Too Much Head

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KayBeer

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I opened my first bottle today. It is the Beyond Blonde from the Brooklyn Brewshop kit. For my very first batch ever I was quite impressed. It tasted great. However it was very cloudy, and there was way too much head on the pour. I poured against the side of the glass, and poured slowly. By the time there was an inch of beer in the glass it was already overflowing from the excess head. This was disappointing because after pouring a 12 oz bottle i was only able to drink 8 oz. I did notice that right before i poured, a small piece of the sediment at the bottom of the bottle rose to the top and that was when it began gushing.

I followed the instructions from the kit to the T. it was in the fermenter for exactly 2 weeks, and in the bottle for exactly 2 weeks. My question is, what could have caused the excessive head?
 
Assuming you reached stable gravity before you bottled... how did you prime the batch?
 
Overcarbonation and not enough time in the fridge. Kits usually come with more priming sugar than you should probably be using, which leads to overcarbonated beers that are more prone to gushing and excessive head. Spending time at fridge temps helps the carbon dioxide from bottle conditioning to dissolve into the beer; a beer that's been chilled for less time is more likely to gush upon opening and goes flat faster, while beer that's been in the fridge for a while will foam less upon opening and pouring and remain carbonated longer in the glass.

Also, re: the title, no such thing. :D
 
It was part of a beginners kit and there wasn't a hydrometer with the kit, so there were no readings taken. I won't make that mistake again. The instructions said to use 3 tablespoons of Honey with a 1/2 cup of water, so thats what I did. The beer tastes fine and there are no foul flavors. There is just too much head. Its really weird.
 
Honey is difficult to use for priming because the concentration varies. Next time use sugar. For now I would chill all the bottles. Open each one carefully and let it breathe for a few minutes. Use a clean, chilled, wet glass and poor slowly and smoothly down the glass. Good luck.
 
Next time use sugar. For now I would chill all the bottles.

Yes, typically dextrose (corn sugar) is used for bottling. Some people use cane sugar and it works fine for them. A kit usually provides about 5 oz of dextrose for priming, which is way too much IMO. I typically use around 3-4 oz, depending on the style.
 
I watched more closely today as I opened some bottles. What is happening is, as I open the bottle, I get a crisp sound as the bottle opens. The bottle then fumes for a moment. Then a cake of the sediment rises from the bottom of the bottle rapidly to the surface, causing the beer to foam up rapidly. Again, It tastes fine, so I don't think there is an infection. I think it may have more to do with too much priming sugar.
 
I watched more closely today as I opened some bottles. What is happening is, as I open the bottle, I get a crisp sound as the bottle opens. The bottle then fumes for a moment. Then a cake of the sediment rises from the bottom of the bottle rapidly to the surface, causing the beer to foam up rapidly. Again, It tastes fine, so I don't think there is an infection. I think it may have more to do with too much priming sugar.

Probably overprimed, but it also sounds like you aren't refrigerating long enough before opening.
 
The first bottles opened had been in the fridge for 2 days, and the ones I opened yesterday were in there for 4.
 
I am gonna go with over primed, on this batch. Its too bad I didn't realize this sooner. I bottled my second batch before opening the first. I again used the kit recommended amount of priming sugar. Which in this case was pure maple syrup. We will see if I have another batch of Gushers. These batches are only mini 1 gallon batches.
 
Having used BBS recipes before and also experiencing what you just explained, I'm pointing my finger directly at the 3tbsp of Honey. I've scaled back to 2.5tbsp since and have not had any issues.

Good luck!!!
 
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