Newb fg question

[mw3kgt]

First off this was my 4th batch of extract, and thanks to you guys I decided to do things differently on this one.

This was a Stone Ruination clone from AHS
SG was supposed to be 1.072 but I ended up at 1.077 because I used 5 gallons of water instead of the 5.5 suggested.

I decided to just primary it instead of a secondary. The other 3 batches I would primary for a week and then secondary for 1 to 2 weeks at the most, with no gravity readings. I left this one in the primary for 17 days and then dry hopped for 10 days. So just shy of 4 weeks, I bottled today.

Well I tried to take a gravity reading but my wine-theif wouldn't reach deep enough into the bucket. It looked like I was at 1.020 or less because it appeared to be on the bottom and wouldn't allow the hydrometer to drop anymore. I figured 4 weeks was long enough.

So I transfered to a bottling bucket and added my sugar, then I took another reading in that bucket, it was at 1.024. It was supposed to end at 1.012. This brew had way more yeast, krausen, and hop residue than my others. It think that was clogging my wine-theif and thats what the hydrometer was probably floating on. Then while bottling I had a heck of a time, my wand kept clogging up on the last 12 beers from all the hop residue (I am assuming). This beer is not very clear to say the least, a lot of floaters. My beer is now bottled and wrapped in trash bags in the not ideal 64 degree basement.

So first off any guesses if my bottles blow? Next what should I do next batch to get a more clear beer? A hop bag or secondary during dry hop?

Thanks for any help, my next batch will be a full boil and a mini mash thanks to the forum! And please don't mind any sentences that are not clear, I've had a few homebrews tonight Oh and this batch tasted 10x better than the last already.

 

[Legin]

So you usually don't need to use a secondary unless you are aging past a month, dry-hopping or adding fruits or some other aroma or flavor addition. In this case you would have wanted to ferment in the primary for 2-3 weeks (or for me until I reached my F.G.) then transfer to a secondary and dry-hop for a week. This would help with clarity. Another thing you could have done is used whole leaf hops, or if you are using pellets you could have bagged them.

Edit: And about the bombs. It's seems more than likely, but you will never know until they start to go. Keep an eye on them and if one explodes, pop the caps to all the others and recap. It's a harsh lesson, but it just stresses the important of taking two identical readings three days apart.

 

[jonmohno]

your higher gravity may lead to a higher finished gravity.If this was a partial mash do you know what temp you had it steeping exactly?
Check one in a few weeks stick it in the fridge a few days and see how carbonation is then check periodically therafter.If they are overcarbing and taste good then stick em all in the fridge after that or cellar them in a rubbermaid or something.I would go with cellaring after conditioning.
If i had this much sediment i would have wrapped a piece of nylon around the end of the siphon for it.

 

[mw3kgt]

No this was a straight extract all LME. Ya I understand that I would finish a little high but this was a little more, I'm not too worried.