Kreusen in bottle

I have what looks like kreusen in every bottle of my entire batch of IPA bottled yesterday. I hope it doesn't mean the bottles are potential bombs - the FG was constant at 1020 for 2 weeks (quite high I know - OG was 1060), and I prímed with sugar - so kreusen shouldn't really be forming unless it is because the beer sugars have started fermenting again in the bottles? The bottles are stored at 66 degrees - where as the fermenting bucket was 63 degrees - could this lead to more fermenting?

cdmackintosh said:

I have what looks like kreusen in every bottle of my entire batch of IPA bottled yesterday. I hope it doesn't mean the bottles are potential bombs - the FG was constant at 1020 for 2 weeks (quite high I know - OG was 1060), and I prímed with sugar - so kreusen shouldn't really be forming unless it is because the beer sugars have started fermenting again in the bottles? The bottles are stored at 66 degrees - where as the fermenting bucket was 63 degrees - could this lead to more fermenting?

Click to expand...

Are you confusing krausen with the sediment on the bottom? If it is actually foaming on the top then yes, it's possible they might explode from additional fermentation

Carbonation is a mini fermentation, and as such SOMETIMES, we actually have the opportunity to see one happen. Usually the only ones that see them are those who prime with dme. THey will fall just like in their bigger fermenter counterparts, and become the layer of sediment in the bottom.

They are rare, I've only managed to see one bottle krausen in all my years of brewing.

Yes it's on the surface. It doesn't cover the entire surface - only a white foam around the edge. I might check one after a week, to see if it is over carbed - then i might easy the cap off em all and re cap them after 2 weeks. Does that sound plausible?

cdmackintosh said:

Yes it's on the surface. It doesn't cover the entire surface - only a white foam around the edge. I might check one after a week, to see if it is over carbed - then i might easy the cap off em all and re cap them after 2 weeks. Does that sound plausible?

Click to expand...

You won't be able to tell if they're over carbed, until they're ACTUALLY carbed.

If you watch Poindexter's video on time lapsed carbonation, you will see that in many instances, before a beer is carbed it my gush, that's not from infection, or mixing of sugars, but because the co2 hasn't evened out- it hasn't been pulled fully into the beer. Think of it as there's a lot of co2 being generated and most of it is in the headspace, not in the beer, so there's still "over pressure" in the bottle, so it gushes when it is opened.

But when the beer is truly carbed it all evens out, across the bottles.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlBlnTfZ2iw]time lapse carbonation - YouTube[/ame]

So opening a bottle early and having it gush, WON'T tell you if it's over carbed not.

Just wait the recommended three weeks at 70 we talk about and THEN check on your bottles.

It's a funny thing, eople who wait three weeks minimum, don't seem to start threads about problems with bottling....over carbed/undercarbed/tasting funny....

There ARE reasons we tell folks to wait afterall.

Like I said, bottle krausens are NOT unusual they're just rare to see, because most brewers just stick their beer in the closet and forgetabout it, they don't hover over them checking for something they can't see any way, and panicking over something they can....