Home Brew competition question

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callisbeers

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I just received my scoresheets back from a recent competition. I received what I thought were fair scores for the beers I entered. However, both beers received lower scores because of their extreme carbonation levels. Both beers were listed as "gushers" and "severely over-carbonated". I served both of these beers on tap and did not notice this for either beer. Any thoughts on why this might have happened?
 
My first guess would be infection, maybe you didn't sanitize your bottles well enough. Although I would think they would pick up some of flavors if it was. I'm assuming you bottled from the keg? How long was it from when you bottled to when the judging took place?
 
I was about 6 week from bottling to time of judging. I did not bottle from the keg, bottled two of each beer after secondary fermentation at the time I was moving it to the keg. The scores on taste were fine, it was just carbonation.
 
This usually happens to me for one of a few reasons: Too much priming sugar, a bottle infection (especially with recycled bottles) or incomplete fermentation. You'll have to review your own procedures to decide which is the most likely suspect.
 
As others have said it is likely poor sanitation with bottling that led to an infection or too much priming sugar. How did you sanitize your bottles and caps?
 
My question would be - if you only bottled a couple and kegged the rest..... how did you carbonate the bottles vs. carbonating the beer in the keg?

Did you do it differently?

If you were trying to put just enough sugar in the bottles to carbonate, my guess is there is a good chance you used too much for a couple single bottles. Also, how long after brew day did you keg/bottle?? Perhaps you bottled when the beer had a couple more gravity points to go and that, along with the sugar overcarbed them....

If the taste was good for the judges, but just overcarbed... I would think infection is less likely.... especially with the process you likely used.

But, it has to be one of 3 things:
*Infection
*Too much priming sugar in the bottles
*Did not reach final gravity when you bottled.

Basically the only way you get gushers.
 
I sanitized the bottles with star san. Basically what I do is determine my priming sugar amount for a 5 gallon batch, put the priming sugar in a 5 gallon bucket, then transfer the beer from the secondary fermentor to this bucket, and then bottle and keg from that.

I am thinking it may be that I had not reached my final gravity. Both went from brew date to bottled in 3 weeks. Although that is generally what I do and have not had a problem before.
 
Also forgotten would be if you drink your beer really cold, and the beer judged was really warm. Probably not these extremes, but warmer temperatures will make the carbonation come out of solution faster.
 
Could be an incomplete fermentation. I would put that at second highest probability.

Were the bottled beers the last 2 out of the bottling bucket? Its possible the priming sugar was not mixed well enough and the last 2 got more sugar. Highest probability IMO, unless your bottled beers were filled first or in the middle.

As long as your bottles were well rinsed (no gunk in there), the Star-San should have taken care of any bugs to cause an infection. Lowest probability from my standpoint.
 
Could be an incomplete fermentation. I would put that at second highest probability.

Were the bottled beers the last 2 out of the bottling bucket? Its possible the priming sugar was not mixed well enough and the last 2 got more sugar. Highest probability IMO, unless your bottled beers were filled first or in the middle.

As long as your bottles were well rinsed (no gunk in there), the Star-San should have taken care of any bugs to cause an infection. Lowest probability from my standpoint.

After reading your process, this is what I would lean to as well. Looks like your sanitation was fine, and the judges didn't make any marks on the taste that would suggest an infection...
 
A competition I entered in about a year ago scored a 12 & was a gusher. I used a beer gun to fill. I always bottle extra so I can compare when I read over the score sheet. I actually opened one a month ago (so a year after bottling). Although it was an oxidized, stale IPA It was not a gusher.

That one bottle out of a 6-8 that I bottled had an infection. I asked the judge if they tried one of the other bottles, not sure if I remember the answer. He said that it had an infected taste. They had 50 IPAs to judge that day, so I could see why they just moved on.


Your feedback should include the judges email address. You could email them questions like if the bottles were warm. Or if there were other issues that they remember. They may not remember anything. The judge that I emailed actually remembered quite a bit, which is probably quite easy since it scored a 12....
 
Your feedback should include the judges email address. You could email them questions like if the bottles were warm. Or if there were other issues that they remember. They may not remember anything. The judge that I emailed actually remembered quite a bit, which is probably quite easy since it scored a 12....

Gushers during competitions are memorable. ;)

This is sound advice though. It can't hurt to email the judges and ask them for further details. They are supposed to be helping to provide critical feedback that will help provide improvement to your beers.
 
My only addition to the good feedback shared would be about StarSan. If they were new bottles, SS is certainly sufficient. But if they were re-used, it's often not enough. SS cannot sanitize organic matter or soil left behind, nor does it remove that stuff in many cases. For re-use I hot soak in Oxyclean & run a brush through for good measure before visual inspection and sanitizing.

Why? I had gushers go to NHC. Mortified.
 
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