Last year's brew supercarbed

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DavieC

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Hi all, I had a Woodford wherry last night that I made last year.It was mega carbed and resulted in a head that occupied three quarters of my glass, I'm pretty sure it wasn't like that in the weeks following on from making it. The brew was dry hopped but other than that was standard and batch primed before bottling.FG was 1012. Has anyone else experienced this,why is it super carbed? Ta.
Davie
 
Hi all, I had a Woodford wherry last night that I made last year.It was mega carbed and resulted in a head that occupied three quarters of my glass, I'm pretty sure it wasn't like that in the weeks following on from making it. The brew was dry hopped but other than that was standard and batch primed before bottling.FG was 1012. Has anyone else experienced this,why is it super carbed? Ta.
Davie
Could be a number of things. i suppose it was bottled as it's been hanging around since last year.
So. Possibly and probably nothing to do with infection, but it does depend on what yeast you used- some yeasts nibble away slowly at the residual higher sugars and eventually, overcarb the beer. I've learnt that very few cask beer yeasts are actually good for bottling as they're really more appropriate for a long, slow fermentation in the casks.
Dry hopping can be an issue. Hops contain small amounts of an enzyme which breaks down the higher sugars to amenable and fermentable sugars. I'm not sure that dry hopping is a good idea for unpasteurised bottled beers; better to do a <80C steep or add a hop tea.
Bottom line: Bottled beer is not just cask beer in a bottle, you have to engineer your beer according to the storage and dispense method you're planning.
 
Hi all, I had a Woodford wherry last night that I made last year.It was mega carbed and resulted in a head that occupied three quarters of my glass, I'm pretty sure it wasn't like that in the weeks following on from making it. The brew was dry hopped but other than that was standard and batch primed before bottling.FG was 1012. Has anyone else experienced this,why is it super carbed? Ta.
Davie
Did you factor in the temperature of the beer at the time of bottling?
 
Hi Foxy, I probably didn't factor that in but initially for the first few months sampling odd bottles it was fine.
Hi @An Ankoù,@Clint , thanks for the inputs, the beer is crystal clear and tastes great all be it a bit gassy ,I did wonder if the yeast had just kept fermenting.It was the yeast that came with the kit but the beer was bottled over 12 months ago.Ive still got a few bottles to go so I'll have to be extra careful when I pour.I swirled it around the glass after it initially calmed down to de gas it a bit.cheers all.
 
Hi Foxy, I probably didn't factor that in but initially for the first few months sampling odd bottles it was fine.
Hi @An Ankoù,@Clint , thanks for the inputs, the beer is crystal clear and tastes great all be it a bit gassy ,I did wonder if the yeast had just kept fermenting.It was the yeast that came with the kit but the beer was bottled over 12 months ago.Ive still got a few bottles to go so I'll have to be extra careful when I pour.I swirled it around the glass after it initially calmed down to de gas it a bit.cheers all.
The temperature will make a difference, the colder at bottling the more co2 in suspension, adding too much sugar the yeast over time will be consuming the priming sugar 'super carbing' the beer. It has happened to me, I am very careful now of the carbing ratio of sugar and temperature. Its fine if the beer is consumed early but as weeks turn into months the carbonation level lifts.
 
It may well have been on the colder side at bottling after sitting in the cold garage to settle and clear a bit.athumb..
 

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