Bottle Bomb Fears

[ThoricourtBrewing]

Okay--a serious newby mistake.... I brewed a Belgian Saison using Wyeast 3724. It was a pain in the a$$--very slow, sporatic fermentation, etc. I left it in primary for one month and in secondary for another two weeks. Took a hydro reading / tasting, and it was down to 1013 (from 1062 OG). The taste was awesome and I have ZERO patience, so I bottled against my better judgement. I know I should have let it go a few more days to take another hydro reading (to be sure it was done) but I didn't have it in me to wait.

So....three and a half days after bottling, I decided to try a "test" bottle. I always end up drinking green beer because I have no patience, but this time I felt I owed it to the bottle bomb gods to pop one open and see how the carbonation was coming along. Inevitable, I got a pretty big "pop" from my fliptop bottle. I'm afraid if it's carbed up this much after only three days, that I'm gonna have a bit surprise in the next couple of weeks.

Is there anything I can do at this point? Am I worrying too much? Should I pop the top on all my bottles and then re-close them? Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[EvilGnome6]

There will actually be more pressure in the headspace during the first week or two than there will be later on. It takes time for the CO2 to get reabsorbed back into the beer. Give it 3 weeks, chill for at least 24 hours and you should be fine (assuming you used an appropriate amount of priming sugar, of course).

 

[mattd2]

I have notice that my 2 flip top bottles that I have create a huge pop when opened even though my others give the normal phssst when opened. I was not bulk priming the beer though and the bottles were a bit smaller than my regular ones, but I am sure I got the amount of priming sugar right base on 750ml = 6g sugar == 475ml = 3.8g (use just over 1/2 teaspoon as these were my first glass bottles)

 

[ThoricourtBrewing]

I was careful to use an appropriate amount of priming sugar. I'll try another "test" in a few days. So from what I gather, there is no reason for me to open / recap my bottles at this point. Thanks in advance for the help. I'll let you know how it turns out.

On another note, any thoughts on Wyeast Belgian Saison yeast? Seems funny to me that it needs to ferment in such hot temperatures when Belgium has such a mild climate. As far as flavor goes though, my beer (even green as it is) smells and tastes wonderful.

 

[ThoricourtBrewing]

Oh, and P.S....

I am drinking a Westvleteren 12 as I type!! I love living in Belgium!!

 

[ThoricourtBrewing]

Ok, my second worst nightmare came true today (bottle bombs being #1). So I open a "test" brew after one week in the bottle, and....it's a gusher! Just to be sure, I opened another (indoors and in disbelief) and that confirmed I had a problem. All of my bottles gushed about 2/3 of their contents upon opening. I went from about 60 bottles to 15. All that work down the tubes.... I wouldn't be so upset, but it was my tastiest brew yet. Oh well, chalk that up as a lesson learned: When fermenting with Wyeast Belgian Saison, crank up the temps and give it LOTS of time!

 

[KAMMEE]

Gushers happen usually when the CO2 hasn't been fully absorbed into the beer. Give these a longer rest as some beers need more time in the bottle to condition when compared to others. This video in the link below shows the gusher effect after about a week if I remember correctly. You need to have some patience with the bottling. I don't see why you'd have bottle bombs unless you primed with too much sugar. Remember, bottles are made to withstand strong internal pressure from the carbonation process. You should be fine if you just wait a while before popping the top. And if you're significantly worried about exploding bottles, just set your case in a garbage bag or two if you're really worried and then the mess will be contained, though I doubt you'll have any issues.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/

 

[ThoricourtBrewing]

Gushers happen usually when the CO2 hasn't been fully absorbed into the beer. Give these a longer rest as some beers need more time in the bottle to condition when compared to others. This video in the link below shows the gusher effect after about a week if I remember correctly. You need to have some patience with the bottling. I don't see why you'd have bottle bombs unless you primed with too much sugar. Remember, bottles are made to withstand strong internal pressure from the carbonation process. You should be fine if you just wait a while before popping the top. And if you're significantly worried about exploding bottles, just set your case in a garbage bag or two if you're really worried and then the mess will be contained, though I doubt you'll have any issues.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/

Thanks Kammee! I really feel retarded now knowing that I lost the majority of a fine tasting batch due to my own stupidity / lack of patience. Nevertheless, thanks for turning me on to the video about carbonation. I will be more patient....I will be more patient....I will be more patient....I will be more patient....

Dan

 

[KAMMEE]

Its rough I know, just keep some bottles in the fridge that are ready to drink. Just like the guy in the video though... he didn't let his pre-mature beer go to waste he still enjoyed it and its a good learning experience to see how your beer evolves over time (it is a living drink). The key is having a good pipeline, just brew several batches and you'll always have plenty of beer on hand that is ready to drink, so you're not waiting on your next batch to finish and pop the tops too early. Its a mistake I'm pretty sure most brewers have made. In this hobby patience is a virtue.