to much foam after about a month or longer

[shazo]

Started brewing with a friend within the past year. Have had some good batches some that were to sweet and some that taste like vinegar. The odd thing is the ones that have been good seam to have an issue with to much foam after a month or so.

When we first started it was with a Mr. Beer kit. It did the same thing from day one. We opened the bottles and they started to overflow with the foam. Now were are working with the brewers best kits. The ones that have no issue with taste seem to only last a month maybe 2. After that when one is opened it overflows. If not when opened then be ready to chug because once you start drinking it will start.

We have also had this issue with a rogue dead guy ale.

Are we're not drinking the batches fast enough or are we doing something else wrong. I would think to much sugar. But everything is pre measured in the box. Also it isn't happening for the first month maybe 2 depending on what we make.

 

[Pratzie]

How long are u waiting until u bottle? U may be bottling prematurely. Make sure the gravity is stable for several days before bottling, even if the directions say otherwise.

Also, are you cold crashing prior to bottling?

 

[Colorowdy]

It could be over priming what is your priming method. Your beer might not have been done fermenting. If you don't have a hydrometer buy one. My guess is probably sanitization.

 

[aiptasia]

1) The vinegar taste is probably due to lactic acid or some other bacteria infecting the beer at some point in your brewing process. Have a look at your brewing and sanitization procedures to make sure you're controlling outside bugs from infecting your beers.

2) Your bottles are over-carbonating. It's a fairly common error and can happen one of a few usual ways: You're not letting the beer finish fermenting or you're adding too much priming sugar, or a combination of both. Invest in a hydrometer and resist the urge to bottle your beer too quickly. Your beer isn't going to finish fermenting based on some set schedule or instructions in a beer kit. I've had beers finish fermenting in as little as four days and as long as two months. The only way to really know for sure is to take a hydrometer reading and when the beer is consistently the same gravity for 2-3 days in a row, it's probably finished fermenting. The vast majority of my beers take about three to four weeks time to ferment in my primary fermenter. Be patient and wait.

Priming sugar is the other concern. In order to carbonate (prime) your beer, you need to add a fermentable sugar source to feed the yeast a little more to produce CO2 inside of your bottles. This is known as bottle carbonation and the most typical area where you can create too much foam. Add smaller amounts of priming sugar and make sure you wait an adequate length of time for them to properly carbonate. A beer that's only had a week or two to carbonate up will expel most of it's CO2 right after opening as it hasn't had much time to be absorbed into the liquid of the beer. What happens is you get a big gush of foam and then what's left over is just flat beer. Let your beer bottle condition a MINIMUM of 3-4 weeks, and then stick them in your fridge a full 24 hours to cool down and absorb all of the CO2 trapped in the neck of the beer.

 

[markus2982]

Could also be an issue with priming sugar not being mixed thoroughly enough. If this is the case some bottles will overflow and some won't.

 

[shazo]

How long are u waiting until u bottle? U may be bottling prematurely. Make sure the gravity is stable for several days before bottling, even if the directions say otherwise.

Also, are you cold crashing prior to bottling?

We usually go by what is on the kit or as close to it as we can. It us usually so much time in the plastic bucket then in the carboy. After that we put the priming sugar in bucket after we have boiled it with water as the kit says. Then we siphon the beer back into the bucket and bottle from it.

It could be over priming what is your priming method. Your beer might not have been done fermenting. If you don't have a hydrometer buy one. My guess is probably sanitization.

Like I said above we prime by boiling the sure in water and pour that into the plastic bucket. After that we siphon the beer from the carboy into the bucket then start bottling. Sanitation has been a concern of mine from the start.

1) The vinegar taste is probably due to lactic acid or some other bacteria infecting the beer at some point in your brewing process. Have a look at your brewing and sanitization procedures to make sure you're controlling outside bugs from infecting your beers.

2) Your bottles are over-carbonating. It's a fairly common error and can happen one of a few usual ways: You're not letting the beer finish fermenting or you're adding too much priming sugar, or a combination of both. Invest in a hydrometer and resist the urge to bottle your beer too quickly. Your beer isn't going to finish fermenting based on some set schedule or instructions in a beer kit. I've had beers finish fermenting in as little as four days and as long as two months. The only way to really know for sure is to take a hydrometer reading and when the beer is consistently the same gravity for 2-3 days in a row, it's probably finished fermenting. The vast majority of my beers take about three to four weeks time to ferment in my primary fermenter. Be patient and wait.

Priming sugar is the other concern. In order to carbonate (prime) your beer, you need to add a fermentable sugar source to feed the yeast a little more to produce CO2 inside of your bottles. This is known as bottle carbonation and the most typical area where you can create too much foam. Add smaller amounts of priming sugar and make sure you wait an adequate length of time for them to properly carbonate. A beer that's only had a week or two to carbonate up will expel most of it's CO2 right after opening as it hasn't had much time to be absorbed into the liquid of the beer. What happens is you get a big gush of foam and then what's left over is just flat beer. Let your beer bottle condition a MINIMUM of 3-4 weeks, and then stick them in your fridge a full 24 hours to cool down and absorb all of the CO2 trapped in the neck of the beer.

1) I will take another look at the sanitation. It is odd that it is hit and miss with the vinegar taste. We have only done 6 batches. Two have had a vinegar taste. One worse than the other and another tasted to sweet. That was the Dead Guy Ale we made. I think we didn't let that sit long enough because I had it a month later and it tasted just like the Rouge Dead Guy Ale. That was also one that two months later started to foam over.

2) I really don't think it is adding to much priming sugar as it is all included in the kit. I would hope it isn't at least. We do have a hydrometer that was included when we bought everything and one of the home brew stores in the area. The issue with it is it only shows an estimated alcohol content for beer on one side and wine on the other. No gravity levels are shown at all. I know this is an issue and something we should be doing. The other issue is it "wastes" beer. When I have wanted to use the hydrometer we have to see what the alcohol content is that is what I have been told. I have been looking into a refractometer however they have been to expensive. Before today all I seen them selling for was 75 and up. I just looked on Amazon and saw some for around 20. We will have one before we brew again. At some point I might invest in one of the digital ones.

We do keep them in bottles for about 3-4 weeks after bottling. So that shouldn't be the issue. Should we mix the priming sugar in the bucket and let it sit for a few days before we bottle then let it sit in the bottle for 3-4 weeks?

Could also be an issue with priming sugar not being mixed thoroughly enough. If this is the case some bottles will overflow and some won't.

I think it not being mixed in is only part of it. Like I have said the only thing we do to mix it is siphon the beer from the carboy to the bucket that already has the sugar in it.

I will talk all this over with my buddy and get a refractometer before we brew again.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Pratzie]

First part... Never follow any kits directions with regards to fermentation time. EVERYTHING will vary, even the same batch kit brewed at different times can have longer or shorter fermentation times. The only real way to confirm that primary fermentation is complete is thru a stable gravity reading over the course of 2-3 days.

Sanitizing the bottling bucket and all hardware used (bottles/tubing/racking cane/etc) are key to preventing infection. I have to agree that the vinegar flavor is more likely then not an infection. Are you reusing bottles that previous had home brew or another craft brew in them? There may be residual beer and/or yeast in those bottles that weren't completely cleaned out. Sanitizing won't help prevent infection if there is still some yeast or sugar caked on the inside of the bottle. Get urself a bottle brush (usually less then $5), and fill the bottles with hot water and scrub the hell out of the inside of them with the brush. U can also soak them in solutions overnight if thats something ur interested in. There are a few threads here with suggestions for that.

As far as amount of priming sugar added, don't just use the entire pack included in the kit. Every Northern brewer kit that ive brewed has left me with 1/3 or more sugar left in the package. They don't measure it out for u to bottle, just package in the kit and leave u to do the measuring.

 

[shazo]

Thanks. I would have thought they measured everything out for 5 gallon batches. We tried to use a bottle brush, but the one we got didn't fit into the bottles to well. We have been using a Jet Carboy to clean them and then soap and water before we sanitize them.