Normal for craft beer to explode out the bottle?

thecremeegg · 14 Nov 2015 at 18:52

Just opened a bottle of craft beer from our local brewery and it effectively exploded out the top of the bottle when opened. It kept foaming quite violently and now whilst poured its very cloudy and the head has gone.
Now it tastes alright, very nice in fact, however I wanted to check this was normal or a bad batch?

Jokester · 14 Nov 2015 at 18:56

Seen it a few times with different beers, I would imagine it just depend on how gassy the beer is rather than it being off.

thecremeegg · 14 Nov 2015 at 18:59

Cool ok, good to know! It tastes good but I'm not used to such things - usually cloudy = not so good!

DirtyJester · 14 Nov 2015 at 19:13

It will be fine, enjoy

Mr Badger · 14 Nov 2015 at 19:22

I had this a few years back with a bottle of Bath Ales Wild Hare. It had been sat in a cupboard for weeks and was cool and unshaken and well within date. However on removing the cap and it went off like a fire extinguisher and wasted a good 50% of the beer. What was left was murky and not pleasant so I poured it away. I contacted the brewery and they were interested in investigating as they were concerned a bad batch may have gone out and they also said they would send me some beer. Unfortunately they wanted the bottle and my partner had already recycled it without thinking why I had put it back in the cupboard. So I was well pleased about her doing that. :rolleyes:

Ahleckz · 14 Nov 2015 at 19:36

Has it got a sediment in the bottom of the bottle? Sounds like it's a 'live' beer, meaning that it's got yeast from the brewing process in. That can lead to a secondary fermentation in the bottle. Fermentation creates carbon dioxide, without anywhere to go the pressure builds up and when you opened the bottle it only had one way to go - UP!

Nothing to worry about, but if you do have a live beer then try and keep the sediment (yeast) in the bottle. Can give you awful runs!

seabiscuit · 15 Nov 2015 at 11:45

It might have been over-primed making it too carbonated. If it tasted ok then its unlikely to be an infection, but acetobacteria(is that the right one Ahleckz?) can eat sugars that most yeasts can't, and so can make the beer sour and fountain like that too.

lego · 15 Nov 2015 at 13:56

What beer was it, could simply have been a bottle conditoned beer, as Ahleckz said it's quite normal

FrenchTart · 15 Nov 2015 at 14:10

lego said:
What beer was it, could simply have been a bottle conditoned beer, as Ahleckz said it's quite normal

I wouldn't say "quite normal" as a beer should not be so over-carbonated that it goes everywhere when you open it.

lego · 15 Nov 2015 at 17:38

FrenchTart said:
I wouldn't say "quite normal" as a beer should not be so over-carbonated that it goes everywhere when you open it.

All depends what beer it is, if your talking about a traditional "real ale" which is bottle conditioned there is no carbonation, however, with a little too much yeast / heat / infection / or simply something dry hopped (though this is not as common) it will react the same as the same beer in a cask.

I've had a little experiance working in / for a micro brewery so I know the joys of keystones / shives blowing!

jimjamuk · 16 Nov 2015 at 16:24

I used to work in a brewery and this effect is "normal" and a good thing up to a point (for live beer that is). Having half the bottle escape though as beer head isn't what many people would be happy with though.

Its either over carbonated (Co2) or if a live beer too high a sugar content when bottled with the live yeast, either unfermented sugars in the processing or having primings added to the beers before bottling has given the yeast too much food to convert to alcohol / CO2. If it tastes fine then it wont be an infection.

FrenchTart · 16 Nov 2015 at 17:10

As I say, it's not something you should expect as "normal" when you buy a beer. I've not worked in a micro brewery but I've done a fair bit of home brewing so yes, although infections, over-carbing and the like can cause this it's still not a "normal" (i.e. more regular than not) occurrence.

thecremeegg · 16 Nov 2015 at 17:20

lego said:
What beer was it, could simply have been a bottle conditoned beer, as Ahleckz said it's quite normal

It was bottle conditioned and I was told to keep upright etc etc. It was from a local microbrewery so not something I'd used before. If they'd like to know then I'm happy to give them a call if it helps future batches?

DirtyJester · 16 Nov 2015 at 17:37

thecremeegg said:
It was bottle conditioned and I was told to keep upright etc etc. It was from a local microbrewery so not something I'd used before. If they'd like to know then I'm happy to give them a call if it helps future batches?

YEY! You're alive!

HazardO · 17 Nov 2015 at 13:40

FrenchTart said:
As I say, it's not something you should expect as "normal" when you buy a beer. I've not worked in a micro brewery but I've done a fair bit of home brewing so yes, although infections, over-carbing and the like can cause this it's still not a "normal" (i.e. more regular than not) occurrence.

I thought the alcohol in a beer (over ~3%) killed off any potential infection of the beer? Unless it gets infected before the alcohol content is high enough.

tom_e · 17 Nov 2015 at 13:48

HazardO said:
I thought the alcohol in a beer (over ~3%) killed off any potential infection of the beer? Unless it gets infected before the alcohol content is high enough.

I wouldn't have thought so, you'd have to get up into the spirits sort of strength before there's enough alcohol to inhibit bacterial growth or else beer would never go bad, and I can confirm it definitely does when you pull a bottle from the deep dark back of the cupboard crack it open have a mouthful and nearly spit it over the floor

FrenchTart · 17 Nov 2015 at 15:00

Infections tend to happen before the yeast has converted the sugars into alcohol. Hops and such can inhibit bacterial growth (though they won't guarantee anything) and on top of that you've got wild strains of yeast that can do funky things.