Elshupacabra

Recipes 

I was bottling my first batch last week and I racked into my bottling bucket which contained a mixture of 3/4c corn sugar and 2 cups water.

Well, I was so concerned about exposing the beer to the air and excited about bottling that when the auto-siphon let out with about a gallon to go, I didn't even consider the mis-measurement in the sugar levels until after the fact.

So, basically I primed with 3/4c sugar to 4 gallons of beer. I put them into Newcastle bottles and capped with a lever action capper.

They've been bottle conditioning about a week now and nothing has exploded yet, but I put one in the fridge for a couple hours yesterday and it was already carbonated, it scared me that they're already carbed after only one week.

Is this going to be enough to make them explode or will it just be super fizzy beer?

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Primary: NB's Cream Ale

Bottled: NB's Chocolate Milk Stout

Kegged:

Future brews:

BendBrewer

Recipes 

It will be a little over carbed but you might not even notice. Being your first batch, you won't.

snazo

Recipes 

i did the same thing my first batch, seemed like the longer i kept them in the fridge the less "over carb" they were. i put 2 in the fridge for 24 hours=over carb. put 2 in for 5 days=perfect.

BendBrewer

Recipes 

Yeah, not only do you need to produce the Co2 while bottle conditioning, you also have to allow for the Co2 to be absorbed into solution. That finishes doing that at cooler temps and some time.

weirdboy

Recipes 

What happens is that the CO2 will absorb into the beer at different levels of carbonation depending upon the temperature. The beer can "hold" more CO2 at lower temperatures than it can at higher temperatures. When you go from room temps to a fridge this causes a massive imbalance inside the bottle initially. So after one day it is still unbalanced where you've got more pressure in the headspace of the bottle than is absorbed into the beer, so when you crack it open and pour it fizzes a lot but then after a short while seems more flat than it did initially. After a longer period, the system balances out and the carbonation is more stable.

WhiskeySix

Recipes 

Just because there is a nice pop when you open the bottle doesn't mean the beer is carbonated.

The CO2 first fills the head space at the top of the bottle. Then as more and more builds it is forced to go in to the beer in solution. After a week you may have a nice "pop" when you open the bottle but still have flat beer.

Give it time and you will be fine.

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Semper Fi
Mark

Elshupacabra

Recipes 

Just to clarify, there was some CO2 dissolved into solution. I could see a few tiny bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass and I could feel the carbonation in my mouth.

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To be honest, when I first realized my mistake I thought to myself that it wasn't enough sugar to make a dangerous difference. But, last night I was talking to my brother and he was talking all about my bottles exploding and all these horrible things happening and it kind of got me thinking. Thanks for all the rapid responses, everybody!

__________________
Primary: NB's Cream Ale

Bottled: NB's Chocolate Milk Stout

Kegged:

Future brews:

weirdboy

Recipes 

Right, and there will be. Just not the same amount as if you leave it for a week. You can also notice a difference between one week and two weeks.

mixedbrewer

Recipes 

They should be fine. A lot of my beers are carbonated after only one week.

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I am yet to taste the worst beer ever.

Rev2010

Recipes 

Don't worry about it. 20% more carbonation isn't enough to create bottle bombs, it will just be a little more carbonated, that's all. You're fine.


Rev.