Can I Save My Beer!

[banora brewer]

Hi I did a batch of sparkling ale, it has been bottled for 2 weeks at around 20 degrees, i bulked primed for the first time, i opened the first one and it was like a volcano erupting, the second and third one had no fizz at all. What would be the problem and is there a solution.

Thanks

 

[Hatchy]

I've never had that issue but from other posts I've seen on here I reckon if you open & recap all of yr bottles they should turn out OK. It's probably worth waiting for someone more knowledgeable than me to post before you do anything though. Have you tasted any & have you had any bottle bombs? How much sugar did you use to bulk prime & how big was yr batch?

 

[banora brewer]

I've never had that issue but from other posts I've seen on here I reckon if you open & recap all of yr bottles they should turn out OK. It's probably worth waiting for someone more knowledgeable than me to post before you do anything though. Have you tasted any & have you had any bottle bombs? How much sugar did you use to bulk prime & how big was yr batch?

Hi There, they tasted quite sweet, no bottle bombs just yet!!!! i used 160 gms dissolved it in 500 ml water my batch was 21 litres i think, put that into secondary and let the beer run in to mix

 

[manticle]

Hi I did a batch of sparkling ale, it has been bottled for 2 weeks at around 20 degrees, i bulked primed for the first time, i opened the first one and it was like a volcano erupting, the second and third one had no fizz at all. What would be the problem and is there a solution.

Thanks

How did you prime? What was the method? If you didn't dissolve the sugar properly, that could be a culprit.

The first concern is whether or not you may have bottle bombs. I would recommend grabbing some eye goggles and wrapping each bottle in glad wrap. Observe over the next week or so to see if you get any breakages.

If the priming was all good, then maybe examine your bottle cleaning/sanitation as you can get infections in the bottle that lead to gushing. How did the gushy ones taste?

As I was typing this you replied to the above so sorry for double ups.

Were they all sweet or just the flat ones?

 

[banora brewer]

How did you prime? What was the method? If you didn't dissolve the sugar properly, that could be a culprit.

The first concern is whether or not you may have bottle bombs. I would recommend grabbing some eye goggles and wrapping each bottle in glad wrap. Observe over the next week or so to see if you get any breakages.

If the priming was all good, then maybe examine your bottle cleaning/sanitation as you can get infections in the bottle that lead to gushing. How did the gushy ones taste?

As I was typing this you replied to the above so sorry for double ups.

Were they all sweet or just the flat ones?

The 3 i have had were all quite sweet, the gusher one when i could pour it into a glass looked like i had a cappucino froth

 

[GOLIATH]

The sweetness would indicate that the prime has not fermented. Give em a shake. The explosion (1 only I gather, I agree with Manticle in that you may have a single bottle cleaning stuff up)

Regards Dave

 

[GOLIATH]

Sorry, Not explosion....... Gusher. I need to read better.

 

[banora brewer]

Sorry, Not explosion....... Gusher. I need to read better.

I woke up this morning to find beer all over the floor, i had a couple of explosions last night, so i decided to throw out my glass ones and keep the pet bottles

 

[Pennywise]

I woke up this morning to find beer all over the floor, i had a couple of explosions last night, so i decided to throw out my glass ones and keep the pet bottles

This is a smart move, if you've had 4 go off overnight the chances of one going off in your hand whilst uncapping them are pretty high. What was the OG/FG of your brew and ingredients used?

 

[banora brewer]

This is a smart move, if you've had 4 go off overnight the chances of one going off in your hand whilst uncapping them are pretty high. What was the OG/FG of your brew and ingredients used?

Hi, og was 1050, fg was 1012 i think steady for 3 days, added 500gm dex to fermenter as per recipe then bulked primed, opened the rest of the glass bottles this morning one was a gusher the rest were flat. I learned my lesson i think dont bulk prime, wife not to happy!!!!!

 

[Pennywise]

Hi, og was 1050, fg was 1012 i think steady for 3 days, added 500gm dex to fermenter as per recipe then bulked primed, opened the rest of the glass bottles this morning one was a gusher the rest were flat. I learned my lesson i think dont bulk prime, wife not to happy!!!!!

Sounds like the priming solution wasn't mixed through. So it was the kit & 500g dex in 21 litres? Those gravities don't look right at all, I'd give the hydrometer a check in come room temp water and make sure it reads 1.000, sometimes the little paper strip inside can dislodge

 

[manticle]

Hi, og was 1050, fg was 1012 i think steady for 3 days, added 500gm dex to fermenter as per recipe then bulked primed, opened the rest of the glass bottles this morning one was a gusher the rest were flat. I learned my lesson i think dont bulk prime, wife not to happy!!!!!

Added 500g after ferment finished then bulk primed or 500 dex in the first place? This reads confusingly.

 

[Screwtop]

Hi, og was 1050, fg was 1012 i think steady for 3 days, added 500gm dex to fermenter as per recipe then bulked primed, opened the rest of the glass bottles this morning one was a gusher the rest were flat. I learned my lesson i think dont bulk prime, wife not to happy!!!!!

Why not use a proven method again. Bulk priming is not the cause, your FG seems ok so............................infection?? You did say it tasted sweet......????

Screwy

 

[argon]

Added 500g after ferment finished then bulk primed or 500 dex in the first place? This reads confusingly.

I read it as adding 500g dex for priming... But not sure. If that is the case no wonder your getting bombs, with triple the priming rate.

Edit: sorry noted you said earlier you added 160g dex dissolved for priming. Perhaps solution wasn't properly mixed through. The dex solution can sink to the bottom of the bottling bucket, essentially creating a dense layer of highly dosed beer. With the layer in top not as primed. Any idea if the bottle you had a gusher from was early in the bottling line - hence overprimed?

 

[Screwtop]

Added 500g after ferment finished then bulk primed or 500 dex in the first place? This reads confusingly.

Ooooh - yes! Can you better explain this Banora??

Screwy

 

[banora brewer]

I read it as adding 500g dex for priming... But not sure. If that is the case no wonder your getting bombs, with triple the priming rate.

Edit: sorry noted you said earlier you added 160g dex dissolved for priming. Perhaps solution wasn't properly mixed through. The dex solution can sink to the bottom of the bottling bucket, essentially creating a dense layer of highly dosed beer. With the layer in top not as primed. Any idea if the bottle you had a gusher from was early in the bottling line - hence overprimed?

Thats what i was thinking, but i cant remember, it was an all grain recipe, the recipe was 4.5kg pale malt, 100g crystal 500g white sugar, i added the sugar into the mash i think, it was about a month ago so not to sure, it may not have been mixed properly, but i put the sugar syrup in the bottom then let the beer run on top of that

 

[under]

500g to mash? WTF. That should be either to boil, or into fermenter before pitching yeast.

If you bulk primed with 500g dex for 21L your stuffed. It should be ~140-160g.

With bulk priming its better to have a secondary vessel. You add your boiled priming solution into the sanitised secondary vessel, then rack your fermented beer ontop of the priming solution. It stirs it up as its racked (leaving yeast and trub behind). You then bottle as normal.

 

[banora brewer]

500g to mash? WTF. That should be either to boil, or into fermenter before pitching yeast.

If you bulk primed with 500g dex for 21L your stuffed. It should be ~140-160g.

With bulk priming its better to have a secondary vessel. You add your boiled priming solution into the sanitised secondary vessel, then rack your fermented beer ontop of the priming solution. It stirs it up as its racked (leaving yeast and trub behind). You then bottle as normal.

Thats why i said i cant remember, but im pretty sure it was before i added the yeast,, and i did add the solution then racked my beer, it must not have mixed properly, thats all i can think

 

[Bribie G]

If you are going to stick to PETs from now on, try priming your next batch with a supermarket sugar lump in each bottle. Gives about perfect carbonation for most kit beers, less clean up and perfectly consistent results.

 

[banora brewer]

If you are going to stick to PETs from now on, try priming your next batch with a supermarket sugar lump in each bottle. Gives about perfect carbonation for most kit beers, less clean up and perfectly consistent results.

Is that the sugar cubes? will that be ok for all grain or it dosent matter