Short version: My last two brews have been considerably over carbonated in the bottle, and I'm wondering if there's a way to relieve the pressure in some bottles? I'm thinking all I can do is crack the crown cap a tiny bit, relieve pressure very slowly and then recap with a fresh crown cap?
Longer version: With my second to last batch I was experimenting with priming rates - aiming for 3.5 volumes in a saison. Spritzy certainly, but only a bit more than the 3 volumes I did a previous batch with. After 10 days the beer was leaping out of the bottle.
Last night I opened my most recent beer - an APA. It had carbed up quicker than I expected, but now after 3.5 weeks in the bottle it's a little excitable, and I've not had that before in 30 batches of beer. Huh.
One instance can be excused as an anomaly, but two in a row is either extreme cooincidence or something is not right. I immediately got thinking and realised a bit later that my kitchen scales have been playing up recently and under-reading significantly. That would explain things - I've added more priming sugar than I thought and now I have very well primed beers.
Anything I can do?
Reducing carbonation of bottles
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Jocky
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Reducing carbonation of bottles
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.
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critch
Re: Reducing carbonation of bottles
chill the bottles down and then carefully recap, I had to do this with over 1000 bottles once.... I wasn't popular with the lad who had to do it.... 
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BenB
Re: Reducing carbonation of bottles
Presumably doing this you have to estimate how long to leave them uncapped. Even if you could get them near freezing saturation of CO2 in beer at 1 degC is only 1.67 volumes so if you left them uncapped until they lost supersaturation you'ld have fairly flat beer unless you re-primed.
One thing I did find early on in my brewing journey when opening a gusher is not to put your finger over the top to try and stop it escaping. Turns a beer fountain into a recreation of a formula 1 podium ceremony all over the kitchen ceiling.... The kitchen floor got soaked anyway- the beer just hit the ceiling first before falling onto the floor (and me).....
One thing I did find early on in my brewing journey when opening a gusher is not to put your finger over the top to try and stop it escaping. Turns a beer fountain into a recreation of a formula 1 podium ceremony all over the kitchen ceiling.... The kitchen floor got soaked anyway- the beer just hit the ceiling first before falling onto the floor (and me).....
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Jocky
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Re: Reducing carbonation of bottles
Gonna give it a go and see what happens.
I only want to get two bottles right so they can go to a competition without covering every judge in saison as I'd imagine I'd get marked down a bit for that.
Otherwise I'll have to rebrew, which will leave me with a very large stock of saison and potentially pouring some of the overcarbed batch away.
I only want to get two bottles right so they can go to a competition without covering every judge in saison as I'd imagine I'd get marked down a bit for that.
Otherwise I'll have to rebrew, which will leave me with a very large stock of saison and potentially pouring some of the overcarbed batch away.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.
Re: Reducing carbonation of bottles
Put a penny on top when you crack it open, it won't deform the top of the cap then you can easily reseal it with a capper
Re: Reducing carbonation of bottles
Hi Jocky
If you're careful with the bottle opener then you can (gently) prise the cap up to release some pressure (when I've done this, even though the bottles had been chilled right down, the beer immediately started foaming in the neck, but then before the froth gets to the cap) then you can release the pressure on the opener and the cap will reseal itself
... but have a capper to hand to really put the cap back on firmly, just in case 
... give it a few hours back in the cold and repeat the process. I found doing this around 4 times got me a beer with just the right amount of carbonation
I wouldn't like to do that on an industrial scale like critch's lad, though
Cheers, PhilB
If you're careful with the bottle opener then you can (gently) prise the cap up to release some pressure (when I've done this, even though the bottles had been chilled right down, the beer immediately started foaming in the neck, but then before the froth gets to the cap) then you can release the pressure on the opener and the cap will reseal itself
... but have a capper to hand to really put the cap back on firmly, just in case ... give it a few hours back in the cold and repeat the process. I found doing this around 4 times got me a beer with just the right amount of carbonation I wouldn't like to do that on an industrial scale like critch's lad, though
Cheers, PhilB
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Jocky
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Re: Reducing carbonation of bottles
That. Is. Genius.Hanglow wrote:Put a penny on top when you crack it open, it won't deform the top of the cap then you can easily reseal it with a capper
Now to try it!
Love this forum.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.
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floydmeddler
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Re: Reducing carbonation of bottles
Nice tip right there!Hanglow wrote:Put a penny on top when you crack it open, it won't deform the top of the cap then you can easily reseal it with a capper