Imperial Stout Bottle Bomb Concerns...

Hey all-

So for my fourth batch I brewed an Imperial Stout (extract plus specialty grains) this beer had an Original Gravity of 1.092 and spent two weeks in the primary. I wanted to bottle today and when I began the process I checked the gravity and it read high (1.038). I used Wyeast (1084) Irish Ale. This is supposed to have an AA of 71-75%.

I had already begun the transfer process to my bottling bucket and so went ahead and bottled it. I am now a bit concerned about bottle bombs... Should I dump the batch? I've read that some beers can finish high and be o.k. but I sre would hate to have explosions... Any help would be great!

Oh... and Happy holidays.

Well it's a big beer and it sounds like you're a little high for the style. My last RIP was 1.091 and ended at 1.022, so it may have had a bit to go. Per Beer smith the FG range is between 1.018 and 1.034. Sounds like they're bottled, I never toss beer unless it's foul tasting, maybe keep them in a safe place and keep your fingers crossed.

Just put the boxes of bottles in trash bags to be perfectly safe. That way if you do in fact have BBs, it will be a bit more contained.
-Me

Definitely don't dump it. Set it aside and taste one every few days after the first week or so, when they are carbonated, put them in the fridge to stop the yeast, hopefully then they won't over carbonate. You may want to store the boxes of bottles in trash bags to be on the safe side though.

In addition to the plastic bags, I condition my bottles in six pack holders, inside an old 12/24 case. My thought is the bit of cardboard from the sixer will help to keep the glass contained.

I bottled an Imperial Stout on Monday that had a high reading of 1.03 and was supposed to get down to around 1.018. So far no bottle bombs...

DetroitOS said:

I bottled an Imperial Stout on Monday that had a high reading of 1.03 and was supposed to get down to around 1.018. So far no bottle bombs...

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That's because it was just Monday. Wait a couple weeks and see how they are then.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I put the bottles in a large plastic container so as to minimize any mess if I do indeed end up with exploding bottles... We'll see what happens

Recipe and brewing steps including fermentation temps and times?

Imperial Stouts often finish considerably higher than other styles but 1.038 sounds high even for an Imperial Stout.

2 weeks is not long enough before bottling. An Imperial Stout definitely benefits from 4weeks in the primary and a month or more in the secondary. With a beer this large it may not be completely done in 2 weeks.

A high gravity beer can take much longer to carbonate in the bottle than normal beers so if you are concerned about bottle bombs then you have to keep an eye on it for 3 or 4 weeks. Definitely keep the batch in trash bags and put the whole batch in the fridge if they become over carbonated.

Craig