Exploding Burton Porter?

detritus · Post by **detritus** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 12:01 am

Been having a problem with the Burton Porter from the LCBO.

Both of the two I've opened so far have immediately frothed away about 1/3 of the bottle upon opening.

I also get an aroma of baker's yeast right out of the bottle (but I don't taste it).

The beer seems ok, but I've not had it before so I have no basis for comparison.

Anybody else seen this behaviour from these bottles? I want to know what to expext from the rest that I bought...

the.brewer · Post by **the.brewer** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 7:28 am

The phenomenon is known as gushing in the brewing industry. (Other uses of the term probably came later - pun intended.) It can be caused by excessive carbonation in the bottle, but has also been caused by malt that has become damaged in the field by a blight (mould?) called 'fusarium'. I would have thought that the former is the most likely reason.
Michael

Publican · Post by **Publican** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 7:50 am

I had this same problem with another Burton Bridge beer. A few years ago I bought a bottle of Empire Pale Ale at Premier and when
I opened it also gushed. Both of these are bottle conditioned ales and I thought that might be why this happens but I've had bottle conditioned ales since then when this didn't happen.

esprit · Post by **esprit** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 11:02 am

I recommend that you take the bottles back to the LCBO store and they'll give you a full refund and also they'll file a report and give it to Quality Control. If others are experiencing the same problem it will brought to the agent's and brewery's attention.

esprit · Post by **esprit** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 11:02 am

I recommend that you take the bottles back to the LCBO store and they'll give you a full refund and also they'll file a report and give it to Quality Control. If others are experiencing the same problem it will brought to the agent's and brewery's attention.

Steve Beaumont · Post by **Steve Beaumont** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 11:53 am

I would suggest that you open the bottle with a large glass nearby, and if it does gush, tip it promptly into the glass. This was you'll lose little if any of a very fine traditional porter.

I have experienced gushing with a couple of bottles -- while others have opened without incident -- and the only notable effect on the beer's taste has been perhaps a slight increase in its characteristic tang.

Andicus · Post by **Andicus** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 2:10 pm

The few bottles I've had have been problem free.

DukeofYork = Richard · Fri Feb 06, 2004 2:13 pm

If you take something back to the LCBO, does this not increase the chances of that particular beer being labelled a "problem beer", thereby making it unlikely the LCBO will ever order it again?

dhurtubise · Post by **dhurtubise** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 3:59 pm

Gushing can also happen due to infections, which I might add, it would seem from previous samples, Burton Porter is not imune to. This beer is bottle conditionned (sugar added to it at bottling time). If any wild yeast/bacteria are present, they may be able to consume some of the complex sugars that Burton's brewing yeast could not. Thus not only will the sugars added purposely for carbonation be consumed, other sugars meant to remain in the beverage could also contribute to the CO2 levels, providing for an overcarbonated beer.

A few years ago, I could not buy a Trafalgar beer that didn't gush, was thin bodied (due to loss of complex sugars) and had a lactic (acidic) nose. Another brewery in Québec, Schoune, has had similar problems.

Andicus · Post by **Andicus** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 4:43 pm

You mean they add yeast, right?

dhurtubise · Post by **dhurtubise** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 11:03 pm

Two methods of bottle conditionning can be used, although one is infinitely more predictable. The beer can be bottled with a target specific gravity value (it assumes a predictable final gravity and the beer is bottled with no extra sugar added before fermentation is complete - yeast addition is optional). The other method is to wait until the beer has finished fermenting and then add sugar (and often yeast though the beer already contains it and addition is optional - depending on the strength of the beer). Anyways, the addition of carbonation (or priming sugars) is the most common and predictable practice. In commercial practices, sugar AND yeast is most often added at bottling time to ensure a clean and complete fermentation during the conditoning stage.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: dhurtubise on 2004-02-06 23:08 ]</font>

Beer Geek · Post by **Beer Geek** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 11:29 pm

Interesting topic since I've been having the same problem with “Gushing”. I've been doing what Stephen recommends....huuurrrrry and pour and it works well. I’ve only had two bottles but found the first to have a stronger yeast taste & smell to it.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Beer Geek on 2004-02-06 23:30 ]</font>

Andicus · Post by **Andicus** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 11:55 pm

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for the explanation. I was always under the impression it was just yeast.

Andrew

Gunny · Post by **Gunny** » Sat Feb 07, 2004 6:31 am

Enjoyed my Burton Bridge Porter last night without incident. In the past, I have had gushing problems with Aventinus and other wheat based bottle conditioned beers. I've found the problem can be somewhat alleviated by slowly removing the cap. I'm not sure if this allows for a less volatile equalization of pressure between the bottle and its surroundings. Conversely, beers that I have known to gush usually deliver in spades if I remove the cap quickly. However, physics was never my strong suit so this may well be bunk.

Slainte,
Jeff
P.S. I'm off to the market for root vegetables for my slow cooked "Iron Duke" stew. Wish me well.

old faithful · Post by **old faithful** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 8:20 am

All the bottles I bought of this beer (Burton Porter) gushed and had a wild yeast-type taste. I believe these bottles were spoiled due to wild yeast infection. Bottle conditoned beers can be tricky in this regard especially when exported. Some people report no problems but I wonder if the palate was what it should be. In Britain this beer has a rich, clean taste that is quite different from what I found in opening my two bottles here.