Avoiding the dreaded bottle bomb

[binkleybloom]

Hey All,

I cold crashed my first brew last week (Imperial IPA - 1.076OG, I think it stopped at 1.010 - that was my last reading).

However, despite the fact that the fermometer on the carboy is reading 56º, I get tiny bubbles - maybe 1 every three seconds or so (that I can see) shooting up from the yeast/trub at the bottom of the 'boy, so I suspect there are still some residual fermentables and I may have crashed too early. Is this normal, or did I rush it too much?

Yes. I got impatient. One of the many virtues I lack

So now I am worried about bottle bombs. Beersmith is calling for ~108g of corn sugar, but I'm very tempted to throttle back on that a touch. Maybe do 85 or 90g instead because of the activity.

What do you lot think?

 

[fartinmartin]

Bring it back to normal temps an leave it another week, then post back that the SG is at 1.005

 

[binkleybloom]

ah s**t... I was worried about that.

I've already dry hopped. Sounds like I'm going to be racking to the bottling bucket as a secondary to get it off the hops (they've been on since last sunday)

dammit!

 

[fartinmartin]

No, the hops don't matter. The dry hops can be in for as long as you like.

 

[binkleybloom]

Ok then... Back upstairs it comes for a week.

Thanks Fartin'!

 

[aiptasia]

By it's very nature, there will always be residual CO2 in your beer. If you use a pitching calculator such as the one at Mr. Malty or Northern Brewer, it should ask you what temperature you set to ferment the beer at. The formula for calculating your pitching rate will take into account how much residual CO2 will be remaining in your beer so you don't over carbonate it. This will give you an exact weight to use (in grams) for pitching one of several types of priming sugar, whether it's table sugar, dextrose, malt extract, etc..

The old rule of thumb though is generally 3/4 cup of dextrose (corn sugar) for each 5 gallon batch. Or, the hard way of 1/4 teaspoon per individual bottle. They also make sugar tablets like coopers tablets or carbonation drops that are pre-measured and easy to pop in to each bottle. Most people just make a simple syrup of their calculated priming sugar mixed into a cup of boiling water and then when it's dissolved, pouring that into the bottom of a bottling bucket, then racking the beer slowly onto it. If you use a racking cane or auto siphon with a hose that goes all the way down to the base of the bottling bucket, you can get a nice gentle swirl that will incorporate the priming sugar into the finished beer very evenly. If you're just pouring it into the bottling bucket, do it gently and then give the beer a gentle stir with a sanitized spoon. Then you can bottle and cap the beer.

It takes about three to four weeks for an average ale to carbonate up completely. Keep your beers in a warm, dark place such as in a box in an old bathtub. I just put mine on the top shelf of a storage closet in a spare bedroom and forget about them for a month. Don't rush the carbonation. You can probably taste one in about two weeks if you feel the need to see how the carbonation is going, but even then it's not likely to hit it's peak for another week. Just pull out a bottle and leave it in the fridge for a full 24 hours. The colder the beer is, the more CO2 carrying capacity it has and it will pull in some of the CO2 pressure from the neck of the bottle and back into the beer. This means, a cold beer will retain more fizz in the liquid whereas a warm beer will just spew foam.

 

[binkleybloom]

Ok - looks like it has finally finished at 1.008. 9.0% ABV.

Just sampled. I am over the moon at the quality of the hop aroma in it. Into the bottle it goes this weekend, and hopefully it will continue to clarify as it sets in them.

I sat with a Bell's Two Hearted, and my brewer's share in a glass - admittedly, it's a much bigger beer, but I'm thrilled at the result in comparison.

Y'know... I think I might just dig this hobby after all.

 

[fartinmartin]

It's great when a plan comes together, sounds to me like you are hooked, like me into this fantastic hobby.

However, if like me with a large amount of booze in the home, be carefull not to get into a habit of drinking too much of it.
It's great but can be over done, have fun with the hobby !