How Big A Mess Will I Have To Clean Up?

Ok, so I made a peanut butter porter - I posted the recipe on Hopville:

http://hopville.com/recipe/1656999

cliff notes:my batch was 2.5 gallons, and I used a jar of PB2 powdered peanut butter with 10 minutes left in the boil. My OG was 1.068, and my FG target was 1.019. S-33 dry yeast.

Now, here's the thing: I was bottling another batch today (smoked porter), and I was all set to bottle this batch along with it. it's been 2 days shy of 3 weeks in fermentation (basement: 63 degrees, in a 3 gallon glass carboy), and when I checked the final gravity, it was a little higher than expected: 1.026. This is my 22nd homebrew batch, and the first time I've had one come in this high at final gravity. Then again, I haven't brewed this type of beer before...

So, I had the choice of: A) being lazy, bottling it anyway, and rolling the dice or B) putting it back in the basement to ferment some more, hoping that it wasn't done yet, and having to sanitize all of my equipment and bottles again later.

I went with option A... lazy: I bottled it.

My question is: was this an asinine move? I used 7 Tablespoons of maple syrup for priming sugar for what turned out to be 2.25 gallons of bottled product (my standard priming sugar and ratio). I'm not sure if perhaps Hopville doesn't account for the PB2 properly? like maybe it adds some non-fermentables that will account for the higher FG?

do you think that my batch was bottled prematurely, and I'm going to have bottle bombs (or volcanos when I open them)? or might I be ok?

thanks,
KD

ps - I don't take gravity readings intermittently during fermentation... I take one at bottling, and it's basically a "go" or "no go" situation.. so far, I've always gone with "go," but this one has me somewhat concerned....

pps - tasting at bottling (before adding priming sugar) was pretty sweet - i mean, sweet: literally.

Per Fermentis website, the predicted FG is "High" (what does this translate into a gravity reading?). This is the second post I've seen recently concerning high FG readings using this yeast. Have you used it before?

501irishred said:

Per Fermentis website, the predicted FG is "High" (what does this translate into a gravity reading?). This is the second post I've seen recently concerning high FG readings using this yeast. Have you used it before?

Click to expand...

I have used it once before, and didn't have an issue... i did see that on their website about the "high" FG.

I guess the real question is: did I bottle prematurely? or did something funky happen with my mash/boil (mash was standard, at 154 degrees for an hour) where I ended up with more non-fermentable sugars?

I know that's not a question that anyone on here can answer, given my one final gravity reading, so I guess I"m really looking for someone to tell me "you'll be OK even if you bottled at 1.026" or "you're hosed because you bottled at 1.026 - your bottles will explode as the yeast keeps working..."

of course, even THAT is not something that we know, right? maybe my yeast gave up/died? I guess I'll find out in a few weeks...

Correct on all counts I'm afraid. All will be revealed in time, but I don't think it would prevent me from conditioning them in a container w/ lid!

Like others have said. The best way to know if you have reached final gravity is by taking two readings 48 hours apart. Otherwise you are risking bottle bombs. With three weeks in the fermenter, and the unfermentable solids the peanut butter and malt extracts, If I was going to guess, I would say you will be okay. But it really is a gamble.

Here's how to predict your fermentation completion date with three gravity readings:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-calculate-fermentation-time.html

In 2 weeks, carbonation should be done. At that point crack one open and check gravity. If SG=1.026 or higher, I guess you can relax and just check it again a week later. But if SG is lower, quick, throw a party and invite everyone who replied to your post

so - i don't want to jinx myself, but no bottles exploded yet. I popped a couple in the last few days, and they gave a loud belch of carbonation when I opened them, but they didn't even foam up, and the brew wasn't over-carbed....

most interestingly, the wicked "sweet" flavor I noticed at bottling was gone. Now, I know that flavor always changes even after only 2 weeks in the bottle, but I was surprised (pleasantly) at how this beer developed: at bottling it was like peanut butter soda, but 2 weeks later, the peanut butter faded drastically, into almost a faint, almost slightly smokey flavor.

Congrats! Guess you can now relax, breathe normally again and have a home brew!