Has anybody had an issue with bottled stouts forming a thick film on top of the liquid preventing it from coming out of the bottle? I have had this happen and was curious if anyone else experienced it. And im talking Heinz ketchup bottle type clog. I figured it was the lactose settling on top. With the beer being over 12%abv, I just assumed it was the lactose. Definitely not a bacterial issue with that style and such high abv. Any help would be great. Cheers!
Beer equivalent of IT tech support’s “Did you try restarting your computer?” : Is the thick film the wax?
I've never heard of this happening. I know some people have complained about coagulated proteins in their stouts, so I wonder if those things float and whether you have a bottle with a large one, or multiples that joined together as a clog. How old is this stout, and has it been stored upright, cold, cellared, etc. What Stout brand is it? You use the word stout in the plural form, so has this happened to you more than once? Same stout?
Sounds totally disgusting. I'm ok with a few floaters, but thick sludge is a no go for me. I'd contact the brewery, send pictures if possible. They should refund your purchase or at least give you fresh product. I'm not a brewer or drinker of those styles of beer, so what that could possibly be eludes me. Could it be the chocolate brownies or the Nutella? Lol.
I've only had this problem with my favorite chipotle hot sauce, Oh, and bottles with broken corks, because I didn't use the puller correctly.
And of course it goes without saying, once you scrape all of that hardpan out of the way, make sure to mix it back into your beer pour (because that's how the brewer intended it)
That sounds disgusting. I don't think it sounds like something from a bacteria or yeast contamination, but I wouldn't use the high ABV as a metric to rule it out. I've seen lots of beers higher than 12% ABV with nearly 100 IBU's that have soured.
The beers were never sour and tasted normal. Once I got it out of the bottle. I've personally seen this with an Anchorage stout and a Veil stout. Both had lactose, both were new when opened, and both were stored properly before being put in the fridge. We had to shove a knife on the bottle to break the seal thats clogging the beer. So I know for sure its not a bacterial issue as there are no off flavors. Working at a brew pub and as a home brewer, im familiar with the off flavors that occur when a beer is bad. I've seen similar film on sours, but thats only because the beer was still fermenting the left over complex sugar. But never so much that it clogged the bottle. I remember when BCBS had a bad year when a bunch soured. But most of it developed over time. Normally if you drink it asap, it doesn't have time to change the taste. I can take guesses all day, but I would like to be sure what it is. I appreciate everyone's help. Keep it coming! I want to get to the bottom of this.
Never heard of this. I’m truly perplexed by the idea that you could tilt it upside down, much like the aforementioned bottles of ketchup, and have it not completely pour out. I so desperately wish you had taken a video.
