Bottle bombs imminent?

[Palmetto33]

I have had a few anxious questions regarding my first batch in the past few weeks, but this one is really getting to me. The last thread was my concern of not seeing any signs of carbing yet even though it's only been a few days since bottling (Sunday).

Now, however, I've possibly got the other problem.

Brown ale- Ingredient kit says OG 1.045 FG 1.010-1.012

I got the OG, and it was correct. Took a reading when going to secondary after a week and it was (based on my reading) 1.014. I went ahead and racked despite the .002 discrepancy. Then after two weeks in the secondary I primed and then took another reading, and I swear it was 1.018-1.020. I blamed it on the ingested beers and went ahead and bottled.

It's been 3 days since bottling and I've been reading up; had to check again to see if I had misread or if it was really that far off. So, I opened a beer and it already had a slight "hiss" to it when opened. I took like 5 hydro readings over the course of about 15 minutes; 1.020-1.022. Could this be due to unfermented priming sugar?

What's going on? I've obviously misread it somewhere and I was stone cold sober tonight. Is it the carbonation pushing up on it? Does the wine thief have too small a diameter? The hydrometer has a real tough time sitting in the very middle of it, but when it does, straight to 1.020.

I could go on all night.

Are the bottles gonna bomb?

 

[mrkristofo]

Don't pour out that hydro sample...let it sit overnight. You need to degas the beer to get an accurate reading.

You're taking into account temperature with your hydrometer readings, right?

 

[Palmetto33]

yeah, they've all been room temp. ~68 degrees, which calls for no adjustment. The strange thing here is that on one side of the hydro instuctions it says 60 is the ideal temp, but on the other side it says 68 calls for no adjustment while 59 needs -.001. Either way though, I need -.01 not -.001.

I've got the sample in the fridge right now in a glass with saran wrap. You think let it sit overnight at room temperature?

 

[mrkristofo]

yeah, they've all been room temp. ~68 degrees, which calls for no adjustment. The strange thing here is that on one side of the hydro instuctions it says 60 is the ideal temp, but on the other side it says 68 calls for no adjustment while 59 needs -.001. Either way though, I need -.01 not -.001.

I've got the sample in the fridge right now in a glass with saran wrap. You think let it sit overnight at room temperature?

Yes, without saran wrap.

 

[Palmetto33]

Done. Will give it another go tomorrow and post the reading.

Can you give me any kind of safe or danger range? How much can I be over the 1.012 without worrying about it?

Appreciate the help

 

[Arneba28]

always just make the correction for taking he reading at what your taking it at and add it to the reading that you took. make the correction it makes a huge difference. especially anthing over 68deg F

 

[Palmetto33]

Alright, left it overnight and took a reading. I'm still getting 1.020-1.022.

First of all, I don't see how it could be that off after leaving it in the primary for a week. There was a very vigorous fermentation for the first couple-3 days. Then I racked to the secondary (apparently misreading the hydro) and when I moved from the secondary to bottle, there was still a small yeast cake in the bottom of the secondary, so it was exposed to yeast for 3 weeks.

Has anyone had experience with this, I don't want to deal with exploding beer.

 

[Palmetto33]

I just looked at the hydrometer wiki page and it said this:

"Alcohol readings on alcometers are only reliable if there are no additional substances dissolved in the mixture (like sugar); and no air or CO2 bubles adhere to the meter during the measurement."

But could these variables affect the reading by and entire .01?

I did let it sit overnight.

 

[discgolfin]

Alright, left it overnight and took a reading. I'm still getting 1.020-1.022.

First of all, I don't see how it could be that off after leaving it in the primary for a week. There was a very vigorous fermentation for the first couple-3 days. Then I racked to the secondary (apparently misreading the hydro) and when I moved from the secondary to bottle, there was still a small yeast cake in the bottom of the secondary, so it was exposed to yeast for 3 weeks.

Has anyone had experience with this, I don't want to deal with exploding beer.

Well first off IMO..it seems u took an incorrect reading from the primary..1 cup of sugar will only raise 5 gallons of beer maybe .01 or .02 at most from what I know. 3 weeks on yeast is fine..I have gone 6 months and been fine always leave on yeast longer than u would think. 1.02 is a concern..so I would keep a close eye on the bottle..not too close..and chill the whole batch once it seems carbed..they probably will just be way over carbed.

Jay

 

[Palmetto33]

When you said 1 cup of sugar will change it by .01 or .02 did you mean .001 or .002?

When I mentioned that there was yeast cake on the bottom of secondary I was suggesting that the beer had enough exposure to yeast to ferment out completely. I mean what would have caused the beer to ferment so vigorously at first and then just stop?

 

[mrkristofo]

When you said 1 cup of sugar will change it by .01 or .02 did you mean .001 or .002?

When I mentioned that there was yeast cake on the bottom of secondary I was suggesting that the beer had enough exposure to yeast to ferment out completely. I mean what would have caused the beer to ferment so vigorously at first and then just stop?

Yes, he did.

As far as stuck fermentations....lots, and lots can cause that. Do a search.

 

[Palmetto33]

If it was actually a stuck fermentation would it be possible to dump all bottles into a fermenter pitch some more yeast and give it a couple more weeks?

Obviously wouldn't do this without giving it a bit more time by the way; just curious if it is a possibility.

 

[wilserbrewer]

If it was actually a stuck fermentation would it be possible to dump all bottles into a fermenter pitch some more yeast and give it a couple more weeks?

Obviously wouldn't do this without giving it a bit more time by the way; just curious if it is a possibility.

Not a good a idea at all...dumping the bottles would airate the beer and your problems would be worse than they are now. All you need to do is monitor the carb. level in the bottles. Once they are carbed to your liking store them all in the fridge to prevent further fermentation / carbonation. In my experience beer becomes overcarbonated over a period of time and can be avoided by chilling and halting the process.

Stop worrying...I have a strong feeling this will work out fine. Your brew may be a bit sweeter than you intended, but it should still be ok.

Mike

 

[discgolfin]

Sorry...001 and .002

Even if you have a yeast cake in secondary..This is only a small percentage from what was in the Primary.. This is usually what will cause a stuck fermentation when transfered too early. I would not dump them back becasue u will oxidize them..you could open them all slightly and than recap?? worse case would be it would under carb the beers..this is always safer than explosions..however I still think if u place in fridge and leave alone for a few weeks than test one carefully will be best bet..

Jay

 

[Palmetto33]

Appreciate it guys. I've got another brew in the secondary, so if this one doesn't work out like I expected at least I'll have the back up.

 

[Palmetto33]

Well, I checked on the IPA in the secondary and it is .006 off the high end of the FG as well at 1.020.

I read in the other bottle bomb thread going on that Munton's Dry Ale yeast (Mine just says Muntons Active Brewing Yeast) has a low attenuation rate. For the Brown ale in the bottles the Attenuation rate would be 55% and for the IPA in the secondary it would be only 60%. Also, on Palmer's website he said to use 7-14 grams of yeast for a 5 gallon batch. My package that I used for the first two brews are only 6 grams.

I'm starting to think that these two facts are what's causing my extraordinarily high gravity readings. Any thoughts on the possibility of the yeast causing the problem?

By the way I rehydrated the yeast before pitching in both and I aerated pretty thoroughly I thought, at least in the IPA. And the fermentation was very vigorous at the start in both batches.

I'd really like to figure this out before brewing another batch.

 

[Palmetto33]

Another question.

I'm thinking about rehydrating the one extra packet of Muntons I've got and adding it to my IPA in the secondary. It has already been dryhopped and has attenuated 60%. Should I do this?

 

[Beerthoven]

Well, I checked on the IPA in the secondary and it is .006 off the high end of the FG as well at 1.020.

I read in the other bottle bomb thread going on that Munton's Dry Ale yeast (Mine just says Muntons Active Brewing Yeast) has a low attenuation rate. For the Brown ale in the bottles the Attenuation rate would be 55% and for the IPA in the secondary it would be only 60%. Also, on Palmer's website he said to use 7-14 grams of yeast for a 5 gallon batch. My package that I used for the first two brews are only 6 grams.

I'm starting to think that these two facts are what's causing my extraordinarily high gravity readings. Any thoughts on the possibility of the yeast causing the problem?

By the way I rehydrated the yeast before pitching in both and I aerated pretty thoroughly I thought, at least in the IPA. And the fermentation was very vigorous at the start in both batches.

I'd really like to figure this out before brewing another batch.

Since you rehydrated the yeast and aerated well, I'm guessing the low attenuation has to do with low pitching rate. I'd pitch more yeast next time. Also, pay attention to the temp of the wort when you pitch. If its too high or too low, you could be shocking/killing most of the yeast. Fermentation temperature is really important too.

You probably already know this stuff, but I'll just run down some things to pay attention to regarding attenuation.

1. If using dry yeast, rehydrate it properly, even if it says "Sprinkle directly on wort" on the package. Go to the manufacturers website for the recommended rehydration instructions. Normally this is nothing more complicated than sprinkling the yeast onto 100ml of warm water (75º - 85º) and stirring gently. Do this about an hour or so before pitching.

2. If using liquid yeast, make a starter. Read about starters here.

3. Make sure the wort is neither too hot nor too cold when you pitch. I normally ferment my ales between 65º and 68º. I cool the wort down to fermentation temps and then pitch yeast, however anywhere from 65º to 80º is acceptable.

4. Make sure you aerate the wort sufficiently before pitching. This is very important. Shaking the hell out of the carboy for 10 - 20 minutes is better than nothing. Some people pour their wort back and forth between two buckets several times. I use an 02 tank and airstone. Its a bit fancy, but its fast and easy.

5. Ferment at temperatures that are within the yeasts optimal range as listed on the package. Try to maintain constant temps.

6. Have reasonable expectations and know your ingredients. Some types of malt extracts have less fermentables than others, and some yeast (especially English strains) also attenuate lower.

Here is a link to an article on the Home Brewing Wiki discussing attenuation.

Another question.

I'm thinking about rehydrating the one extra packet of Muntons I've got and adding it to my IPA in the secondary. It has already been dryhopped and has attenuated 60%. Should I do this?

It can't hurt. Also try moving the carboy to a warm location (in the 70's) and gently swirling carboy once or twice a day to keep the yeast in suspension.

Personally, I've never been able to start a fermentation again once it stops. I think the lowest attenuation I got was 62%, and no matter what I did it wouldn't budge any higher. I did not get bottle bombs from that batch, but it didn't taste very good either.

Good Luck!

 

[Palmetto33]

Beertoven,

Appreciate the insight; that's all I needed to hear. Gonna repitch tonight.

Thanks