JeepDiver said:Most of the time, make that all of the time, yes there is risk. Growlers are meant to hold carbonated beer, not the pressure of actively carbonating beer. You may not have problems but you are using the container for something it wasn't designed for so there is a risk
Also, how do you get significantly more pressure DURING carbonation vs AFTER carbonation?
This is direct from northern brewer website:
Standard issue 64 oz liquid libation transport vessel for the Civilian Brewing Division. This growler features a blank white space for adding in details on the beer inside and date bottled; using a dry-erase marker allows you to change it at any time. Takes a #6 stopper or a 38 mm screw cap. Pressure capable to 2.4 volumes of co2, not recommended for highly carbonated beers. Avoid bottle carbonating or priming with these growlers, as an unintentionally high level of carbonation could cause the glass to break.
Civilian Brewing Division Growler : Northern Brewer
I would hate to see you have a mess.
This is because during carbing, the pressure can go above 30 or 40 PSI. I have a thread in the cider forum where I did several tests bottle carbing sweet hard cider. There is allot of data there if your interested.
I have a bottle with a pressure gauge on it. I recorded pressures during the carbing process. This is how the data was generated. I also recorded pressures while pasteurizing the cider.
I recently bottled some lager I made. I also filled my gauge bottle and my lower pressure gauge bottle pegged at 35 PSI as that was the limit of the gauge. It probably ended up in the 40's, but no way to tell for sure.
When we bottle condition beer, we are really simulating force carbing like the keg folks do. We cause a ferment by adding sugar. This creates a high pressure in the bottle. CO2 doesn't like to dissolve in a warm liquid. We then put some bottles in the fridge. The temperature of the liquid drops and the CO2 then begins to dissolve in the liquid.
It seems to take several days at fridge temperatures for the CO2 to fully saturate the liquid for a maximum saturation for that liquid temperature.
While the CO2 is moving into the liquid, the pressure slowly drops. I've monitored this process as well with the pressure gauge.
Pressures go way higher than folks think while bottle conditioning. In the following data, I carbed sweet hard cider and stopped the carbing and then pasteurized the cider when the bottle was at 22 PSI. My Lager went above 35 PSI. The data doesn't show the extremes the pressure rises with beer as I stopped the cider at 22 PSI, but it would have continued if i hadn't stopped it.
The gauge bottle has a nice side effect, it tells you when your bottles are conditioned as the pressure rise stops. I then throw them in the Fridge to cold condition for several days before I open. The gauge also tells you when they are carbed as the pressure drop stops. Pretty basic really.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/bottle-carbing-idea-final-data-review-205862/
No, when you bottle condition, the slight fermentation we cause by adding priming sugar just builds pressure up in the bottle. The pressures seem to go up into the 30's and 40's PSI from what I've seen.
The CO2 doesn't really move into the liquid until the temperature drops. Some CO2 may, but not the majority of it. CO2 doesn't dissolve into solution until a lower temperature.
This is really what we do when we force carb in a keg. We raise the pressure up when the beer is cold. The CO2 moves into the solution. The tap pressure is lowered for proper delivery and the beer either sets for cold aging, or it is consumed at that time.
What you would see with the pressure gauge (if you use one bigger than my first bottle had. Should use a 100 PSI Gauge) is that the pressure climbs over time and will level off.
Once the pressure levels off, that means all of the priming sugar has been used up by the yeast. Next, you put them into the fridge. You will see the pressure drop over several days. Eventually, it also will level off. I like to let them sit for a few more days after that, but really if the pressure stops dropping, all of the CO2 that can be dissolved at that temperature has been achieved.
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Don't do it. I used to and had a couple explode.
People are always debating this on here, all I can say is one of my good friends who has been bottling in growlers for YEARS! and never had any blow.
Why would a growler be any less cable of carbonating a beer than a Sam Adams bottle? Just asking.
Easier when it's differing.How difficult is this concept for people to grasp?
Why would a growler be any less cable of carbonating a beer than a Sam Adams bottle? If one shakes up a carbonated beer, the pressures is going to be just as high in the bottle as carbonating. Just asking.
Why would a mason jar, or pickle jar be any less capable? Because all glass isn't made the same.
Revvy's #7 post sums it all up pretty well!
That being said and to those that keep insisting they do it with no issue, to each their own, if you elect to use growlers then go ahead and do so at your own risk but DON'T sit here on this site telling people it's a fine practice because it is NOT and people can get injured due to your ignorance. If you choose to injure yourself, fine but don't put other people in harms way. For every 1 ding dong that says they do it with no problem there are more posts questioning why their growler exploded!
The fix is ghetto growlers,,,,, AKA carbonated water bottles of your size and choice.. Dump out the water, sterilize and fill up.
now Git R Dun
I walk across the street all the time without getting hit by a car....mayb todays the day?
Man, are you serious!! I dont give a damn if the OP does bottles, cans, growlers, or gatorare bottles, all I said was i have a friend who has only used growlers. To be more specific for the past 12 years!!!! Hundreds of batches and never had one pop. maybe today is the day thats someones bottle will break too but thats not a good reason to stop using them is it?
Man, are you serious!! I dont give a damn if the OP does bottles, cans, growlers, or gatorare bottles, all I said was i have a friend who has only used growlers. To be more specific for the past 12 years!!!! Hundreds of batches and never had one pop. maybe today is the day thats someones bottle will break too but thats not a good reason to stop using them is it?
Heisenberg23 said:Hi everyone, I am new to this site and relatively new brewer. I was wondering if anybody has the answer to this. when I fill my growler from my kegerator it seem to not hold up the carbonation (flat) if is left there for more then a couple hour. I don know what is the problem. I am force cabonating for 48 hours at 40psi for 24hours and then at 20psi for 24 hours then drop it to 5 to 10 to despe it. Thanks
cheers
Heisenberg23 said:Thank you for the info. I will check for possible leeks.
Cheese
Thanks
Yum. Leeks. ;-)
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