First Time Priming Sugar Question

[mrandyk]

Hello all,

Today I bottled my first batch of homebrew beer, a five-gallon American Wheat Beer extract kit that I received from Northern Brewer. The entire process seemed to go well for me, but after bottling I realized I had nowhere near 5 gallons of beer and probably used too much sugar. I ended up with roughly 4.125 gallons of beer but used the whole 5 ounce package of corn sugar, and the store temperature is about 70 degrees. Am I potentially looking at some gushing, or even exploding bottles? Would I be able to save the batch by recapping all the bottles after a certain amount of time?

I appreciate any advice or insight the board can give. I'm sure I'm not the first one to run right through their first batch without making a miscalculation.

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

Since wheat beers are quick drinkers, you should be okay. Definitely avoid putting these bottles in a warm environment. In fact, monitor them closely in the first few days. Once they hit ideal carb, think about cold crashing the entire batch to keep them there.

The downside of that is no aging. While wheats generally don't need aging, 2-3-4 weeks usually improves the beer as it conditions and cleans itself up.

In my experience, if you don't cold crash them but keep them in a cool environment, your only real risk is a little over carbing which makes them a little harsh but still drinkable.

Another option is to wait a few days, check them, if they are seemingly carbing too quickly, uncap them all and recap them. This is an extreme step that probably is not necessary.

BOTTOM LINE: keep these bottles in a location <70 degrees and you should be fine. Start drinking these guys in the next 5-7 days. Have fun.

 

[meatcleaver]

according to my calculations it'll be carbed to just a bit under 3 volumes. it'll be pretty spritzy but I doubt you will even have gushers. I wouldn't worry about it. lesson learned

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Throw 'em in the fridge after a couple weeks, or at least the ones that didn't take out half your house, and enjoy them after another week or so...wear safety glasses, a bomb suit, and a condom. A dental dam wouldn't be a bad idea either...can't be too cautious.

















You'll be fine, man. Cheers.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I recommend using this online calculator. It lets you choose the style of beer, current temperature, and total volume. This way, you can account for a lower volume. When I started, I didn't realize that each style would have a different level of desired carbonation..

http://www.northernbrewer.com/learn/resources/priming-sugar-calculator/

 

[unionrdr]

Many wheat ales, like German hefe's, have high carbonation volumes, like 3.5 or even higher. Since the average pop top can maybe handle 3.5 at the outside, I carbonate wheat's to 2.8 Vco2. This gives the sort of carbonation in the glass these ales are known over across the pond. Besides being at a volume the average pop-top bottle can tolerate.