Gushers again

[Sandimas]

Am I right in thinking that bottle gushers can only be due to infection or over-priming?

Yesterday I opened a bottle from my latest batch and it gushed. Immediately cursed myself for brewing in June, thinking it was a wild yeast infection - but it tasted OK. It had definately finished fermenting and wasn't over-primed. Today I opened a bottle from an earlier batch and it too gushed, but this was brewed back in April at a more "safe" time of year, just after the long winter. Again it tasted OK, both were malty beers so you'd detect an infected taste pretty quick.

I've had infections before so I know that they taste bad, they also seem to produce a lot of brown detritus in the bottle of bottles. Neither of my recent gushers are like this. The only thing is that I've struggled to keep the bottles cool during the hot summer, even in the coldest places it's been 26C at times - could this heat have re-activated the yeast and re-started CO2 production? Both brews had low FGs and yeast attentuation rates as expected: one brew was 1045->1010, the other was 1060->1013.

 

[brewhaha]

Have you retested the FG? Either degas a sample by stirring vigorously or just let it sit overnight & then measure.

I had this issue with an Earl Grey Pale Ale that massively overcarbonated but also tasted as I expected it too. On retesting FG, I found it had dropped 3 points since bottling.

Through a discussion on this very forum, I've narrowed it down to either an effect known as hop creep whereby dry hopping can introduce enzymes to the beer creating more fermentables & consequently increased attenuation OR underpitching yeast & so what looks like a stable FG after 2-3 weeks is in fact a slow, lagging ferment that continues in the bottle.

So back to you - did you dry hop? What was your yeast pitch like?

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

 

[Sandimas]

Neither was dry hopped.

I used Gervin yeast for one and S04 for the other, both achieved 78% attenuation which seems to be bang on for these yeasts, from my previous records.

I would like to re-test the FG, just trying to work out how to do it as I don't have a sample tube. I'm pretty sure it will have dropped given the amount of CO2 produced. It'll be interesting to see as I only rarely get an ale go below 1010 and one of the brews finished at 1010, if it's 1008/7 then that would be as low as I've ever got.

 

[Dutto]

I put this recent "gusher" down to the heatwave that took the garage up to 28*C at times!

It looked like this ...

... but after being stuck in the fridge for an hour, the three sat on the shelf next to the "gusher" have poured beautifully ...

BTW, the one in the photo is a bit cloudy because:

1. It's number three! and
2. I got a bit over enthusiastic and poured some yeast with it!

Tastes okay though! :thumb:

 

[MyQul]

Am I right in thinking that bottle gushers can only be due to infection or over-priming?

No some yeasts can continue to much through the sugars and cause over carbing. The Fullers strain/WLP002/WY1968 is notorious for this. But you stated tha you used S0-04 and notty so this shouldnt be a problem

 

[Sandimas]

Thanks guys.

Like you Dutto I stuck a few bottles in the fridge because I was worried about bottle bombs, just poured one and it was fine.

I also found my sample tube and measured the FG, 1010 same as originally so dunno where all the extra CO2 has come from. Perhaps it has just been the heat and the CO2 will get re-absorbed now it cooling down? I should have added that the two problem brews have been in the garage which has got very hot these last few weeks, brews stored in the house / fridge seem OK.

 

[ITMA]

I've had loads of gushers lately. Seems to be heat related, I've got nowhere cool to store bulk stocks.

It's been manageable (just) but I'm not sure how to address this for the future? Cut down on priming sugar? Temperatures are sure to drop soon.

 

[Dutto]

If it's any help, I have a brew fermenting and another brew carbonating at 20*C ...

... and BOTH of them are in Brew Fridges with "Heat Only"!

The heatwave is currently dead where I am! :thumb:

 

[Sandimas]

I've had loads of gushers lately. Seems to be heat related, I've got nowhere cool to store bulk stocks.

I'm glad it's not just me then.

I store my beer in the back of the garage most of the time, but during hot spells bring it into the house as it's actually cooler - except this year when it was 26C inside for a few weeks, even in my 200yo stone house with no wall cavities.

 

[ITMA]

It's not just heat related - I've got some batches which gush, some which don't and I can't identify any variable that might be causing it. Same yeasts, same priming amount, same storage location. It's baffling.

 

[Jakeyboi]

Damn thought this thread was about something else

 

[Clint]

You need some boxing gloves...
I opened two stout earlier...both needed two glasses...both not chilled, straight from the shed...both taste great.

 

[Hoppyland]

I suspect that it can also be influenced by your malt profile (and probably mashing temperature, if you brew AG). I've got a stout/porter that I pitched at the beginning of June, and is now maturing in a plastic carboy. It had apparently stopped fermenting by 20th June (stable FG), but it continued to build up pressure in the carboy throughout the whole of July (stored at 18-20C), so I had to fit a cap with an airlock in case I forgot to release the pressure periodically. The malt bill included crystal and chocolate malts, roast barley & torrefied wheat - all mashed with the base malt at 67C. I reckon I had quite a lot of "unfermentable" sugars in there that the yeast could in fact break down, but only very slowly (my notes describe it as full-bodied and very smooth at 20th June). I've no doubt that, if I'd bottled it in July, it would have gushed badly. Other, lighter & drier beers i made using the same yeast did not do this.

 

[Sandimas]

I suspect that it can also be influenced by your malt profile (and probably mashing temperature, if you brew AG). ..... I reckon I had quite a lot of "unfermentable" sugars in there that the yeast could in fact break down, but only very slowly

I've not heard of this before, but I reckon you are right.

I 've started to open some of my stock and have 3 separate batches that are gushing, including one brewed way back in Jan. And guess what - all are dark beers. None are infected, just producing a lot of CO2. I wonder if the hot weather enabled the yeast to munch on some of those less fermentable sugars? Definately seems temperature-related, from Jan-June that dark beer brewed in Jan seemed absolutely fine and showed no sign of increased CO2 production, then all of a sudden off it went. I've had infections in the past where CO2 production keeps going, this was not like them as the increase was not linear.

 

[Sandimas]

Last posting on this as I've exhausted all options - found a few bottles of a pale ale brewed in March at the back of my stash, little bit of crystal in there but not a lot, and yes you've guessed it's gushing. So I now have a variety of beers brewed Jan-July and all are gushing, but none taste infected. The only common factor is that they were stored in the garage in the heatwave. I have a similar set of beers (lagers/hoppy ales) brewed in the same time window that went straight into the fridge after 2 weeks conditioning, these are not gushing or even that lively.

So the only factor seems to be the hot garage. The beer store is immediately in front of my wife's car that she garages every night after an 18 mile commute, so during the days it was hitting 28/30C they would have had a hot car radiator a foot or so from the storage crate. Could this just be a result of high storage temperatures?

 

[GerritT]

And you also tried cooling it down to a few º above zero before pouring it? Letting the beer soak in as much of the CO2 as possible? Did you try to release a bit of pressure veeerryyyy delicately a few days in a row before finally cracking it open?

 

[Sandimas]

And you also tried cooling it down to a few º above zero before pouring it? Letting the beer soak in as much of the CO2 as possible?

Yes, that's how I've been able to determine that they taste OK and aren't infected - all the suspect ones are now in the fridge. If I open them at room temp they shoot out the bottle, but cooled down I can pour a pint, albeit with a big head.

 

[Covrich]

If you are still finding them too fizzy which some of mine have done even though they carbed low,, open pour in a jug.. leave it to settle.. pour into glass and then transfer back to jug.. when it settles transfer back to glass and drink at the desired temp.

This will get the carbonation down to the a more correct. Personally I find an english style if too cold and fizzy it ruins it but can easily be corrected.

 

[jceg316]

I have had this problem too and I think it's because of the heat. I've not been able to properly control fermentation temperatures or cold crash which I think has an effect on the carbonation. I find if I fridge a beer before I open it, it will pour as 90% head and the beer will have very little fizziness when I drink. It's really annoying. I've got a fermentation chamber now and just fermenting my first beer in it, so will see how much of a difference this makes.

 

[GerritT]

My baby brother showed me some pictures of my ales (I gave 'm for his birthday) that he poured: at least 30% foam! Temperature is 5ºC, and he's pouring pretty normal, so only thing different is the glass: a fairly slim .4L pilsner glass.