Will my bottles explode?

[drunkpuma]

I made a westy 12 clone that I allowed to ferment a month in the primary and lagered it for two months. OG was 1.099 and predicted FG was ~1.025. However, as I prepared to bottle it I measured the FG and it was 1.042. The fermentation had gotten stuck before and I had restarted it by racking to a new container but I guess it stuck again.

I added fresh yeast, primed it and bottled it even though the FG is too high. Did I just make bottle bombs? How long before they blow? What should I do? I put the bottles in buckets and put the buckets in a bag to minimize mess/damage in that event.

I also put some beer in a plastic bottle which hopefully will explode before the glass ones do and give me some warning (or indication) ahead of time, maybe in time to open the bottles and release the pressure. Do you think a weak plastic water bottle (like a poland spring bottle) would explode before the glass ones do?

Thanks for any advice- I'm pretty nervous about this one.

 

[BioBeing]

1.042 seems very high. I think the chance of bombs is high.

You might want to pour them back into a fermenter and see if you can get it to finish.

 

[malkore]

Yeah, if those become unstuck, you'll have some wicked bottle bombs and gushers on your hands.
I bottled .010 over my estimated final gravity once. Once. Had to toss 2 cases of stout after 6 bottles exploded in my bedroom closet.

NOT FUN.

 

[drunkpuma]

Thanks for the anecdote- that's hugely helpful (since 0.010 excess FG is too high, the 0.017 here is unnacceptable). I'll pour 'em back into the primary and aerate the crap out of 'em.

 

[TipsyDragon]

Thanks for the anecdote- that's hugely helpful (since 0.010 excess FG is too high, the 0.017 here is unnacceptable). I'll pour 'em back into the primary and aerate the crap out of 'em.

no that will oxidize your brew. watch the caps if they start to bulge, chill, uncap, then recap.

 

[drunkpuma]

I think I can't ferment them down 17 pts in the bottles though. What about just a gentle transfer to a carboy to maybe get enough oxygen to get stuff going? If it doesn't unstick then I could try growing up another yeast starter and pitching that, maybe?

 

[malkore]

introducing oxygen now will just oxidize the beer. the yeast don't need any more oxygen...they just needed time to finish, and at this point there may not be enough left, and repitching will be tough just because you already have 6% or so ABV fighting the yeast's health.

 

[drunkpuma]

What about growing up a double starter and pitching the yeast from that?

 

[mmead]

I don't know how all this finally turned out but wouldn't it have worked to gently pour all back to primary, add champagn yeast, nutrient, and let that finish?

 

[drunkpuma]

I just ended up tossing them- was too worried about oxidation. I'll retry this again at some point and see if I can do it properly. I think I just need bigger starter cultures.

 

[kh54s10]

I just ended up tossing them- was too worried about oxidation. I'll retry this again at some point and see if I can do it properly. I think I just need bigger starter cultures.

Wow! I would have just put them in a plastic storage box with the top on and waited. Without knowing that you have a problem you may have thrown away a perfectly good beer.

Did you actually have any explode?

And yes, make starters of the proper size for your beer.

 

[drunkpuma]

None exploded, but none were carbonated at all (and they were way too sweet). At the time I was exasperated enough by the situation that I just didn't want to go through the hassle of it given that there was a high risk of yeast not working and oxidation ruining the beer. I make beer at my parents place, not at my own, so there was that added hassle of going back and forth too (I don't have a car).