Volcano beer!

[ahaley]

When I open a bottle that is room temp, it has pretty high pressure and squirts out quickly! If it's been in the fridge it slowly foams out.

What do you guys think happened? I used 3/4 cup sugar to 3 cups water like I usually do and I've never had that happen before. I bottled it 05/24 I think, the fg was 1.016 and the kit says it should be 1.015 I think. What are some things that may have happened? Too much beer on the bottles, not fermented long enough? It fermented 1 week primary and 2 weeks secondary I think. I can get actual numbers for you guys tomorrow when I get home but I'm thinking it may not have fermented long enough.

 

[domdom]

i had a cooper pale ale clone that i had this problem with. second batch i ever made. no idea why except maybe that the LME was expired by a year (stupid promo sticker!) it did get better after they sat a little longer, maybe after 4 weeks or so.

 

[ahaley]

i had a cooper pale ale clone that i had this problem with. second batch i ever made. no idea why except maybe that the LME was expired by a year (stupid promo sticker!) it did get better after they sat a little longer, maybe after 4 weeks or so.

Dang ok, well I'll let them sit for a while longer and see thanks!

 

[ChessRockwell]

If you used the right amount of sugar, chances are it wasn't quite finished fermenting when you bottled. Taking it off the yeast after only a week in primary could have caused this. If you're going to use a secondary, try letting it finish fermentation in the primary before transferring. (I know some kits instruct you to do otherwise but it's not always best)

 

[ahaley]

If you used the right amount of sugar, chances are it wasn't quite finished fermenting when you bottled. Taking it off the yeast after only a week in primary could have caused this. If you're going to use a secondary, try letting it finish fermentation in the primary before transferring. (I know some kits instruct you to do otherwise but it's not always best)

I think I did like 2 week primary and 1 week secondary, and I checked the gravity about 24 hrs before bottling and it was stable so I'm not sure. But I did follow the kit.. Next time I'll let it sit longer.

 

[thasnazzle]

If you're not refrigerating for a day or so before opening odds are that's the problem.

 

[ahaley]

If you're not refrigerating for a day or so before opening odds are that's the problem.

I've tried room temp, fridge for multiple days, I've tried freezer it just slows down the foaming.. But I think I bottled too early, despite the gravity being stable

 

[Qhrumphf]

If the gravity was stable, that shouldn't be a problem.

Couple possibilities I see:

-was your end volume correct? If you added enough sugar to carbonate a 5 gallon batch and you only had 3.5 gallons, that could the problem.

-according to your first post it's been about 2.5 weeks since you bottled, right? How long was the most recent gusher allowed to carbonate before you tried chilling it down? Beers that aren't fully carbonated can gush at first. Once they're fully carbonated and the C02 is allowed to dissolve into solution, problem goes away.

-if the priming sugar wasn't fully mixed in with the beer (I pour the priming sugar solution into the bottom of the bucket before racking, and gently stir as it siphons- no splashing- to make sure it all mixes) then some bottles could have had a higher amount of sugar than others, leaving some over-carbonated and some under-carbonated

-also possible you picked up an infection that's chewing through residuals your yeast wouldn't.

 

[JoeBronco]

Qhrumphf hit it on the head.

3/4 cup is for 5 gallons. 4.5 gallons will take less and you could have over carbed.

CHILL your beer before you drink it. A warm beer will gush if the Co2 has not fully mixed into solution. Try this as a "test" Take a warm cheap BMC and pour it in a glass. Than take a Chilled BMC and pour it in a glass. Note the difference in head. 100% of the time your going to have more head than beer in the warm beer.

 

[ahaley]

Yes it's been about 2.5 almost 3 weeks since they've been bottled, and I didn't think about the co2 dissolving.. But I had 5 gal wort and I used 3/4 cup sugar to 3 cup water boiled and waited until it was dissolved in the pot then I poured it into my bottle bucket and racked on top of that. If its an infection, t hasn't altered the flavor much, except for the last bit of beer usually has a hard kick, almost like the JD. Could that be from the alcohol I soaked the vanilla beans in?

Also the only thing I did different this time was put more beer into my bottles. The first time I stopped filling when the bottle went thick for body and thin for neck I stopped there. This time I stopped about an inch from the top of the bottle. Is that overfilled ?

 

[Qhrumphf]

I routinely fill up my bottles almost to the top, so that the headspace left is primarily the space taken up by the bottling wand, usually about 3/4" after pulling the wand out, and I never have a problem. Sounds like about where you filled them to, so I doubt that's the problem.

My guess is either that they're still not fully carbonated and to just give it a little more time. Failing that, if you notice a difference between bottles as time goes on, it's likely an issue with mixing of priming sugar. If they're all gushers, then I'd say you probably picked up an infection somewhere down the line. A gusher infection you can't really taste wouldn't be unheard of.

As far as the alcoholic bite, that can be a number of different things. Would need more information (recipe, fermentation process- temp/time/etc, how much alcohol did you soak the beans in and what kind).

 

[ahaley]

I routinely fill up my bottles almost to the top, so that the headspace left is primarily the space taken up by the bottling wand, usually about 3/4" after pulling the wand out, and I never have a problem. Sounds like about where you filled them to, so I doubt that's the problem.

My guess is either that they're still not fully carbonated and to just give it a little more time. Failing that, if you notice a difference between bottles as time goes on, it's likely an issue with mixing of priming sugar. If they're all gushers, then I'd say you probably picked up an infection somewhere down the line. A gusher infection you can't really taste wouldn't be unheard of.

As far as the alcoholic bite, that can be a number of different things. Would need more information (recipe, fermentation process- temp/time/etc, how much alcohol did you soak the beans in and what kind).

Ok so I didn't over fill, I can take a picture of a bottle if you guys need to see it, and I think that maybe they needed to sit longer, the one I just opened up didn't gush out, but I did pour if right after opening where I usually wait a little because im talking or doing something.

As for the recipe I'll type it later on the comp, but I have a thread somewhere that has the recipe, I can look around for it. As for the alcohol I can't remember but I think it was Jim beam, around 2-3 oz, there wasn't much left in the bottle at all ill let you know when I find the thread with the recipe

 

[JoeBronco]

Two fingers is standard at judging comps. If you added JD to the beer (porter or stout i assume) Then you may have a higher ABV than normal. If thats the case than the higher ABV will cause the yeast to work slower and Carb up slower. I have a 15%ABV porter that took almost a month to fully carb up.

Remember to CHILL for at least 24 hours if not more before you drink. Im sure thats your problem.

 

[Jtc2811]

Don't discount overfilling just yet. I have been having similar problems with my batches lately, and the only thing I changed were bottling practices. I figured it out when I noticed my 22s were way more prone to gushing than my 12s. As a rule I was filling to the lip of the bottle.


Now I am going to aim for just at the beginning of top of the bottle (the thick part around the top) for 12 oz and just over 1/2 way up the neck for 22 oz

 

[Minjin]

Check this out.

 

[ahaley]

The first bottle he showed is about how much all of mine are filled, and it foamed just about that much and his head went away a lot quicker, maybe because mine is a stout ?

I did bottle 5/24/12 and I'll check one out later today I'll put it in the fridge, I'll throw out the recipe and gravity readings as well

I steeped all my grains for 45 minutes at 170*~

12oz pale ale
6oz flaked oats
5oz roasted barley
4oz chocolate malt
2oz wheat malt
4oz 60* crystal
6.6bs liquid dark extract
1 lbs dark dry malt extract

Kent goldings 4.4% 1.5oz 60 min .5oz 45 min
And wyeast 1084, 125ml.

Started 4/25/12
Their og 1.059~
My og 1.054~
Gravity reading when I added vanilla beans on 5/11/12
1.023~
Their fg 1.015~
My fg 1.016~ at bottling day 5/24/12

Hope this helps! And I hope my beer is ready now!

 

[ahaley]

Oh and I forgot to ask something, I was watching a video on kegging, and the guy shook his keg. Should I shake my bottles before I put them in the fridge? Or shake them after they are cold?
I've never shaken my last brews but I've never had gushers either