Foaming problems

[Iceman6409]

Hello all. I am really frustrated. I have been brewing for about 8 years now. I bottle. I know but I do bottle. For some reason over the last 2-3 years almost everything I bottle is foaming on opening. I thought originally something got in there maybe so I paid more attention to everything. Still happened. So then I tried a little less corn sugar. For example if it called for 2.5 ounces of sugar I might put in 2.3. Still it foams. I soak the bottles in water and star san. I do rinse the bottles, my choice. One time I chose not to and still the foam comes. I can't figure this out.

So here is my general method. I usually let me beer ferment in primary for a bit longer than most do. Say like a month. From there I will fill my bucket with star san and put other things in there like paddle, parts, etc. for about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Next the bottles go into the sink with water and star san for about 15 minutes and then very thoroughly rinsed. I then add the dextrose to the wort and stir really well. I have experimented with boiling the sugar first and not boiling. Same results either way. I then bottle the beer leaving a good inch to two inches from the top and cap. They are put in a cabinet where no light can get to it until I think they are ready. Again usually a month or so. Then I chill them down for a few days and pop a cap and you can see the foam rising up through the bottle neck. Quickly take a few swigs and it seems to stop at that point. Dark beer and light beer, all the same.

Any thoughts? Ideas?

 

[Rockn_M]

Sounds like to much priming sugar, how many gallons are you bottling? Also when you use StarSan you don't need to rinse. Just make sure it's clean then you can soak in StarSan until the item is needed.

Also what is your OG and FG?

 

[Iceman6409]

The amount of sugar I spoke of was just an example. Not specific in any way. I always use a website, I wanna say Brewers Friend, to help me determine the right amount of sugar. Yesterday I bottles 2 gallons of a milk stout. Site told me to use 1.5 ounces if I remember correctly so I only used 1.3 ounces. As far as gravity readings I could not tell you at this point. Out of curiosity how would that impact foaming?

 

[Rockn_M]

The amount of sugar I spoke of was just an example. Not specific in any way. I always use a website, I wanna say Brewers Friend, to help me determine the right amount of sugar. Yesterday I bottles 2 gallons of a milk stout. Site told me to use 1.5 ounces if I remember correctly so I only used 1.3 ounces. As far as gravity readings I could not tell you at this point. Out of curiosity how would that impact foaming?

If your fermentation isn't done and you add additional sugar the yeast will do it's thing. Dropping the gravity which produces extra co2 than the calculator anticipates.

 

[Iceman6409]

Ok. Understood. I actually just opened an Oktoberfest I made awhile ago. I let that sit in fermenter for at least 6 weeks and then dropped that temperature down to about 35 for another 6 weeks or so and then put in less sugar than the recipe called for. I would have thought all that stuff would have dropped at that temperature for that long. Makes you think thought right?

Is it possible a wort could still be fermenting after sitting for a month or two?

 

[Rockn_M]

It shouldn't take that long but depending on yeast pitch rate, fermentation temps, it might be possible.

Does the beer taste and look ok, other than foaming? Excess foaming could be a sign of infection.

 

[Iceman6409]

I thought about infection but every beer over the last 2-3 years? Not possible in my book

 

[beergolf]

you mention rinsing after you starsan your equipment. Starsan should not be rinsed, it is a wet contact sanitizer. By rinsing you are just negating the sanitizing you just did with the starsan.

Next batch, try not rinsing your bucket and equipment and that way the sarsan will be effective.

 

[mkyl428]

Have you tried changing out all the plastic in your brewery? Sucks I know but you may be picking something up from an auto siphon or your transfer tubing causing it to end up in your bottles.

I had a persistent problem like that a while back, changing all my plastic solved it.

 

[WhoDatDad78]

Yep, sounds like infection. I had the same thing happen to 3 batches. Don't rinse the starsan and get new plastic.

 

[TheHopfather]

Another vote for an infection.

I had a similar problem with gushers, I didn't live with it for 3 years, but I had the same issue. For me the problem ended up being my bottles. I would rinse them immediately after pouring and they were always visibly clean. However one day I went nuclear on my equipment and I soaked all of my visibly clean bottles in PBW solution. You could see a sort of oil slick coming out of the bottles while they were sitting in the PBW, visibly clean doesn't mean they are actually clean.

I'd soak everything in PBW and stop rinsing your equipment/bottles after they've been soaked in StarSan.