My capper broke and the shops are closed. Will my beer be OK overnight?

[Crappel]

So I'm half way through bottling up some pumpkin ale (late, I know) and my capper craps out on me. All of my local shops are closed. Will my brew be alright until tomorrow? Should I cap the bucket tightly or leave it loose?

Help!

 

[Crappel]

Oh and if you're in Minneapolis and wanna help me out, I'd totally hook you up with some Irish stout from my last batch!

 

[BridgewaterBrewer]

It should be fine overnight. You should cover it well to keep out microbes but if you added priming sugar to the bucket then don't seal it air tight because some CO2 will be produced.

 

[IPA-Hole]

Should be fine till tomorrow... The yeast and priming sugar will begin doing it's thing so I guess you could cover loosely or attach an airlock? Up to you but don't worry too much. You're good...

Too bad you're not nearby - I'd loan you my capper!

 

[dcbw]

Yeah you're good if its covered. Though I do have a capper you could borrow if you want to drive to 46th and Nicollet...

 

[brettg20]

I would probably cover as tight as you can, overnight isn't going to produce enough co2 to bucket bomb you.

 

[Crappel]

Yeah you're good if its covered. Though I do have a capper you could borrow if you want to drive to 46th and Nicollet...

Hey that would be great! I'm home with my kids right now and my wife has our only vehicle, but if you're available when she gets back I'll take you up on that.

 

[Crappel]

Thanks everyone! Looks like I may be able to get a capper tonight dcbw. Otherwise I'll just cap up my bucket with an airlock and go get one in the morning.

Hey dcbw, we should connect anyway. I saw your other post looking for people in the area and would love to hook up.

 

[Bamsdealer]

Put a lid on your bucket and put it in a cold area. Not outside though. If it's in the single digits here in PA, I could only imagine what it's like in Minneapolis. That bugger would freeze unless it had some serious alcohol in it! Chilling your beer will make sure the yeast don't eat the sugar. Just give it a stir before bottling the rest to make sure the sugar is distributed and didn't stratify.

Your other option would be to let it ferment out completely. In a few days, re-prime and bottle the rest. That will ensure consistent carbonation and will clear the headspace in your bottling bucket of oxygen.