[duboman]

Finally started getting into the book 'Malt' and am finding it pretty interesting. In learning about malt and specifically 'DON', a potential disease listed as mycotoxin deoxynivalenol on page 134, the author states that beers brewed with grain that has elevated levels of DON are very susceptible to spontaneous gushing when opening a bottle. This leads to my question:

I have brewed and bottled many beers over the years with proper practices of sanitation, measuring priming sugars, etc with great success, never an infection or any over carbonation issues but one: A Northern German Altbier. Every bottle that was opened experienced spontaneous gushing that I have never been able to figure out.

I purchase my grains from the same LHBS for all beer and I know their supplies are consistent as I am friends with the owner. I am thinking that perhaps a batch of grain had elevated levels of DON that were used in this batch. I have not re-brewed this beer yet so I have no basis of comparison but never have I had this problem with any other beer I've brewed with ingredients coming from the same sources.

I was hoping perhaps someone could shed some light on this, had similar unexplained experiences or new how to get in touch with Mallett to pose the question. I am also wondering if there is a way to predetermine this factor when selecting grains. In reading COAs I have never seen this factor. Knowing also that the DON issue stems from fusarium diseases I'm curious to know how this information is provided to the malt houses or end users.

Curious to know if anyone else has ever experienced this with no known answer as to why it occurred.

[morticaixavier]

I read that as well. I have not experienced this unless it happened in a batch that I kegged and so I didn't notice. I'm not sure the information would be available. the malt houses screen samples of the grain at various points pre-delivery, and at the malt house. but that doesn't mean a batch couldn't slip past. I can't imagine anyone would know if it did though. Otherwise it would not have slipped by.

[duboman]

That was my take as well, although in other sections there is discussion regarding the large brewery purchases being informed in the malt screening process as when bottling 1000's of beers for the consuming public spontaneous gushing would be bad for business!

When I read about this issue I had one of those 'well I'll be damned " moments because it really bothered me that I could not figure out why every bottle of one particular batch of beer had this problem and am finally thinking that this might be it

[hopfenundmalz]

I haven't got that book yet, Bell's postponed the book signing I was planning to get it at. Don't know when it will be rescheduled. Might just have to buy it.

John Mallett is the Brewery Operations Manager at Bells, I don't have a way to get directly too him, but try the homebrewing tab on the contact list below, and ask "the General Store Manager" to forward. The Bell's brewery is pretty homebrew friendly, as it all started as a homebrew shop.

[duboman]

I haven't got that book yet, Bell's postponed the book signing I was planning to get it at. Don't know when it will be rescheduled. Might just have to buy it.

John Mallett is the Brewery Operations Manager at Bells, I don't have a way to get directly too him, but try the homebrewing tab on the contact list below, and ask "the General Store Manager" to forward. The Bell's brewery is pretty homebrew friendly, as it all started as a homebrew shop.

Thanks for the suggestion, hadn't thought of that!