, it's done.
I wonder if you got a gusher infection? That happened to me once, and eventually the beer did start to taste off.
Benjibbad
Well-Known Member
I would expect that using honey to prime may have been an issue. Honey ferments slowly, and you may have over primed. I would suggest throwing the bottles in the fridge for a week or so and then trying it again.
awesome. Thanks for all the replies. How much priming honey would you recommend using next time? I think I used a cup for a 5 gal batch. Hopefully it won't develop an off taste. Right now its going pretty well amongst the friends...they say it tastes good and laugh about it when it slowly hits them with all that head. haha.
smitty2324
Well-Known Member
How well did you mix your priming honey? You'll find that when priming sugar isn't mixed well that some bottles are over-carbed, and some don't carb much at all. If the ones that are foaming up taste good, it is a lot more likely that the priming sugar wasn't mixed well than an infection.
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