So is this how you make bottle bombs?

[Husher]

I made few few mistakes here.

First I bought some coopers kits (real ale) that had expired 6 months earlier for 10 bucks each. I figured I'd just use them as the base of a pumpkin spice ale.

Anyways. I racked too soon and some weird krauzen appeared a few days into the secondary.

That was 3 months ago and today was bottling day. That weird krauzen got caught in the siphon and in some of the bottles. I dumped the last bottle which was all 'ikk'. Stuff felt like slime. gawd.

Then worried about an interupted fermentation, I took a gravity reading (after adding 3//4 cup of corn sugar). To be honest I haven't used my hydrometer for the last 15 batches so It's not part of my standard process.

So for 6 gallons, I added 2 coopers kits and water/yeast. After I added the 3/4 cup of corn sugar I had a FG of 1.14. So is that normal for what I did or is this a disaster waiting to happen?

I have all my bottles sealed in plastic fermenters I don't use just in case and plan on opening one every few days to see if I get a geyser. I bottled 3 batches today and the first two were fantastic so It wasn't a complete waste of time. But this batch may have to be dumped for the sake of learning.

Anyways, could someone please let me know what the FG should have been and if they've ever had yeast rafts that were slimy (like a SCOBY - If you're into that sort of thing).

Cheers.

 

[Dynachrome]

How did it smell?

How did you add your pumpkin?

Do you have any Rubbermaid containers? Put the bottles in Rubbermaid buckets with lids. I some take off in the middle of the night, it makes it easier to clean up.

...other advice I've seen in the past - stick them in your spare refrigerator. I think that has worked for me (nothing has ever launched in the fridge yet)

F.G. of 1.014 isn't that awful.

 

[Dynachrome]

PS. Post a picture next time. It can help diagnose.

 

[Hello]

1.014? You're probably fine. Can we talk about your refusal to use a hydrometer? Why skip that step at all unless you just want beer and don't care about the process? I just never saw the point to skip it but I may be different.

I think overall you're fine. That is not technically how you make bottle bombs. How is your beer?

 

[Husher]

ok, here are a few responses;

The smell? It smelled bitter. Had a sip and there was a bit of astringency. And bitterness. And some funky flavours from the pumpkin pie spices. Which apparently have sugar in them.

I did have a prior pose after racking to secondary and having the weird krauzen. includes pictures and whatnot
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/yet-another-what-hell-growing-my-beer-thread-451627/

But to get the hydrometer reading I filled a glass. then had to dump since that glass was filled with slime. As I was slowly pouring down the sink I notices the crud liked to keep together. If I used a spoon to dug on once section, the whole slither would move in unison. Never saw that in yeast.

No rubber-maids but fermenters with lids lightly sealed (I never use them si it s TIGHT) should work just as well. In a few days I'll open on on the lawn and see if it tried to escape.

 

[Husher]

And with regard to the hydrometer? Well Usually I bottle after the keeping the primary for 6 weeks or more, and then using secondary for 2-3 months. This time I racked after 3 weeks and it's the bases of my fear. That and possible contaminating from the spice. But I doubt it.

I'm not overly concerned about how much alcohol is in there. But my usual process always starts with a violent fermentation so I'm pretty confident fermentation is done 4 months later. I might start using it again but since I tent to brew three batches in a day, I try to streamline as much as possible. I really only take a ready if I'm worried.

 

[Dynachrome]

"Fermenters" buckets? I have don that also. The laast few bottles from the bottom of the bottling bucket. I usually place them in one of my buckets in case the pop.

Pumpkin will do that slime thing. Mine have not, but I use the grain bed to filter out the pumpkin pulp.

You're probably all right. Sounds like you may be a tidge heavy on the bittering hops.

I think you should try to keep it.

 

[Husher]

Pumpkin will do that slime thing. Mine have not, but I use the grain bed to filter out the pumpkin pulp.

You're probably all right. Sounds like you may be a tidge heavy on the bittering hops.

Yeah maybe but I only used pumpkin spice, not any other ingredients. Maybe the spice does something. Oh and they were pre hopped malt kits so I didn't add any hops at all.