Explosive beer

[jonalexdeval]

After only six days in the bottle, I opened a bottle of my first homebrew (Scotch ale) because I couldn't wait the full two weeks. And what happens? I handle the bottle gently and slowly pry off the cap and out comes the beer... shooting from the mouth of the bottle like a hose all over my kitchen! Literally over half the beer shot out the top... I had less than half left to drink!

It tastes fine (a little immature yet of course). The only thing I can think of is that I used 5 oz. white cane sugar instead of the 5 oz dextrose that came with the LME kit I ordered (I accidentally dumped my dextrose solution into my sanitizer bucket). But I used exactly the same amount and followed all directions.

Could it be that my particular yeast just went crazy with cane sugar? And will my bottles explode? I'm afraid the pressure is only going to increase. I used amber bottles and put them in a closet... little or no light... 70 F. Everything tastes fine! Again, this was no ordinary fizz. I've never seen a beer erupt like that...


Edit: I did bottle after only 7 days fermenting... but hydro readings remained constant for at least two days in a row...

 

[LakeErieBrew]

There's only one thing to do: open another and get an action shot and an aftermath shot.

Edit: sorry that was totally not helpful.

What was your FG? Are you sure the beer was finished fermenting when you bottled it? How long was it in the primary?

 

[jonalexdeval]

haha! Good idea... a friend of mine is coming over to open another with me... I'll get an action shot! I'm just afraid my closet is going to be full of sticky dried beer when I come back after being gone this weekend.

 

[double_e5]

Did you cool it down before you opened it?

 

[ACo]

did you ferment your wort? JK.


prolly just not done carbing or an overcarbed bottle.


how did you add your priming sugar?

 

[Blender]

I wouldn't think it is the sugar itself but if they are overcarbed and gushing after one week then I would be a bit wary. They will gush more if warm so cooling them should help.

 

[Benjibbad]

Alnmost the same thing happened to me on my second brew. It was a raspberry wheat. Cooling helped but did not completely alleviate the problem. I still had a bit of foam, but it still tasted great!!

 

[Yeastie]

Possibilities:

1. You didn't ferment long enough
2. You have an infection
3. Your beer isn't done carbing the CO2 hasn't dissolved in the beer
4. You added too much sugar

Wait another week or two. Don't open another till then, most likely the gushing will be gone, if not that leaves infection or not enough fermentation. See if you detect strange flavors if so you have an infection. If not you may have to pour your beer into a carboy and let it ferment out and rebottle or just deal with the gushers.

 

[boydak]

Possibilities:

1. You didn't ferment long enough
2. You have an infection
3. Your beer isn't done carbing the CO2 hasn't dissolved in the beer
4. You added too much sugar

Wait another week or two. Don't open another till then, most likely the gushing will be gone, if not that leaves infection or not enough fermentation. See if you detect strange flavors if so you have an infection. If not you may have to pour your beer into a carboy and let it ferment out and rebottle or just deal with the gushers.

+1 on #3.

Give it 3 weeks at least than try it again.

 

[COLObrewer]

wait 2 more weeks . . .at least.

 

[ggoodman]

stick the bottles in a rubermaid container from lowes, in the event they start poping you'll at least have a contained mess.

 

[woollybugger2]

Here is a video of my first ever homebrew after only 3 days in the bottle!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBf4sYBbcZE]YouTube - Homebrew Carbonation Test[/ame]

I thought I was headed for bottle bombs but this was the only bottle that foamed over...

 

[SmugMug]

stick the bottles in a rubermaid container from lowes, in the event they start poping you'll at least have a contained mess.

+1 on the rubbermaid container. Paint savers as I call them.