Ticking bomb? (Yeah, I'm a noob)

[yyvjpv]

So I did my first bottling last Wednesday. All went well, but today something was nagging at the back of my mind as I thought about the pressure those bottles will be exposed to as they carb. Specifically a growler I had filled. Yeah, you know where this is going. Did I mention it's a screw top? So now I have searched the forums here at HBT and know that wasn't such a good idea.

What do I do? Put it in a sealed bag in a cardboard box and cross my fingers? Open it and transfer it to bottles? I am a bit worried about transferring it just because I don't want to tinker with it anymore than I have to, but I guess as long as I sanitized properly there shouldn't be any issues.

What would you all suggest?

 

[solbes]

Some people have carbonated in growlers w/ screw caps without issue. There are threads here that show the pressure during bottle carbonation is in the 20-28 psi range.

I personally use them to transport kegged beer for a weekend (as they were designed for), but they are only subjected to the ~ 10 psi that the beer holds.

So kind of a crap shoot on whether you see an issue or not. I would guess no, but if you only bottled with one growler, keep it in a strong box like you described. If you feel its safe, put it in the fridge after 1-1.5 weeks where it will be in the last half of carbonation. The cooler temps will stop fermentation and force the CO2 into suspension, so you could safely open and consume after a few days of fridge time.

 

[yyvjpv]

Thanks! I guess it is a crapshoot either way, but as long as I contain any potential damage I guess all I'd lose is a growler and 1.89 litres of beer. Not ideal of course, but I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. I think I'll refrigerate as you suggest, I'd rather have a not fully carb'd beer than a totally lost one.

 

[solbes]

I'd give it another 2-3 days then fridge that baby. Surprisingly, the small amount of priming sugar can make a beer pretty sweet if it does not ferement out.