Gassy

[scottysssute]

Hi I'm wondering if anyone can help me. After 3 wks of bottled coopers draught it seems to go gassy, so much so I poor a third of a glass and the rest is head??? Scotty

 

[webby45wr]

Are you refrigerating it for 3-5 days before pouring? The cold will force the CO2 into the beer and cause less of it to burst out like that.

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

Are you refrigerating it for 3-5 days before pouring? The cold will force the CO2 into the beer and cause less of it to burst out like that.

OR

You over carbed...

Do they gyser out when you pop the tops?
Did you take a SG and FG reading?
How much and what did you prime the bottles with?

 

[RIC0]

I've had 3 batches this year get over carbed some how. Sucks to loose half a beer to a volcano eruption.

and these beers were fine at first after a month or longer things went bad.

One being a Belgian IPA that after 2+ months of being in my beer cellar decided to start blowing up bottles. Put them in the fridge to keep more from exploding but still had major foaming going on. SUCKS

 

[scottysssute]

OR

You over carbed...

Do they gyser out when you pop the tops?
Did you take a SG and FG reading?
How much and what did you prime the bottles with?

I took a reading and said beer is ready to pour. It's funny because the first crate of 14 was perfect after around 3wks but the second crate is gassy to open but as soon as I pour it it froths ova???? Yes I have a measuring device one for stubbies the other for long necks. Maybe I should try the stubbie measurer for my long necks??

 

[duboman]

Not quite sure what you mean by having two different measuring devises for different bottles

The bottles were either over carbonated because you did not weigh out or mix the priming sugar well, or the beer was not done fermenting or you've developed an infection

 

[scottysssute]

Not quite sure what you mean by having two different measuring devises for different bottles

The bottles were either over carbonated because you did not weigh out or mix the priming sugar well, or the beer was not done fermenting or you've developed an infection

There's a measuring device you can get which measured out the right amount of sugar. It's a little red device with 2 measurements 1 for longnecks and one for stubbies. I'm really confused it seems an ongoing issue!!!

 

[DrunkleJon]

Generally speaking with priming sugars you want to go by weight not volume and batch prime (dissolve the priming sugar into a bottling bucket and go about it that way). You are leaving headspace in the bottles right? You are chilling for at least 48 hours before opening the bottles?

Also, different amounts of priming sugar for longnecksvs stubbies? I do not really see how it would need to be done that way. Aren't both types of bottles still 12 fl oz? Or are you talking 22 fl oz bombers and stubbies? If you are priming for 22's you are definitely overcarbing in 12 oz bottles.

 

[KepowOb]

There's a measuring device you can get which measured out the right amount of sugar. It's a little red device with 2 measurements 1 for longnecks and one for stubbies. I'm really confused it seems an ongoing issue!!!

Huh, first I hear of that.

One problem I could see with that is it not being terribly accurate. We tend to measure priming sugar by weight, not volume, so you know exactly how much you have.
Mixing all the sugar in your bottling bucket also takes away the need of measuring out a small amount for every bottle, and ensures that your entire batch has the same amount of priming sugar, so no undercarbed bottled followed by a gusher.

 

[duboman]

Huh, first I hear of that.

One problem I could see with that is it not being terribly accurate. We tend to measure priming sugar by weight, not volume, so you know exactly how much you have.
Mixing all the sugar in your bottling bucket also takes away the need of measuring out a small amount for every bottle, and ensures that your entire batch has the same amount of priming sugar, so no undercarbed bottled followed by a gusher.

This!

It is important to weigh out the sugar to the gram determined by the temperature of the beer and the final volume of beer to be bottled. Take a cup of water and boil, add the measured amount of sugar to dissolve and create a simple syrup, cool and add to bottling bucket. Rack the beer onto it, gent;y stir with a sanitized spoon to ensure a good mix and bottle. This method ensures the proper level of carbonation and even distribution through all bottles.

 

[scottysssute]

Generally speaking with priming sugars you want to go by weight not volume and batch prime (dissolve the priming sugar into a bottling bucket and go about it that way). You are leaving headspace in the bottles right? You are chilling for at least 48 hours before opening the bottles?

Also, different amounts of priming sugar for longnecksvs stubbies? I do not really see how it would need to be done that way. Aren't both types of bottles still 12 fl oz? Or are you talking 22 fl oz bombers and stubbies? If you are priming for 22's you are definitely overcarbing in 12 oz bottles.

I'm not familiar with headspace in the bottles. I have this device which ways out the suposable amount of sugar for a 750ml longneck and a 375ml stubbie. I'm assuming its right because it comes from a brew shop?? Chilling can be up to 1wk.. But here's the part I'm confused with!!! After bottled for 3wks it's beautiful pours great and tastes nice.. I store my bottles in milk crates of 14 or so, next lot that comes out into the fridge seems to become gassy?? It doesn't gush ova just a head on it that more then pissers me off!!!

 

[duboman]

I'm not familiar with headspace in the bottles. I have this device which ways out the suposable amount of sugar for a 750ml longneck and a 375ml stubbie. I'm assuming its right because it comes from a brew shop?? Chilling can be up to 1wk.. But here's the part I'm confused with!!! After bottled for 3wks it's beautiful pours great and tastes nice.. I store my bottles in milk crates of 14 or so, next lot that comes out into the fridge seems to become gassy?? It doesn't gush ova just a head on it that more then pissers me off!!!

Haha, just because a brew shop sells it doesn't mean it is a worthwhile tool for brewing!

The more time the sugar is in th bottles the more carbonation may occur if the sugar is not being mixed properly and measured properly. I am assuming with whatever this device is you pour sugar into it supposedly to measure a fixed amount but see here's the thing, what if it compacts down while you are measuring? Some bottles may have more sugar than others or less if there is no compaction. That is why we told you to weigh out the sugar in bulk for the entire batch to the gram. Weight is much more accurate than volume!

 

[scottysssute]

Ok sounds great but what is the correct method and measurements?? All I know is the coopers sheet says one rounded tea spoon which is worse then what I'm doing lol

 

[duboman]

Ok sounds great but what is the correct method and measurements?? All I know is the coopers sheet says one rounded tea spoon which is worse then what I'm doing lol

Get a small kitchen scale that measures to the gram. Typically 3/4oz to 1oz per finished gallon of beer meaning 21 or 28 grams per finished gallon of beer. These are good starting points. You can also use on online calculator like http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

Then follow the procedures I outlined before about bulk priming or Read this:https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/

 

[scottysssute]

Thnx very much for your advice as it makes loads of sense😄 so I add the sugar to my fermenter is what you're saying???

 

[scottysssute]

Hi was wondering if 121g of sugar brewed 37 degrees with 23lt of brew??

 

[DrunkleJon]

Thnx very much for your advice as it makes loads of sense😄 so I add the sugar to my fermenter is what you're saying???

Generally speaking with batch priming you add the sugar to some boiling water, cool it, add it to your bottling bucket, then rack your beer on top of it. From there you fill your bottles and cap.

 

[Homercidal]

Wow, what a mess!

Yes, some people measure a portion of priming sugar, whatever form it may be, into each bottle. A larger bottle will require slightly less sugar than a smaller bottle because of the relatively smaller headspace. This can be a perfectly fine way to add priming sugar IF you can consistently put the correct amount of sugar into each bottle.

The method that is generally considered better is to measure a whole batches worth of sugar and add it to a bottling bucket, (Which is a bucket dedicated to the bottling process with a spigot at the bottom.) The reason this tends to work better is that you aren't as likely to miss the mark if you correctly measure the whole volume of sugar and mix it into the beer gently, but thoroughly. Usually this is done by adding the sugar to some water and boiling it, then pouring into the bottling bucket and racking the beer onto it from the fermenter (Primary or secondary, whichever you use)

Any mismeasurement is spread out across the entire batch, so each bottle would be off only a tiny amount.

The downside to this method is that if you use a mixture of large (bombers, "longnecks?", 22 ouncers, 750ml) and smaller bottles (12 ouncers, "stubbies") then you will end up with a slightly different carb rate simply because this method doesn't take headspace into consideration. It's a pretty small difference and isn't likely to be much of an issue though.

And FYI in America what we call longnecks are the average beer bottle, while stubbies are the squat bottles which don't appear to have much neck on them. They were once used by Pabst I think, and North Peak Brewing in Traverse City, MI uses that style. Both are 12 ounce bottles. The larger bottles we call bombers, or 22s. (cause they are 22 ounces.)

I'm sorry, I don't have an answer to your problem of over carbing. Just make sure you use the correct amount of the correct priming sugar. Most people here use corn sugar, but you can use anything that ferments, like malt extract, table sugar, brown sugar, honey, etc. They provide a different amount of carb per, though, so find a table that gives the right amount and make sure you are using the right amount.

I'd recommend using the bottling bucket method if you haven't tried it. I prefer it, and I don't even cool my boiled sugar water. The beer from the fermenter will cool it down quick and still leave PLENTY of yeast to carb the bottles. Just gently stir the sugar water so that it's mixed completely. (Agitation causes oxidation!)

 

[scottysssute]

Hey thnx a lot for your info it's really helpful... I don't have a bottling bucket. Can you add the sugar to give fermenter??

 

[DrunkleJon]

If you add the sugar directly to the fermenter you will have to be careful to not stir up too much sediment and trub while mixing it in. Do you have a spare fermenter you could prime in? Priming in a different container will keep the amount of sediment in your bottles down to a minimum.

 

[scottysssute]

No I don't that's the prob.... I'm having trouble with frothy beers and the general comments I'm getting is over priming so I'm guessing i need to fix the issue

 

[duboman]

I'm not even sure why I am jumping back into this thread but here goes.............I will add that I am not trying to be an jerk but have you even bothered to read half of what's been suggested? Have you even bothered to read the stickie on bottling that was provided 2 pages ago?

You keep coming back with questions pertaining to things that have already been answered with proper suggestions. If you are not willing to do a little homework on your own and actually pay attention to the advice already given then we are all wasting our time. This thread has already been Mod edited once and it is still going around in circles.

To Re-cap:
Read the Stickie on bottling
Use a priming Calculator
Weigh out your priming sugar to the gram
Bulk prime your beer
Get a bottling bucket to properly prime
Carefully re-read this entire thread you started and pay attention to what has already been repeated multiple times and follow the links provided and read those and use those.

If you do all these things you will understand what is going wrong and how to correct them. If all this fails then find a more experienced brewer near you and have him hold your hand next time you are ready to bottle.

 

[scottysssute]

Cool I got it all but it's good to hear different answers and suggestions as well. But yes I've takin on board what you've written and appreciate your advice so majority wins lol

 

[DrunkleJon]

Yes, that sounds about right. You could get a Homer bucket, or empty water cooler jug or large stock pot and use that as a bottling bucket. A spare fermenter or a carboy would probably work better though, with the best results being from a bucket with spigot so you do not have to start a siphon.