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pkphy39 · 12-06-2009, 05:29 PM

Just finished bottling /half/ of my Irish Red. Siphon busted AGAIN so I had to start by mouth, but that's another problem all together.

This was my first (extract) batch where I used a yeast starter, and my FG was pretty high - 1.019. It had been in primary (in stable, high-60s temp) for nearly 25 days, and the expected %ABV is off by 1.5%.

Did I just make a bunch of bottle bombs?

Thanks. Just need a new siphon and some reassurance.

Thanks, all.

Mad_Milo · 12-06-2009, 06:35 PM

Next time start the siphon by filling with water and holding your thumb over one end and keeping the racking cane end higher.

What was your starting gravity? The FG seems high for a red.

**Scotty_g** · 12-06-2009, 07:53 PM

If your gravity was stable, you're probably ok. I've bottled a number of beers around 1.019, although mostly big belgians. That *does* seem high for a red.

To be safe, I'd let them condition someplace easy to clean, although that's a good rule of thumb anyway.

pkphy39 · 12-07-2009, 12:05 AM

I don't have the sheet here with me but I'm almost certain the starting gravity was only 1.040.

Also, there was probably a ~20* temp differential between taking the OG and FG readings.

Currently they're in the garage, where it's nice and cool. The bottles are in a crate, so I'll probably double-bag the crate and put a tarp or something around it just in case, before I move them inside where it's warmer.

Thanks for your opinions.

(as for the siphon: I did start with it full of sanitizer and stopped with my thumb, but it stalled out. I got a new siphon but didn't have 1/2 ID tubing to connect to it, so thought I'd rough it with the old, broken siphon. Last time I try that!)

chefmike · 12-07-2009, 12:22 AM

If they do start popping, a friend reccomend chilling them cold, popping the caps, then re-capping. I have not tried it... maybe you can verify.

I hope you do not have the opprotunity!

McKBrew · 12-07-2009, 12:28 AM

More often than not most of my extract batches all finished around 1.018-1.020. Never had issues with bombs. I'm wagering you will be fine.

pkphy39 · 12-07-2009, 01:16 AM

Thanks, McK. I'll definitely keep the thread up to date.

**BargainFittings** · 12-07-2009, 10:50 AM

You can pop open a beer every week to check its progress. Its a hard job but someone has to sample those test bottles!

If you want to start a siphon by sucking on the tube just use a another piece of sanitized racking cane material in the end to suck on and then remove it when the tube fills with beer.

Remove the raking cane tube and fill your vessel. Simple if you don't shove it too far into the hose.

malkore · 12-07-2009, 09:28 PM

i had a stout stable at 1.026 once that started at 1.048. stable for 2-3 weeks as I recall.

bottled it and had 2 cases of exploding bottles after 5 weeks.

Just check a bottle weekly. If they start foaming a LOT, chill em and start opening them all.

seems awefully high FG for a red ale that started around 1.040...but I hope its ok.

pkphy39 · 02-24-2010, 10:40 PM

As a follow-up:

The beer is definitely over-carbed, but I attribute that more to the fact that I only bottled about half the batch, but used all of the priming sugar. So basically double the priming sugar per bottle.

The beer is OK (I've worked out a bunch of water-related problems since then), but don't open one up if it's not refrigerated! Foam city.