Do I have a 5 gallon bomb in my kitchen?

I put my Chimay Red clone in a 5 gallon sankey keg today with 1 1/4 cup of wheat DME boiled into 2 cups of water. That is what the recipe called for BOTTLING...am I in trouble? Please help!

You're just naturally carbing your keg. You probably should have used half the amount of priming solution called for in bottling. I would think a sanke can hold the extra pressure. Your beer will be quite...effervescent. DO you have a relief valve?

I'm no authority on priming a keg, so hopefully someone with some smarts will weigh in here.

Probably over-carbonated when it's all said and done. Well, depending on what CO2 volumes level that much priming solution will give you (depends on the temperature of the beer and such). BTW, it's also far better to use weight whenever you're measuring for priming solutions (for the sugar source). Volume measures are notoriously inaccurate in comparison.

If you're setup for it, you could vent the keg periodically, while it's carbonating. With a ball lock keg, that would be easy/safe. With the sanke, you'll probably need to attach a coupler to it, and use the gas side to vent. Although it might not allow you to do that as they're built (to prevent gas from going out of the keg when not connected to a CO2 tank).

I ferment in sanke kegs, but serve from ball lock kegs. You might want to consider going that route.

I think I will be able to vent if I use one of my couplers with both hoses not connected to anything. I will post back with my results good or bad, hope to have less carbonation than more. Thanks for the input, most appreciated.

You could wait for the normal 3 weeks time span and then sample a pint. At that point, you can release some pressure and let it equalize.

Are you planning on serving via CO2 push? If you are, then why not just carbonate with gas from the start?

Valid question, there are a couple reasons. I am only on my fourth brew and am unsure of my brewing prowess at this point. That said, I following a "clone beers" recipe and did not want to deviate from said recipe. My thinking was/is that the wheat DME primer the recipe called for would impart some flavor to the beer. If it is over carbonated I will certainly live to drink another day, on the other hand if it is carbonated just so then I will assume Gambrinus is smiling upon me.

"if i wanted a glass of foam, i'd have ordered a glass of foam". it'll be fizzy, to say the least. vent the keg a few times. not explosive by any means. the keg is good for many times the pressure

I estimate that will end up with about 3.3 volumes carbonation. The keg will definitely hold it, but it will be very carbonated to say the least.

When you attach your coupler, make sure you have the beer out capped or a beer line attached with an end on it! If you connect the coupler with nothing on the beer out you will have a shower of beer... or more like a jet stream at that carbonation. Most couplers have pressure relief valves - just a little metal ring you pull on. If yours has that, pull the ring to depressurize it.

I hope to have this small problem solved, vent every 4 days for a total of twelve. Pull off a sample and if it is close to what I want throw it in my fridge for a week, tap, pull sediment off the bottom, take it off tap, let it come back to room temp for a month and give it a whirl. Sounds exhausting I know, but there is method to my madness. Thoughts?

yeast cells cant pump out more CO2 when their atmosphere is above a certain pressure level. im not sure exactly what that level is, but its way below the pressure rating of a sankey keg (~130psi). its probably around 30-60psi if i had to guess.

so even if there were sugar left, if they cant push more gas out, they cant eat more sugar. the only problem with 'bombs' has to do with glass containers that arent rated for 100+ psi.

ODaniel said:

I estimate that will end up with about 3.3 volumes carbonation. The keg will definitely hold it, but it will be very carbonated to say the least.

Click to expand...

Isn't 3.3 volumes about right for Chimay? It is a highly carbonated belgian.

ODaniel said:

...
When you attach your coupler, make sure you have the beer out capped or a beer line attached with an end on it! If you connect the coupler with nothing on the beer out you will have a shower of beer... or more like a jet stream at that carbonation. Most couplers have pressure relief valves - just a little metal ring you pull on. If yours has that, pull the ring to depressurize it.

Click to expand...

I was debating if I should mention that

You are not really a brewer until you have moped the ceiling

Haha, I earned my ceiling mopping stripes on my second brew clearing my auto siphon. Also I am only releasing the pressure once and leaving it for a month.

Turned out just fine. I will do the same next time I brew a Belgium and let it sit for 3 months instead of 1.