Help! Over primed bottles.

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bob3000

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I have just bottled a bitter and while in a hurry calculated the wrong amount of priming sugar. I added 7.5oz to a 5 gallon batch! This puts me right at the upper end of carbonation my bottles will be able to handel and I'm worried about bottle bombs not to mention a way over carbonated bitter.

I have had a look at some of the solutions suggested on the forums and I don't fancy pouring it all back into the fermentor.

So I was thinking of cracking the bottles after a few days and releasing the pressure and then recapping or letting them sit for a day or so and then recapping.

Will this work? Will one presure release be enough? and how long can I wait before releasing pressure before I get Bottle bombs?
 
Will this work?
Yes.
Will one presure release be enough?
If it is timed right, and you knew how much sugar was left... but that's not easy to determine.
and how long can I wait before releasing pressure before I get Bottle bombs?
there is too many variables to determine the timeframe. The type of yeast, how much is still in suspension, and the temperature which it is stored all affect how quickly it will carbonate.

I would try something simpler... just let them go for a week, then test one of them. If it has a good level of carbonation, then I would put them in the fridge to stop the fermentation.
 
I would try something simpler... just let them go for a week, then test one of them. If it has a good level of carbonation, then I would put them in the fridge to stop the fermentation.

This is exactly what I did with my saison after I had 2 bottle bombs. Put the rest of the in my keezer for about a week and had no more problems. They now have quite a bit of head with a pour but it is getting just about perfect 3 weeks out.
 
If it has a good level of carbonation, then I would put them in the fridge to stop the fermentation.

Unfortunately, i don't have enough room in my fridge.

i guess I'll just have to check one every day or so to make sure they are not going to fizzy.

What about letting the bottles sit with the cap cracked for a day or two? How would that work?
 
http://sdcollins.home.mindspring.com/ForceCarbonation.html

how bottle-carbonating works is kind of a two step process...

1- you add priming sugar and a small amount of yeast to the bottle before sealing. you leave the bottles at a temerature the yeast is active (~70F). the yeast eats this sugar and produces CO2, which builds up pressure (say, maybe 20 to 40 PSI). the temperature the yeast is active is too high for most of the CO2 to dissolve into the beer, so it collects in the headspace in the bottle and increases pressure.

2- you cool the bottle. this allows the CO2 dissolve into the beer, at a rate according to the chart in that link. after this happens, the pressure in the bottle is several times lower (maybe 5-10psi).

so, the cooler you keep the beer, the less pressure will build up and less chance of grenades. however, you need it to be just warm enough for the yeast to be active, or else you wont have any CO2. i might put them in a cool place (50-55*F) and let it sit. if they start exploding, chill em even more.
 
If you can't get them all chilled, have a few friends over and tell them they're drinking bitters until they're gone. Maybe send them each home with a sixer and make sure they know to keep it in the fridge.
 
put em in plastic bags and on a tray. then if u have the odd explosion its no big thing.
 
Just vent the caps. Don't completely remove them. Starting with room temperature bottles, get a handheld bottle opener, set it on the edge of the cap (the standard position for the tool if you were about to pop the cap off normally) but gently angle it just enough to start a hissing sound from the bottle. Foam will begin to rise inside the neck of the bottle. Stop venting when the foam reaches the cap. The bottle will still hold pressure just fine with the original cap. Once the foam in the neck subsides, you can re-vent again and again until foam stops gushing up from the beer inside the bottle. Once the bottle hisses without gushing, you're there.

I saved an overcarbed batch of RIS this way 2 years ago. Worked like a charm. I still have a few bottles hanging around, actually. Still holding a perfect carb level, no oxidation, no infections. I highly recommend this technique -- don't pry the lids off, pour them out, etc. It's too easy a problem to fix! :mug:
 
Just vent the caps. Don't completely remove them. Starting with room temperature bottles, get a handheld bottle opener, set it on the edge of the cap (the standard position for the tool if you were about to pop the cap off normally) but gently angle it just enough to start a hissing sound from the bottle. Foam will begin to rise inside the neck of the bottle. Stop venting when the foam reaches the cap. The bottle will still hold pressure just fine with the original cap. Once the foam in the neck subsides, you can re-vent again and again until foam stops gushing up from the beer inside the bottle. Once the bottle hisses without gushing, you're there.

I saved an overcarbed batch of RIS this way 2 years ago. Worked like a charm. I still have a few bottles hanging around, actually. Still holding a perfect carb level, no oxidation, no infections. I highly recommend this technique -- don't pry the lids off, pour them out, etc. It's too easy a problem to fix! :mug:

I did something very similar. Set all my bottles on a table, cracked each one a little, got some foam coming out of some bottles. Sealed the caps with a capper. It worked fine. Still a bit overcarbed for a bitter but it was ok.
 
Hi guys, i overcarbed my beer so i am going to try venting the caps like you said. it fermented out just fine; FG was spot on so that isnt the issue.
My question is, how long did u allow the beer to sit before venting them? My understanding is that carbonation takes a while to take place. I primed and bottled mine 2 days ago and it is insanely carbonated already. Im afraid of bottle bombs so i threw a towel over the box theyre in in case one goes. Should i do this sooner than later?
 
Hi guys, i overcarbed my beer so i am going to try venting the caps like you said. it fermented out just fine; FG was spot on so that isnt the issue.
My question is, how long did u allow the beer to sit before venting them? My understanding is that carbonation takes a while to take place. I primed and bottled mine 2 days ago and it is insanely carbonated already. Im afraid of bottle bombs so i threw a towel over the box theyre in in case one goes. Should i do this sooner than later?


If they're gushing now you need to get them in a fridge. Did you open one warm? If so, stick one in the fridge for an entire day (24 hours) then open it. In the meantime put all in a covered bin and tuck them far away from foot traffic so no one is hurt if they do explode.

I'd also return to this thread where you were previously provided the best answer you could get.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/too-much-priming-sugar-soon-bottle-bombs-what-do-454524/
 
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