The Dreaded Gusher Infection

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by christIPA90, Apr 23, 2013.

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  1. christIPA90

    christIPA90 Initiate (0) Feb 11, 2013 Massachusetts

    I recently brewed a saison ale spiced with sweet orange peels. Yesterday after refrigerating I cracked a bottle open and when poured into a glass was surprised by a white head that filled almost the entire beer glass. As I was very careful to use the recommended amount of sugar I am assuming I contracted a gusher infection in my home-brew. Does any one have experience with this mistake in their home-brewing? A picture of my beer in its glass can be seen at breweast.com
     
  2. superspak

    superspak Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,927) May 5, 2010 North Carolina
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I switched to starsan from one step to sanitize bottles when I started getting spotty infected bottles in a batch of Foreign stout I made last summer. Haven't had an infected bottle since then. Vinator overflows with foam, but that's alright with me. Starsan is the best thing ever made for sanitation of equipment.

    Also, did you make sure that the beer was terminally done before bottling? Could also be a case if it didn't smell infected. Saison yeast can be sluggish, especially 565; but I haven't had a problem with it since I ferment so warm.
     
  3. christIPA90

    christIPA90 Initiate (0) Feb 11, 2013 Massachusetts

    Yeah I only use starsan as well. I used refrigerator tap water to top of my initial fermentation and I am wondering if the water may have been contaminated. I wasn't thinking when I did this but the refrigerator lines that the water runs through may be very dirty and contaminated consequently contaminating my beer.
     
  4. ShogoKawada

    ShogoKawada Initiate (0) May 31, 2009 Pennsylvania

    obvious infection question: how's it taste?
     
  5. Optifron

    Optifron Initiate (0) Aug 17, 2012 Minnesota

    Ive had two gusher infections batches in the past, and none since I started using star San. For the gusher batches... Just drink them soon. My understanding is that the bacteria will slowly consume the left over sugars, stripping out the flavor over time. Was my experience anyways.
     
  6. leedorham

    leedorham Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2006 Washington

    Gushers don't necessarily equal infections. Most of the time it's from overcarbonation or even just highly carbonated styles opened at room temp.

    For example, you can't really open and pour an Orval at room temp without having a beer that looks like yours there.
     
  7. nickfl

    nickfl Initiate (0) Mar 7, 2006 Florida

    You almost certainly just overcarbonated your beer. It is possible, especially with saison yeast, that it hadn't fully attenuated when you bottled and therefore excessive carbonation was produced in the bottle. Over carbonation due to wild yeast infection usually takes quite a while to develop.
     
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  8. superspak

    superspak Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,927) May 5, 2010 North Carolina
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    If it was infected from the water prior to fermenting, you'd likely know if it was infected after fermentation and conditioning because of the pellicle that would have formed. The other cause if you carbed it right, would be that the beer wasn't finished and when you racked it it got the yeast going again and it hit terminal in the bottle. I carb all of my saisions super high but they are never as carbed as your picture there. If you used 565 and didnt ferment super high it probably stalled out. 565 is known to do that.
     
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  9. theCoder

    theCoder Initiate (0) Oct 24, 2011 Minnesota

    Actually it depends on storage, sugar used and if it was correct measurements or not. I have a few batches that now after 6 months or so do just what your's did and they're anything but infected, overcarbonated yes. I actually started looking closer at my sugar calculation and my last 2 batches now 3-4 months in still perfect and one of these batches started to mold on top of it in the secondary and no infection (tastes perfectly...although not sure how it molded that equipment has been cleaned and sanitized now very thoroughly).
     
  10. theCoder

    theCoder Initiate (0) Oct 24, 2011 Minnesota

    I actually had this happen once, I've now learned to give it an extra few days in primary just to confirm even my newest winter warmer which showed action for almost 2.5 weeks (boy was that one excited and is awesome).
     
  11. superspak

    superspak Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,927) May 5, 2010 North Carolina
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Also, another thing to note: Not sure if you use the 3/4 cup rule or whatever; but I use beersmith and throw my final beer volume, Vol of CO2, and conditioning temp in there and batch prime everything by weight.
     
  12. superspak

    superspak Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,927) May 5, 2010 North Carolina
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Yea same thing happened to me with WLP400 Wit and a White IPA. I already read countless stories about the sluggishness of the strain though, so I was swirling my primary once it slowed down, and it started right back up again.
     
  13. christIPA90

    christIPA90 Initiate (0) Feb 11, 2013 Massachusetts

    I did rack this particular saison to a secondary fermentation so it was given 2 and a half weeks to ferment entirely. I am now wondering if I may have used to much sugar. My next question is do I dump this beer or is their a way to saver it? Will aging time effect carbonation I tried this beer a week early left it in bottles for three weeks.
     
  14. superspak

    superspak Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,927) May 5, 2010 North Carolina
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    If it tastes good you can still keep it, but I would be weary about bottle bombs. I bottled my Saison in January and it took well over a month to reach the 2.9 Vol level I wanted. So, it's going to keep going; likely not done yet. If you've got a spare fridge handy, I'd put the whole batch in there now.
     
  15. AlexHouston

    AlexHouston Crusader (438) May 19, 2011 Illinois
    Trader

    It's a good thing you asked that question, because my last batch was doing the same thing. I wondered if it was infection, though after tasting it, the flavor didn't seem that odd. For my most recent batch, I used Cooper's carbination tabs and cut those down to use like a fifth or so per bottle. However, when I opened up a bottle recently, it came out barely carbinated, so it looks like I played it too safe. Live and learn I suppose.
     
  16. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    What was your og and fg? Or did you forsake those measurements?
     
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