Too much carbonation

[Richard]

I opened a couple of bottles of my last batch, and one gushed a bit, while the other foamed a lot when I poured it out. Despite this, the head ahs no staying power, and the taste is kind of flat. I know there isn't much I can do at this point, but is there any chance my batch will imporve with age? I don't mind if the carbonation is a bit high, but will the flavor improve? It was already aged in the primary for 3 or 4 weeks...no secondary.

 

[Bobby_M]

How long has it been in the bottles? How long did you refridgerate the bottle before opening?

Leave one in the fridge for about a week. This will give the built up CO2 a chance to absorb into the beer once it cools down.

Bring one down to my house on Nov 10th for my belated teach a friend to brew day get together and I'll give you some feedback.

 

[Richard]

They've been in bottles for almost 3 weeks. The one I refrigerated was the one that didn't gush. Are you saying there's hope for this batch?

 

[Richard]

I might take you up on the Nov 10 thing

 

[Yooper]

I'm not a chemist, but refrigerated bottles tend to not gush as bad as a rule. The co2 in the bottle dissolves into the beer at fridge temperatures better than room temperature, so the beer seems to be better carbonated while not foaming.

Now, sometimes (if you've overprimed for example, or bottled too early) there is no fixing just by refrigeration. But sometimes just putting them in the fridge for about 3 days before opening helps.

 

[Bobby_M]

Well, a few days refrigeration seems to fix the overcarb with no head problem since you're getting the CO2 into solution. Now, if it tastes bad it MAY get better. If you're just tasting green beer, a few more weeks might make it better depending on the style you brewed. How would you describe the off flavor?

 

[Richard]

It's kind of a thin flavor...if that makes any sense. It could still be green I suppose.

 

[Richard]

It definitely has a sour kind of flavor. I struggle to finish a bottle.