Yeast Resuspension And Beer Overflow

[Halfbeak]

I've had a common problem lately with a number of my batches of beer. Before I open the bottle (750 ml glass), everything looks good and the beer is nice and clear. I'll pour a glass and everything is good. However, in the remaining beer in the bottle, all the yeast comes up off the bottom and resuspends and the beer foams up and starts overflowing out of the bottle. It's not a gusher and the beer tastes good and everything (e.g. no infection). I've had this happen in several batches now and it's not consistant; a bottle from a batch may not do this and then the next one will. Has anyone had this happen or know what's going on?

 

[Nick JD]

I've had a common problem lately with a number of my batches of beer. Before I open the bottle (750 ml glass), everything looks good and the beer is nice and clear. I'll pour a glass and everything is good. However, in the remaining beer in the bottle, all the yeast comes up off the bottom and resuspends and the beer foams up and starts overflowing out of the bottle. It's not a gusher and the beer tastes good and everything (e.g. no infection). I've had this happen in several batches now and it's not consistant; a bottle from a batch may not do this and then the next one will. Has anyone had this happen or know what's going on?

What temperature are you cooling your bottles to? What yeast? What size bottle?

 

[MattC]

How do you carbonate your bottles?

 

[Halfbeak]

I've had it happen with beers made with Ringwood and S-04. Bottles are generally cooled in the fridge so I assume about 4-6 degress, though I'm sure i've had some in the 10-12 degree range as well. I carbonate by bulk priming and bottle conditioning. Dextrose amount for priming is from Beersmith. I generally use the middle of the range, so if it's 1.8-2.4 vols, I'll go with 2.

 

[haysie]

I've had it happen with beers made with Ringwood and S-04. Bottles are generally cooled in the fridge so I assume about 4-6 degress, though I'm sure i've had some in the 10-12 degree range as well. I carbonate by bulk priming and bottle conditioning. Dextrose amount for priming is from Beersmith. I generally use the middle of the range, so if it's 1.8-2.4 vols, I'll go with 2.

I always had similar happen with slurries, pour off the top then gush. Maybe too much yeast?

 

[manticle]

Try decanting the beer fully into a jug - pour off all clear beer slowly in one go, stop as soon as you see sediment.

 

[Nick JD]

I've had it happen with beers made with Ringwood and S-04. Bottles are generally cooled in the fridge so I assume about 4-6 degress, though I'm sure i've had some in the 10-12 degree range as well. I carbonate by bulk priming and bottle conditioning. Dextrose amount for priming is from Beersmith. I generally use the middle of the range, so if it's 1.8-2.4 vols, I'll go with 2.

Ah yes - S04 does this for me sometimes. I think I've read that one of its features is a compact sediment - what a load of bollocks, it's the fluffiest yeast ... in the world.

There is another culprit though - occasionally you can get tiny microscopic bits of crud (even in the cleanliestest scrubbing regimes) on the inside of your bottles. When the carbon dioxide starts to become a gas again in the liquid, like raindrops it needs a nucleation point to develop from. Sometimes this can be from within the sediment, or very close to it - and this can lift the sediment meaning you only get 2/3 of the bottle before it's muddy.

A way to solve this I've found is to leave your bottles in the fridge for a few days before you open them. This seems to harden the yeast at the bottom. Alaso as suggested above is to simply reduce the sediment amount in the bottles - if it's thin, it won't lift as easily. Check out gelatine additions - you don't need to be chilling, gelatine still works for ambient ales. You bottles will take longer to carb up if you have little yeast in them though.

 

[RdeVjun]

IMO 2 vols should be fine for most beers with these yeasts and it isn't over- carbonation that's causing grief (I know that wasn't the question, but we can rule that out).

+1 Nick, could be the dusty crud that builds up on the inside of bottles after several batches which acts as a CO2 nucleation point but also a comfy home for foreign bugs that infect beer. I had this occasional gusher and similar churning of sediment/ frothing problem about a year ago (mainly with 1768 ESB but also 1187 Ringwood), it disappeared completely after I started a percarbonate (i.e. nappisan) soak for bottles. Give it a try perhaps? I'd also chill for longer before opening and look into gelatine or other clearing agents.

As an aside, I was just checking something in the lit about S-04 this morning and saw that 'compact sediment' crap too- what a load of bollocks, eh?! :blink:

Hope this helps! :icon_cheers:

 

[Halfbeak]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll work on bottle scrubbing and refrigerate the beers for awhile before and see if that makes a difference. I try to do a real thorough cleaning of my bottles every couple of batches, but I might incorporate a napisan soak and see if any of this makes a difference. What an annoying problem!

 

[hazard]

Halfbeak, never had the foaming problem but I do hate 750ml bottles because the sewcond glass always comes out cloudy - no matter how slowly I pour the first glass, yeast always gets stirred up. So i use only stubbies now. The hardest part was buying and drinking a few slabs of James Squire so I had enough bottles, but I manged.

Also, after I pour each beer I rinse immediately then add some bleach and fill up with water - let soak for a while then leave on bottle tree to dry. Bottles stay clean, and no need to scrub.

 

[Nick JD]

Halfbeak, never had the foaming problem but I do hate 750ml bottles because the sewcond glass always comes out cloudy - no matter how slowly I pour the first glass, yeast always gets stirred up.

Grab yourself a 1.25 PET and decant the whole 750ml bottle (stopping just before the yeast comes over) into it. Pour your first crystal clear beer, cap and fridge it.

...pour your next crystal clear beer within a couple of hours.

If you decant 3, 750ml bottles into a 2L PET it's good for about 24 hours (full bottles take way longer to go flat). Zero sediment party flagons!

 

[katzke]

I've had a common problem lately with a number of my batches of beer. Before I open the bottle (750 ml glass), everything looks good and the beer is nice and clear. I'll pour a glass and everything is good. However, in the remaining beer in the bottle, all the yeast comes up off the bottom and resuspends and the beer foams up and starts overflowing out of the bottle. It's not a gusher and the beer tastes good and everything (e.g. no infection). I've had this happen in several batches now and it's not consistant; a bottle from a batch may not do this and then the next one will. Has anyone had this happen or know what's going on?

If it happens to one bottle and not the next, it is not the yeast or the beer. It is what you are doing, or not doing, to your bottles.

Rinse your bottles as soon as you pour. Put the bottles that foam aside for extra cleaning. I always fill my bottles with hot tap water and let them set after I rinse out the yeast. Unless you are having a party a few bottles on the counter are not a problem. If you are using a bunch of bottles at a time plan on doing a regular soak on those bottles.

It does not hurt to give all your bottles a real good clean every time. Yes it is a bit of work. Just think about the expensive brew you are putting in them.

Change your sanitizer or your method. Good to mix them up once in a while.

 

[Barley Belly]

It's all in the pour

As suggested pour it all in one go, either into a jug or a resealable PET if drinking later