Bottle Bombs Away!

[Scribbles]

So they are ticking and its only been a week since bottling and I'm certain they're going to blow because when I open them regardless of temperature, the fizz comes rushing up as if a drunk friend had hammered an open beer. Regardless, after I've dealt with the fizzing via dumping it into a glass the brew tastes great so I want to try and salvage them before its too late. Palmer's book says to un cap 'em and let them breath but if they're fizzing away like that it doesn't seem a viable solution. Any ideas?

On another note, bottling too early lesson learned.

 

[PinkyOFloyd]

So they are ticking and its only been a week since bottling and I'm certain they're going to blow because when I open them regardless of temperature, the fizz comes rushing up as if a drunk friend had hammered an open beer. Regardless, after I've dealt with the fizzing via dumping it into a glass the brew tastes great so I want to try and salvage them before its too late. Any ideas?

Get them in the fridge ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DavidHawman]

Second to the put them into the fridge. Put them in and leave them there for at least 24 hours before opening. As the beer cools, hopefully more of the CO2 will return to solution and you can stop the fizzing.

 

[Scribbles]

After that, should I consider transfering them back into a fermenter?

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

They have not been in the bottle long enough. There are tons of threads around here where people who pop the top too early get the same result. Let them sit right where they are for another 2 weeks, then chill one for at least 24 hours before opening to test and see if you get the same result.

 

[Ichthy]

i've had this happen in bottles that weren't completely conditioned. you crack the top and out comes the beer. I'm not sure if this is a bottle bomb problem or if the CO2 has not yet driven back into the beer. The beer is always completely flat after the gusher stops IME. I agree with the above poster. Let them sit for two more weeks.

 

[Tilldeath]

I wouldn't worry about that, just keep them cold. I think once they are cold for about a week or so you could try to open them up let em sit for awhile and then re cap, but best bet is leaving them in the fridge.

 

[BuonAnno]

My first batch ever were geysers. The basically spray foam and only 1/4 of the bottle is left right?

I put them all in the fridge for three weeks or so and after that they were all fine.

Good luck!

 

[Jumbo82]

On another note, bottling too early lesson learned.

How early did you bottle? Did you take a final gravity reading? If you bottled after a few days, your fears may be legit.

 

[nealf]

This has worked for me in the past: Fridge for a day or so... open then recap quickly to relieve some pressure. Repeat until they stop trying to gush.

 

[BellTap]

...the fizz comes rushing up as if a drunk friend had hammered an open beer.

I'd invite the friend back and offer him one.

 

[Scribbles]

The G at bottling time seemed a bit high, around 1.020 but I went ahead anyways, deciding to follow the kit instructions since I had let it sit in the fermenter the instructed amound of time. Bone head move, I figured that then, but I wanted to take a gamble and see what happens, after all, I lack experience(which is quickly being remedied).

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

Was it at 1.020 consistently for 3 days in a row?

 

[Neonsilver]

Was it at 1.020 consistently for 3 days in a row?

This method has always confused me and it seems like you would be wasting half a beer. If you test on the first and last day and get the same reading it would be just like testing three days in a row right?

 

[Krrazy]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/krakatoa-166878/

Here's a link to a post I made with a similar issue. In summary, I just drank one that was behaving similarly and it was perfect after spending a total of six weeks in the bottle and the last two weeks in the fridge. This was my first brew and I didn't really know much about the science of bottling. I had a lot more headspace than I should have and I also wasn't taking FG readings before bottling but in the end I'm really happy with my first brew and I think yours will probably be OK after some waiting as well.

Good Luck!

 

[DavidSteel]

That's normal. Maybe this video will help you understand.

 

[Scribbles]

Was it at 1.020 consistently for 3 days in a row?

Not sure. My girlfriend dropped my hydrometer later that evening. Which contributed to my decison to bottle soon after. Again, im just full of poor decisions on this one.

I ran home for lunch and checked my dry erase board. Its been bottled 10 days. I then proceeded to open one. The ambient temperature where I'm keeping it is at about 67 degrees. The beer rushed out, on this one, much much faster than the one in the video on day 5, posted above.

 

[DavidSteel]

The beer rushed out, on this one, much much faster than the one in the video on day 5, posted above.

Yeah, that happens. Especially if you used over 4oz of priming sugar. Not saying you used too much, just that the effect would be amplified. 1.020 is pretty common for extract brewers. Just let them sit for 2 more weeks. If you get one bottle bomb (you won't), pop all the brews in the fridge. Same thing happened to me when I was impatient.

 

[Scribbles]

I think I'm going to split the advice and put some of the batch in the fridge and leave some where they are.

 

[DavidSteel]

I think I'm going to split the advice and put some of the batch in the fridge and leave some where they are.

Just know that the ones you put in the fridge won't finish carbing until you take them out, let em warm up to room temp, rouse the yeast, and continue waiting where you left off. It will carb them slightly by forcing what co2 there is in the bottle back into the beer, but I'm sure it's not done yet.

 

[bob1852]

My girlfriend dropped my hydrometer later that evening.

Time for a new girlfriend?

 

[Scribbles]

nah, aside from one broken hydrometer she's down right awesome. I'd rather try to get her to throw done on a refractometer instead.

I might leave a 1/3 where they sit, fridge 1/3 for weeks, and frig the other for 24 hours and recap. Palmer's book suggested recapping things that were overcarbonated and I'm truly leaning toward premature bottling largely because I used the same type and amout of priming sugar I used in the 3 previous batches.

This is only my fourth batch, but I always cracked one open about 1 week after bottling because I'm both inpatient and curious and haven't had this happen on any of those. But I also realize that beers behave differently.