IPA Volcano

[Boatboy24]

I bottled my first beer two weeks ago - an "Everyday IPA" kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. Everything went fine, but when I opened my first one up last night, I had a volcano of foam. I immediately got the rest of the batch into the fridge for fear that I still had serious fermentation going on and might end up with bottle bombs. Same thing happened when I opened another a little while ago. Is there anything I can/should do at this point? Thanks.

Jim

 

[g8keeper]

I bottled my first beer two weeks ago - an "Everyday IPA" kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. Everything went fine, but when I opened my first one up last night, I had a volcano of foam. I immediately got the rest of the batch into the fridge for fear that I still had serious fermentation going on and might end up with bottle bombs. Same thing happened when I opened another a little while ago. Is there anything I can/should do at this point? Thanks.

Jim

not really sure if there is anything you can do...it sounds to me like you added a little too much priming sugar when bottling, and now it's over carbed....keeping them in the fridge until drinking might actually be the only solution, as the cooler temps will allow the beer to keep more of the carbonation in suspension....i've seen this happen before with some home brews when i with a club a number of years ago....was really scary when one of the beers was for a beer tasting event we were holding as a club fundraiser, and every one of the bottles of this particular variety of beer shot up to the ceiling when they were opened to pour the samples....

 

[Boatboy24]

Thanks Ken. I figured it was too much sugar, but was surprised, since I followed the directions exactly. It was primed with honey - I guess some honey has more sugar than others. It's too bad, it's a nice IPA - shame to lose half of it to foam.

 

[rjb222]

Honey is a very hard sugar to work with. Each hive and each year will vary in sugar content. The best way to use honey as a primer is to bench test the batch until you have it right.Then keep that batch of honey and use the same amount until it is gone then bench test again. Honey when used right can be a very nice profile in a beer. I make a beer where I add a alfalfa honey as a sugar booster to the primary leaves a nice grassy flavor with out being sweet.I then force carbonate as the yeast is pretty tired after ferment and I do not want to risk a low or no co2.

 

[Boatboy24]

You mentioned force carb. Anyon ever ferment the beer to "dry" and simply force carb with say a Sodastream type machine?

 

[rjb222]

I have used the soda stream it works but there is a learning curve so you do not fill the over flow and machine with beer. The results vary a bit but it is a cheap way to force carbonate. I built a Carbonate The results are consistent and controllable.