Bottled too early?

[Jack_O]

Hello All,

I'm very new to home brewing and this recipe was my third batch. The Ruby hobgoblin clone recipe.

I got the OG spot on when brewing at 1046.

It's a relatively quick fermentation on the recipe at 10 days at 18°c, then 4 days crash.

My FG came out at 1021 when it should of been 1012. The amateur in me said "Bottle it, it'll be fine". Which I subsequently did.

I stuck the 30 bottles into my airing cupboard which is consistently around 20°c.

However, now I'm panicking about bottle bombs and worrying about all sorts of things.

The main being the prospect of 30 bottles exploding in my airing cupboard. So much so, I've removed the bottles and put them in my shed (cooler temp to inactivate the yeast) for the time being until I have some guidance.

The bottles had only been in the cupboard a few hours, which I know isn't enough time to tell but I didn't want to risk it.

To my point... Is this FG OK or have I made a mistake in bottling too early?

Is the big difference in the two FG readings, a sign of the batch not finished fermenting.

The beer does actually taste good but I'm just conscious if I go ahead and carb it now, bottle bombs could well be on the horizon!

 

[Dinadan]

If I understand you correctly, the beer was bottled after fourteen days in the fermenter. I think you will be fine. But ... if you are worrying, then put the bottles in a plastic cooler or tote or some such just for peace of mind.

 

[Jag75]

Are you sure it wasn't 1.012 and maybe you just flipped the numbers ? Was this an extract kit? For peace of mind stick a couple in a box where its about 70f and see if they explode .

I'm not sure if its a good idea to bottle a beer that had a stuck fermentation. You never know if the priming sugar would set it off. Bottle bombs can be very serious .

 

[DBhomebrew]

Hello All,

I'm very new to home brewing and this recipe was my third batch. The Ruby hobgoblin clone recipe.

I got the OG spot on when brewing at 1046.

It's a relatively quick fermentation on the recipe at 10 days at 18°c, then 4 days crash.

My FG came out at 1021 when it should of been 1012. The amateur in me said "Bottle it, it'll be fine". Which I subsequently did.

I stuck the 30 bottles into my airing cupboard which is consistently around 20°c.

However, now I'm panicking about bottle bombs and worrying about all sorts of things.

The main being the prospect of 30 bottles exploding in my airing cupboard. So much so, I've removed the bottles and put them in my shed (cooler temp to inactivate the yeast) for the time being until I have some guidance.

The bottles had only been in the cupboard a few hours, which I know isn't enough time to tell but I didn't want to risk it.

To my point... Is this FG OK or have I made a mistake in bottling too early?

Is the big difference in the two FG readings, a sign of the batch not finished fermenting.

The beer does actually taste good but I'm just conscious if I go ahead and carb it now, bottle bombs could well be on the horizon!

Hydrometer or refractometer?

 

[Jack_O]

Are you sure it wasn't 1.012 and maybe you just flipped the numbers ? Was this an extract kit? For peace of mind stick a couple in a box where its about 70f and see if they explode .

I'm not sure if its a good idea to bottle a beer that had a stuck fermentation. You never know if the priming sugar would set it off. Bottle bombs can be very serious .

No, I'm sure it was 1021 the FG on the hydrometer.
The recipe was an all grain kit which used Burton ale yeast.

Crisp Pale Ale Malt (4300 grams)
Crisp Dark Crystal Malt (360 grams)
Crisp Chocolate Malt (100 grams)
East Kent Goldings ( GOLDINGS ) Pellets (14 grams)
Fuggles Pellets (14 grams)
Cascade Pellets (16 grams)
Celeia (Styrian Goldings) Pellets (64 grams)
WLP023 Burton Ale Yeast (1 packs)

The yeast also seemed to have a slow start in the fermenter and I only noticed movement in the airlock after 48 hours or so. So in hindsight, maybe the 10 days wasn't enough.

As I said, I've bottled them all now and packaged them up well (in case of any bombs) but perhaps it's the safer option to just discard the beer and take this one on the chin!

 

[Jack_O]

Hydrometer or refractometer?

I used a hydrometer

 

[ncbrewer]

I'm glad you're taking bottle bombs seriously. A good practice for safety is to give the beer what you believe is plenty of time in the fermenter for fermentation and clean-up. Then check gravity. Then check gravity 2 - 3 days later. If gravity is stable and in a reasonable range, and the beer is clear or slightly misty, bottle. If not, wait and check again later. Be sure to make necessary temperature corrections on hydrometer samples.