Overcarbed bottles ... possible "emergency" ... seeking input

Gene Cornelius said:
Aye, that's what I was thinking. About the oxygenation danger:

I too have heard mixed opinions regarding bottle-condition carbonating after lagering or bulk aging, and also with highly flocculant yeasts, such as Voss Kveik, which, if I remember correctly (that's what brew logs are for but I'm too lazy right now) I did NOT have an issue with. I think from now on, when in doubt, add yeast. Be interested to hear your result.

I'm also curious about the Brewer's Friend priming calculator, which is what I use. The main thing I'm curious about is the beer temperature. I have read, and re-read the note. I still feel like I am guessing, and it does make a big difference in the calculations.
s).
Click to expand...

A couple things...your caution and your actions are at odds. Put a cap on and let it condition. ...full stop! I wouldn't worry about oxidation as much as I would be concerned about throwing away all the work your yeast have done up to the point of you opening the bottle!

Item 2, I have been using Kveik almost exclusively for about a year now and only bottle. I recently attempted a cold crash and bottled using the cold temperature in the calculator and learned the hard way that you use the top fermenting temp in the calculator and with kveik, condition at that same fermentation temp. The calculator using the cold beer at crashing temp calls for way too little sugar. There's a posting I put on here a couple months ago but I'm too lazy to look it up right now....
 
Thank you. And for the record, I'll never be one to deny having internal conflicts ... I often shoot myself in the foot my action od lack thereof, and sometimes in retrospect it just all seems so silly.

Well in this case I'd be "test opening" a single bottle (provided they don't open themselves) to assess the carbonation level, and if it's dangerous. If not, I certainly won't be re-capping!

Thanks for the insight regarding the priming calculator with regard to your kveik. It is these stories that really help.

Ward Chillington said:
A couple things...your caution and your actions are at odds. Put a cap on and let it condition. ...full stop! I wouldn't worry about oxidation as much as I would be concerned about throwing away all the work your yeast have done up to the point of you opening the bottle!

Item 2, I have been using Kveik almost exclusively for about a year now and only bottle. I recently attempted a cold crash and bottled using the cold temperature in the calculator and learned the hard way that you use the top fermenting temp in the calculator and with kveik, condition at that same fermentation temp. The calculator using the cold beer at crashing temp calls for way too little sugar. There's a posting I put on here a couple months ago but I'm too lazy to look it up right now....
Click to expand...
 
BarbarianBrewer said:
Since I had some of my 2017 severely under-carbonated Wee Heavies left, I took 5 ml of the new beer out of the bottling bucket and added that to each old bottle. I totally guessed on that amount. I think I'll pop open one of the 2017 beers this weekend and check it out.
Click to expand...

Just had one of these beers. It wasn't very good. Minimal malty aroma and very oxidized; no dark fruit/plum/raison flavor. Not surprising considering it's 4 years old and almost all of that time was without much carbonation. There was the right amount of gas escaping when I opened it but, pouring into the glass had way too much head. Not anything like a gusher but, more like pouring a can of coke into a glass. Tons of bubbles that quickly subside. So, I think the adding some primed wort to an under-carbed bottle was a success but, be conservative on the dosing. Also, don't wait four years to do it.
 
Oh boy, I'm sorry to hear that! I know my time will come, but I've been lucky so far. Well, especially having only started my brewing journey 4 years ago .. so, you know, it's very relative. My eldest is still quite good, but I made that before I knew enough to be dangerous. The one I opened yesterday was bottled in 2019, and had a luscious malty complexity .. made me wonder what was going on under the cork, so to speak, that I could not understand or explain, but was lovely. Now that I'm playing with more details, I know I'm likely to screw something up. Thanks for the report though, and I hope maybe that one you had was a fluke? There's always a chance, you know ...

BarbarianBrewer said:
Just had one of these beers. It wasn't very good. Minimal malty aroma and very oxidized; no dark fruit/plum/raison flavor. Not surprising considering it's 4 years old and almost all of that time was without much carbonation. There was the right amount of gas escaping when I opened it but, pouring into the glass had way too much head. Not anything like a gusher but, more like pouring a can of coke into a glass. Tons of bubbles that quickly subside. So, I think the adding some primed wort to an under-carbed bottle was a success but, be conservative on the dosing. Also, don't wait four years to do it.
Click to expand...
 
Gene Cornelius said:
Oh boy, I'm sorry to hear that! I know my time will come, but I've been lucky so far. Well, especially having only started my brewing journey 4 years ago .. so, you know, it's very relative. My eldest is still quite good, but I made that before I knew enough to be dangerous. The one I opened yesterday was bottled in 2019, and had a luscious malty complexity .. made me wonder what was going on under the cork, so to speak, that I could not understand or explain, but was lovely. Now that I'm playing with more details, I know I'm likely to screw something up. Thanks for the report though, and I hope maybe that one you had was a fluke? There's always a chance, you know ...
Click to expand...

Of the heavies I've brewed and aged, that one is the only dud. And the good part is I know the cause so, it shouldn't reoccur. My 2019 Woot Stout is fantastic and recently bottled Wee Heavy is very good. Though the lesson learned on those two is to decrease my efficiency as I missed expected OG by about 7-8 points on each I think. Always something to learn. :)
 
Today is "the day". Had a capped bottle in the fridge since yesterday morning, after having sat in the generator shed dead fridge for a few days. Gingerly, I'll open, and report. Fingers crossed.
 
You all will know me now as Gene "Chicken Little" Cornelius. And I'll laugh along with you.

Quite yummy, and the right sizzle of CO2 on the tongue. I didn't pour very carefully, either.

Not Overcarbed.jpg
 
Thanks, me too! I'll still be cautious though. Not sure what to make of the earlier gusher that prompted this thread. I prime by adding my measured sugar water to the bottling carboy as I vacuum rack, then I stir several times with the racking cane before vacuum bottling. I'm "pretty sure" this homogenizes the mixture, but as I have never truly tested it, I consider it a weak point in my procedure. Although I've done it many times over three years, so hard to imagine it's the culprit.

Minbari said:
Glad it turned out
Click to expand...
 
BarbarianBrewer said:
I've brewed a Scottish Wee Heavy a few times now. I bulk age (in secondary carboy) for 6+ months before bottling. The forums seemed split on whether to re-yeast when bottling beers of this type so I decided to try it without once. 90% of the bottles had virtually no carbonation :(. When I would come across one that did have halfway decent carbonation I felt like I hit the lottery! :). So for the Wee Heavy I bottled last month, after 8 months in secondary, I added a (rehydrated) packet of EC-1118 to the bottling bucket. They are now nicely carbonated. Since I had some of my 2017 severely under-carbonated Wee Heavies left, I took 5 ml of the new beer out of the bottling bucket and added that to each old bottle. I totally guessed on that amount. I think I'll pop open one of the 2017 beers this weekend and check it out.
Click to expand...

Just a follow-up to my attempt to save my severely under-carbonated 2017 Wee Heavy. It didn't work. There was some diacetyl before but now it is the dominant flavor and mouthfeel. Buttery/caramel taste and an oily mouthfeel. From what I read aging increases this off-flavor. I don't think the recent re-priming did it. I think it was just four years with virtually no carbonation.
 
BarbarianBrewer said:
Just a follow-up to my attempt to save my severely under-carbonated 2017 Wee Heavy. It didn't work. There was some diacetyl before but now it is the dominant flavor and mouthfeel. Buttery/caramel taste and an oily mouthfeel. From what I read aging increases this off-flavor. I don't think the recent re-priming did it. I think it was just four years with virtually no carbonation.
Click to expand...
Bummer...sorry guy...look on the bright side...you learned something
 
I feel for you and sorry for your trouble! Your post spurred me to remember to try my RIS and see how it was faring. After all the wailing and fear and gnashing of teeth .. well, it came out exquisite. I'm going to go back to ignoring the rest of it, trying more again maybe in a few months, or ... ?

BRS Poured 20Nov21.jpg BRS 20Nov21.jpg


BarbarianBrewer said:
Just a follow-up to my attempt to save my severely under-carbonated 2017 Wee Heavy. It didn't work. There was some diacetyl before but now it is the dominant flavor and mouthfeel. Buttery/caramel taste and an oily mouthfeel. From what I read aging increases this off-flavor. I don't think the recent re-priming did it. I think it was just four years with virtually no carbonation.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you! Tasted even better. I sure hope I can wait until they mature. Big question in my mind (after I spent today bottling up a kit I modified and ended up with 6 gallons of 9.6% DIPA fermented with Mangrove Jack's Abbey ...)

What caused my gusher that prompted this thread? I've opened a few of these RIS bottles and not had a single issue.

BarbarianBrewer said:
They look fantastic!
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Copyright © 2007-2024 Brewer's Friend, Inc. - Send Feedback - Terms - RSS Feed - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Back
Top