Over carbonation w drops

[layd0g]

I have been kegging for years, but have started bottling whatever I can't fit in the keg. When I bottled in the past I used the sugar water method.
Recently, I have been using the carb drop at a rate of one per 12 oz bottle. On two different brews (PA and an Amber) they have been wildly over carbonated even after a few days in the fridge.

I usually sanitize the bottle, drop in a drop, fill with the wand, cap and put in a

 

[hotbeer]

I'm not a fan of pre-sized drops. But likely they aren't the issue. It might be you either didn't reach the FG that your brew was going to actually get to or perhaps it became infected.

Either way, check your SG in one after it goes flat and warms up to near 68°F or what ever your hydrometer is calibrated to.

If it's lower than what your FG was when you moved it out of the fermenter, then one of the two things I mentioned is likely your culprit.

Might check the current SG of a sample from your keg too for comparison.

 

[layd0g]

Thanks, I'll check the gravity to be sure. On both batches they stayed in the ferm for 7-10 days after the gravity reading stopped changing.

 

[ncbrewer]

Thanks, I'll check the gravity to be sure. On both batches they stayed in the ferm for 7-10 days after the gravity reading stopped changing.

Yes, you'd certainly expect fermentation to be finished after that. But last year I had two batches that had that problem. Gravity was stable, but fermentation started again after bottling, and the beer was overcarbonated.

 

[Jag75]

It could also be contamination in the bottles . That will give you gushers as well. Was the issue in every bottle?

 

[layd0g]

It could also be contamination in the bottles . That will give you gushers as well. Was the issue in every bottle?

It was only in the couple I've opened so far...

I ran the bottles through the DW on the sanitize cycle, then shot star san in each bottle right before it was bottled.

I think I might have figured it out though... it dawned on me at 0330 on Sun night when I couldn't sleep. I did a pressure ferm on this batch in the Spike ferm. Then without thinking I added the carb drops when I bottled.

tl,dr; I'm a fool and incredibly lucky I didn't have a bottle bomb

 

[ncbrewer]

I think I might have figured it out though... it dawned on me at 0330 on Sun night when I couldn't sleep. I did a pressure ferm on this batch in the Spike ferm. Then without thinking I added the carb drops when I bottled.

tl,dr; I'm a fool and incredibly lucky I didn't have a bottle bomb

Be very careful with those bottles - you still might have some bottle bombs yet to come.

 

[layd0g]

Be very careful with those bottles - you still might have some bottle bombs yet to come.

Yea, thanks! I'm working my way through them as fast as I can. The more recent ones haven't been as bad as the first couple were.