Over Carbonated Bottle Conditioning

[beerdeddude]

I'm brewing a beer for my wedding (they only take bottles) and I just popped open a brew of my second batch - foam everywhere. When I talked to the guys at my LHBS, they said that I may want to stir around the suds in the bottling bucket after racking with the primary sugar at the bottom. They also mentioned that I need to top off my glass carboys when at secondary. I have a couple of questions:

1) Can I stir around the beer in the bottling bucket or am I risking more aeration?

2) I usually just use the 5 oz bag of priming sugar that can be purchased at the LHBS. Am I using too much?

3) I saw some dude online degas his bottles by prying his cap off just a bit to let some of the C02 out. Any truth to that?

 

[noggins]

1) Can I stir around the beer in the bottling bucket or am I risking more aeration?

I always used to dissolve 5oz priming sugar in 2 cups hot water on the stove, let cool and dump into the bottom of bottling bucket before siphoning beer and found it would mix on it's own as it racked. If you stir gently you'll be ok, just try not to oxygenate it at all...

2) I usually just use the 5 oz bag of priming sugar that can be purchased at the LHBS. Am I using too much?

5oz corn sugar is perfect depending on the style, here's a calculator you can use for different beer styles and types of sugar: http://www.brewunited.com/priming_sugar_calculator.php

3) I saw some dude online degas his bottles by prying his cap off just a bit to let some of the C02 out. Any truth to that?

I've read that here before, never tried it myself. how long ago were they bottled and how long have they been chilled? You could also try opening them several minutes before pouring to degass.

 

[Singletrack]

Yes, you can relieve some pressure by gently prying up caps. However, the head space quickly fills with foam and starts spitting beer, so you can't relieve much. Reseal. Then, you let them sit awhile, and do it again. And again. And again. And... you get the idea. Then, drink foam.

 

[TxBigHops]

I'm brewing a beer for my wedding (they only take bottles) and I just popped open a brew of my second batch - foam everywhere. When I talked to the guys at my LHBS, they said that I may want to stir around the suds in the bottling bucket after racking with the primary sugar at the bottom. They also mentioned that I need to top off my glass carboys when at secondary. I have a couple of questions:

1) Can I stir around the beer in the bottling bucket or am I risking more aeration?

2) I usually just use the 5 oz bag of priming sugar that can be purchased at the LHBS. Am I using too much?

3) I saw some dude online degas his bottles by prying his cap off just a bit to let some of the C02 out. Any truth to that?

1) I always gently stir in my priming sugar ever since my first beer when half the beers were over carbed and half had virtually no carbonation. I had racked into my bottling bucket on top of the priming sugar as many here recommend, but it didn't mix. The priming sugar clearly settled to the bottom half of the bucket. The over carbed bottles were the ones I bottled first. If you know which are which, you might check to see if the ones bottled last are just as over carbed as the ones bottled first.

2) Depending on style and volume of beer, I think 5 oz could very well be too much. I'm about to bottle 5 gallons of Imperial Stout and my calculator recommends just 3.66 ounces of dextrose. I would always consult a calculator and carbonate to style.

3) No idea if that will work. sorry.

 

[skipper1953]

Recapping over-carbed beer will work if you've prepared properly.

Get the bottles of beer as cold as you can without freezing them.
Pop the cap off a bottle while jostling it around as little as possible.
Put another cap on it immediately.

Getting the bottles damned near frozen is the key to success here. Recapping on the foam should prevent oxidation. Having a helper standing by with the capper will help minimize CO2 loss.

 

[beergolf]

I'm brewing a beer for my wedding (they only take bottles) and I just popped open a brew of my second batch - foam everywhere.

Two questions...

how long has it been bottled? how long was it in the fridge before you opened one?

The reason I ask is because the carbonation will take some time to be absorbed by the beer. Also, opening a warm beer will almost always gush. Give them three weeks in the bottle and then a minimum of 24 hours in the fridge. Then report back.

 

[beerdeddude]

It was only two weeks. No time j the fridge but definitely over carbonated. After 14 batches of beer, I'm suddenly learning that the five ounce packages of priming sugar at the LHBS are often times too much. Go figure.

 

[beergolf]

It was only two weeks. No time j the fridge

There is the problem right there. Give them at least a minimum of 24 hours in the fridge, better yet a couple of days. Beers that have not been in the fridge for at least 24 hours will almost always gush.

The 5 oz bags are often too much sugar but should not cause big gushers. Use one of the priming calculators and you should be good.

 

[hannibalmdq]

There is the problem right there. Give them at least a minimum of 24 hours in the fridge, better yet a couple of days. Beers that have not been in the fridge for at least 24 hours will almost always gush.

I see this stated but I've never found it to be the case unless there is a ton of sediment in the bottle. I've limited fridge space so often times I'll toss a few in the fridge at lunch to drink that same evening. I agree more cold time is better, but I disagree that not enough chill time is sure fire recipe for gushers.

 

[beerdeddude]

I got another gusher and I only used 4 ounces priming sugar for this stout!! Wtf? Is there truth to leaving it in the fridge first?

 

[Singletrack]

Why do you drink warm beer? There's no way to find out if leaving them in the fridge for 24 hours would help. Wait... nope, no way.

 

[Zuljin]

Cold beer won't foam as much as warm.

Pry the cap just until you hear it hiss. When that stops, pry a little more. From there, it's a feel for it kind of thing.

I've brewed stouts that carbed fine with 3 oz corn sugar, by weight, not volume.

 

[timcook]

sorry

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I've had this happen, as well. Time in the fridge (the more the better) helps, but mainly if it happens, I just open the bottles very carefully, and usually manage to lose only a few drops.