Bottle bombs?

[Asylum88]

Hello,

I just finished bottling my first ever all grain recipe I created. I have always done extract brews and finally graduated to all grain.

I have had this beer fermenting for 15 days. It had a OG of 19 Brix (1.079). It’s FG is 11 Brix (1.022). Final ABV is 7.48%. I use a refractometer for my calculations and I calibrated it using distilled water. I also used a calculator online to figure out the correct FG using a refractometer. Apparent attenuation is 71 percent.

The yeast I used is Safale US-05. I created the recipe on brewers friend and it said I should have reached 1.016 for FG. I did readings 2 days in a row and it was the same. I also had a mash temp between 156-160 degrees Fahrenheit. I was trying for a mash temp of 152 and tried hard to get it right but didn’t work out too well.

I also fermented between 58 and 63 degrees Fahrenheit for the whole 15 days.

My question is will I have bottle bombs? I bottled with having about 2.5 volumes of CO2 using 1 Domino sugar cube per bottle.

Luckily I have the bottles in a container covered with a lid. I just don’t want to lose my precious beer I worked hard to create

Thank you in advance for your replies!

Cheers!

 

[RPh_Guy]

I strongly recommend using a hydrometer if you want to actually know the FG.

High mash temp explains why there may be lower attenuation than expected.

Did you increase temp toward the end of fermentation? That helps achieve complete fermentation and reach a stable gravity faster and more reliably.

Bottle bombs are pretty unlikely since you bottled after 15 days (plenty of time) and had a stable gravity. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Cheers

 

[jfolks]

As long as there’s no contamination, you should be fine!

 

[RM-MN]

For the minimal cost of a hydrometer, why are you taking a chance that your beer isn't done fermenting by using a refractometer and calculating. I'd be worried about a 1.022 FG, wondering if the beer was done or just a stuck fermentation that might restart in the bottle.

 

[thehaze]

63F is too low even for US-05. I would be worried with a beer that has such a high FG and the temperature during fermentation never exceeded 63F. I would do a 3-5 days diacetyl rest or simply raise the temperature at 70-71F to make sure the yeast has indeed finished. I do this for any beer that ferments lower than 66-68F.

 

[Asylum88]

Thank you for the replies!

I use a refractometer because I only do 2 gallon batches. I like the fact that I only need a couple drops of wort to figure out the gravities. From what I read, refractometer's can be pretty accurate. I do know to be the most accurate, a hydrometer is recommended.

So far its split between possibly having bottle bombs and not. Two of you said no problem, other two said its possible it didn't finish fermenting.

I usually do keep my beers fermenting around 65-68 but I have been having heating issues at my house. It will be fixed soon. I really need to invest in a fermentation fridge so I can control it constantly.

At this point its already bottled so there's really nothing I can do except hope and pray

 

[balrog]

There's really no way for the internet to know about the yeast in your batch, so I'm not surprised that the guesses are split between yes/no. You could take some precaution and put the bottles into a container to limit problems should there be broken bottles. But there really is no way to "know".

 

[kh54s10]

With the high, IMO, mash temperatures I am not terribly surprised at the FG.

What worries is the low fermentation temperature. That is bordering on a temperature that could make the yeast go dormant, thus not completing the ferment.

I lean to the side that you are OK due to the high mash temperature, but due to the low fermentation temperature maybe not!!

I guess I am at about 70% that it was finished..

 

[brownni5]

1. I've found on this forum that if you ask a yes/no question, answers will likely be split right about 50/50 regardless of the issue.
2. People on this forum think yeast, a living thing, should always behave the same way, regardless of conditions. Pay attention - you'll see lots of "Beersmith told me it would finish at X, but it finished at Y."
3. People on this forum worry way too much. Is it infected? Did it stall? Is it done? Too few adhere to RDWHAHB.
4. The above isn't true for everyone here, but generally what I've seen.

Here's my opinion, and if you read the above, you probably shouldn't care about my opinion. You mashed pretty high and fermented cool, but still saw 71% AA with a yeast where that isn't terribly out of line with what one should reasonably expect. I think you'll be fine, but if you had any question, then why did you bottle?

 

[MaxStout]

I know you already have this beer bottled, but next time around if you are fermenting low like that, wait until active fermentation has slowed down or stopped then bump up the temp a few degrees for a couple days. That will wake up the yeast and it might drop the FG a few points.

As for this beer, keep the bottles in a container until it is fully bottle-carbed, just to be safe. After that, chill one and carefully open it. If it's overly carbed, put all the bottles in the fridge or a cool cellar to slow down any additional fermentation. I normally wouldn't be so cautious, but you did brew a fairly high-gravity beer (OG 1.079), and those take some time to fully ferment.

 

[Asylum88]

Thank you everyone for the replies.

I do have the bottles in a container with a lid on it just in case. I will be sure to do a diacetyl rest and up the temp a few degrees next time. I will say that the beer starting fermenting pretty quickly (within 10-12 hours). There was decent krausen too that was bubbling away for a good 4-5 days. Also had a decent sized yeast cake on the bottom and the beer was clearing pretty well.

I need to learn to RDWHAHB. I have always bottled after 14-15 days in the fermenter and never had bottle bombs. Like was stated, yeast is a living organism and can sometimes be unpredictable. This is also my highest gravity beer I have created. Others were between 5-6% ABV

I know the lowest recommended fermentation temp for US-05 is 57 degrees Fahrenheit. I was definitely on the low end being between 58-63 degrees.

 

[ncbrewer]

I did readings 2 days in a row and it was the same.

One other note - Two days in a row isn't the best practice. Rule of thumb is 2 - 3 days apart, which would mean skipping one or two days in between. With the second sample the next day, there might not be enough difference in gravity to see it.