What to do with over primed bottles of Beer for a Beer show

[silverfox]

Hi all
I have some bottles of Lager that seems to be over primed.
Even when they have been in the fridge for a few hours they fob over when opened & when I pour them into a glass more than half of the glass is head.
They were going to be entered into a local Beer competition but I need to do something to lower the carbination level.
Any ideas

Thanks Silverfox

[oliver90owner]

Drink them?

The only options seems to be to put them in 'as is' or empty them out and reprime. You might also check your fridge is switched on and is working properly.

[Cellar_Rat]

Could you get them just above freezing point - to retain most of the dissolved gas. Open to release the free gas and then reseal?

Crown caps can be reused. They reseal perfectly, I recycle all of mine.

This opener removes them without marking/bending or distorting them.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stainless-Steel-Bottle-Opener-Zap-Cap-Bar-Bottle-Opener-Club-Party-Home-/281100845460?pt=UK_Babay_Baby_Feeding_Cups_Dishes_Cutlery_LE&hash=item4172ea8194

[lockwood1956]

hmmmmm

not 100% sure but once the CO2 is in there, the only way it will come out is if you pour into a jug, allow to settle and then re-bottle, not sure how sucessful that will be though


someone with more beer knowledge will be along shortly no doubt

regards
bob

[rjb222]

There is only one way that is to release the pressure. The trick will be to release enough and not too much. My question would be with priming how did you get so much co2? I had only one beer foam like you describe and it was because I did not use the proper salts in the water when brewed. Pilsners are just about the only beer that should be made with soft water and these are served a few degrees cooler than lagers. (though pilsner is the first true lager) It is important when brewing to set up our strike liquor and mashing liquor to the right hardness using chalk and the recommended salts to not only get the right scarification but the head stable beer that we all enjoy. IE a properly set up IPA will have very little head because of the burton salts used in the scarification process with out the burton salts following a true recipe renders a beer that is very hard to pour all foam. I would venture that it is more likely that the beer is not set up properly not over carbonated. Just a guess though.

[mcblades]

Excuse my ignorance but what is the scarification process?

Being in Lincolnshire I am guessing, like me in kent, the water is pretty hard. I tend to boil and cool my water, adding in epsom salts and gypsum. I mainly brew IPA style beers though. Not a lager brewer.

[rjb222]

The scarification process is where the starches in the grains get converted to sugars. There is a chemical process that takes place where the proper temperature and the right acids and minerals form wert. If the temperature is not controlled properly and attention paid to the chemical hardness of the water you can get a wert that will just keep fermenting until all the sugar is gone. When poured these are strictly foam very loose not even a good thick head. There needs to be a proper balance of fermentable and un- fermentable sugars to give any beer proper moth feel and flavor profile.

[Cellar_Rat]

OK are you saying that the hardness of the water affects the Beta & Alpha Amylase generation either side of 66c during the mash?

I am in Lincolnshire I have hard water, which seems to make a cracking IPA untreated. On the basis that I couldn't establish the water was broken I didn't attempt to fix it. the only thing I have done is add a carbon filter.

[fatbloke]

I'm also curious about this? Burton is, as I understand, medium water not hard water. Plus I only follow a little about water chemistry and that the so called "hard water" in the UK is calcium hardness and not "general hardness". With large parts of the UK getting water through chalk or limestone substrates, its usually the calcium thats a problem. Not knowing much about the issue in relation to beer I have both delivered and seen delivered, salt, by the tonne, into the local brewery. While they don't seem to be quite in among the ranks of the north midlands brewers, all of the local ones within 50 miles of here make well respected brews......

Plus it was one of Brother Adams tenets that with his meads (where my knowledge comes in) that fermentation should be with soft or recycled rain water for the smoothest results.

[silverfox]

Hi all,
Thanks for all the replies so far.
Just to clarify my over primming problem.
It is a Coopers EU lager I brewed & have tried before.
I primed some of the bottles with 1 heaped tea spoonfull of Cane sugar.
I only did this as a trial as I was not happy with the conditioning of my previous Lager where I used a level spoonfull of sugar.
Anyway I have drunk most of the non Trial bottles & have been left with the bottles that are over primed.
I intend entering some of theses at the Yorkshire Federeration Show in Scarborough this month.
I have heard of other people checking there bottles to make sure they are not over primed by opening them & then re-capping.
I just need some advice on the best way to do it.
e.g. how long for etc.

Thanks Silverfox

[rjb222]

Both Fat Bloke and Cellar Rat are touching on the principal. When we make a IPA here our water hard or soft needs Burton salts added to make the proper calcium content. Plus in most areas where I come from we also add ambolise. (I need to check my spelling here) This aids in getting the right sugar conversion. The waters used in specific beers adds to the style of the beer. Ales are common where the waters are naturally harder. Pilsners where waters are naturally soft.

[rjb222]

Silverfox. I have never done what you suggest. I personally never use any cane sugar when brewing beer unless it is brown or Demerara used as a adjunct flavoring for certain brown ales. I find it leaves a cidery quality to my brew. Being this is a canned concentrate beer the water will make very little difference to the foaming that is going on. I would venture that you are serving a warm beer when this happens warm for a lager would be about 40 F. I would use one and pop the top and time it to get what you are looking for them use that as a guide line for the rest. Temperature is how CO2 hangs on to liquid so if you do this a bit on the warm side it will probably work better and quicker. I will admit though I have no experience with taking CO2 out of a beer.

[Cellar_Rat]

Ales are common where the waters are naturally harder. Pilsners where waters are naturally soft.

I see your point now. You are in fact hardening your liquor.

[rjb222]

I see your point now. You are in fact hardening your liquor.

Correct.