carbonation levels in bottle conditioning

[beerisyummy]

Hello brewers,
I bottle condition all my brews, and I used to just do 4 oz corn sugar to prime and not think about it. Nowadays I'm trying to be a little bit more precise in order to hit style-appropriate levels of carbonation (I generally use the calculators on brewersfriend). I would like to be able to do Belgians and Saisons with a higher level of carbonation, say 3.0 vols or more, but I read somewhere that commercial beer bottles should only be trusted at up to 2.5 - 2.75 vols. True? False? If true, what bottles ARE safe at higher levels of carb? Tia...

 

[Alan Reginato]

I always carb to 3.5 vols, or something close. Never got a bomb. Once, my wife inject twice, I use a syringe to add priming sugar, and just was a surprise when I open the cap. Pop up like champagne. That was like 5 vols. So, give it a try.

 

[Spundit]

For a standard bottle, I have done 3 vols on several occasions and had no issues. YMMV. I always condition them away from the family and contained in some way. Better safe than sorry. I bottle conditioned a lot of beer my first 5 or 6 years brewing and never had one go boom.

Unfortuneatly, I don't think there is a standard for these bottles. Plus, if a bottle has a chip or something it will likely be weaker.

You can get an idea of what a bottle can handle by looking at how thick/heavy it is and what it's original use was. Many import beers and Belgian beers come in a heavier bottle that probably can handle 4 vols with ease. PET bottles are also an option..........I am rambling.

Have fun