From flat to super carbonated???

[sefrayser]

My brown ale went from being on the flat side to being SUPER carbonated. It also has little chunks floating in it. What happened? It has been sitting in the bottles for about 2 months in my closet.

 

[flars]

Describe the little chunks, color and texture. Were the bottles shaken before pouring? Smooth pour and a little left in the bottle or tip it up a let it go glug, glug? What temperature was the beer when it was poured? How long ago was it flat?
This will help with the carbonation issue.

 

[sefrayser]

It sat in my closet at 70 degrees. The chunks look like clumped yeast, kinda of white little chunks. The reason they were flat was because I didn't fill them bottles all the way. It was my first batch and I really didn't know how much to fill. I know now and the other batches I have done have been spot on. As a matter of fact the other 2 batches I did are gone. I have some of this left because it was flat.


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[sefrayser]

It has been in fridge for 8 hrs and was not shaken, just poured into glass


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[flars]

Bottles, of different heights, filled with a bottling wand will have one inch to one and a half inches of headspace. The taller bottles will have one and a half inches of headspace.

You can release CO2 from your bottles to lower the level of carbonation. Use a bottle opener that has the single claw on the bottom side. Lay a quarter on top of the cap, to keep from creasing the cap. Lift the edge of the cap until you hear gas escaping. If it starts foaming up use your capper to reseal the cap immediately. May need to do this several times until the sound of escaping gas diminishes to that of your nicely carbed beers when opened.

Chill the bottles for three days before doing this.

 

[sefrayser]

Yes but why all of a sudden it so carbonated? Why is the chunks floating? When I originally bottle(with wand) it sat for 3 weeks and it was flat. I tried another at 6 weeks and it was flat now at 2 months it super carbonated. I just don't get how the beer went south in less than 3 months?

 

[flars]

Yes but why all of a sudden it so carbonated? Why is the chunks floating? When I originally bottle(with wand) it sat for 3 weeks and it was flat. I tried another at 6 weeks and it was flat now at 2 months it super carbonated. I just don't get how the beer went south in less than 3 months?

Racking to the bottling bucket with the siphon in the yeast cake or to close to a non-compacted yeast could account for excess yeast. The yeast is now floating because of disturbance or CO2 release.

Was your priming sugar solution well mixed, stirred, in the bottling bucket? Some bottles may have had to little priming sugar and other bottles to much. You may be getting to the bottles which had to much priming sugar.

Your brewing and conditioning notes should have some clues. I'm just offering ideas without the details of your fermentation to go on.

 

[sefrayser]

This was my first batch. I brewed it on Jan 1 -14. my OG was 1.045. I racked it to the secondary on Jan 7 gravity was 1.011. I bottled Jan 15 and FG was 1.010. When I bottled I did not fill the bottles to the top with the bottling wand. I mixed the priming sugar correctly. It has been in the bottles since Jan 15 in my closet(70 degrees). I tried a beer Feb 5 and it had good taste, no sediment but was flat. I tried another around the 20 and had the same results. It has been sitting since then. Now its over carbonated and I have sediment. Thats what I don't understand, other than being flat it was good. Now its strong, over carbonated and has sediment. Maybe I will just scrap it. I need to make more anyway.

 

[flars]

How much headspace was in each bottle? How many gallons was the batch? How much and what kind of priming sugar was used? What was the volume of the sugar solution?

 

[Kampenken]

Long shot here but.... I have a stout that has been perfectly carbed, then I ran into a few over carbs. Mix of priming sugar? Bottle infection? I don't know but I fill consistently same level with wand and just had about 3 over carbed. All same temps and same time in fridge. Rest have been good. Go figure.


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