Bulging caps

[huffman]

Finished brewing and bottling a Russian Imperial Stout in late December. Put both cases in the basement where the temps stay in the mid 60s in winter, in the mid 70s now. I did drink one bottle in mid April just to see if things turned out OK, everything seemed fine, the beer was great. I do not remember it being over carbonated.

Got the two cases out today (6 months since bottling) to put labels on them and noticed a number of caps were bulging up, none of the bottles have shattered. I intend to bring some out every Christmas & New Years through 2015 so I'll be hanging on to them for quite a while.

My question is, should I just forget about it or should I chill the beers, remove the caps and recap to reduce the internal pressure?

 

[ScubaSteve]

I'd check one to make sure it's not infected. Then, I think you could get away with the procedure you describe if the beer is good. You're lucky.....those things are hella close to bursting!

 

[Beerrific]

I'd check one to make sure it's not infected. Then, I think you could get away with the procedure you describe if the beer is good. You're lucky.....those things are hella close to bursting!

Yeah, I agree. But when you check it, wear protective gear. Really. Goggles and stuff.

 

[huffman]

Chilled one with a bulging top, donned gloves/jacket/grinding mask & opened it tonight, barely made any noise when opening, never foamed out of the bottle. It did however foam too much when poured. Since none have blown in the last 6 months think I'll let sleeping dogs lie and wait until December then check them again. Bottles with flat tops did not crown, just the ones where the capper put a dimple in it.

It tastes good though it's still quite sweet, leaving it another 6 month to several years should help. And since it's my first beer in a month I can really feel the 8.8% ABV!