In the clear for bottle bombs?

[ndhowlett]

When could one put aside his/her worry of bottle bombs? After 4 weeks at room temperature in the bottle, or longer? Maybe 6 weeks?

Just wondering, anyone with experience with this (first hand, or other) would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Yooper]

If they are probably bottled after fermentation is complete, you never have any reason to worry. I have glass bottles sitting right here almost right next to me.

If you bottle too early, you always have to keep an eye on them. It's never safe.

 

[ndhowlett]

Yeah, I had a little out of body experience, would rather not talk about that. From a thread I had discussed with members of this forum there is a risk of bottle bombs with what I did.

Any idea on how long until I can not worry about it?

 

[homebrewer_99]

As long as the fermentation is done and you don't over prime you'll never have to worry about bottle grenades.

 

[Yooper]

Yeah, I had a little out of body experience, would rather not talk about that. From a thread I had discussed with members of this forum there is a risk of bottle bombs with what I did.

Any idea on how long until I can not worry about it?

If it's fully carbonated, and you put them in the fridge, they might be ok. But, as time goes on, the risk will be greater and greater as the pressure builds. So, if you think you have a chance of bottle bombs, chill them and drink them fast. And keep them in a rubbermaid container to contain glass shards.

 

[ndhowlett]

They're in a rubbermaid container, but at room temperature.

By my calculation, though I'm still somewhat new, the yeast should run out of priming sugar/DME to eat and stop producing CO2. To better understand...... a beer that is bottled with proper amount of priming sugar will have the same carbonation level at 5 weeks as one from the same batch at 10 weeks, right? So my guess is that at about 5 weeks the yeast will have no more DME/priming sugar to eat and if a bottle has not burst that I am probably in the clear. To be safe I will wait until week 6 and pop a few to pour into a growler for a session as opposed to just getting the whole lot into the same "basket."

Thanks for the contiued help. Without this forum I would have made many many more mistakes.

 

[Yooper]

Well, I think your calculation is flawed because you are leaving out the fact that the brew wasn't done fermenting when you bottled (is that what you meant?).

So, at 6 weeks at room temperature, the pressure would be much greater than 2 weeks at room temperature and bottle bomb risk would increase.

so, check one. If it's carbonated adequately, put them ALL in a cold place or the fridge. Then you might be ok.

 

[ndhowlett]

No it was done fermenting, 2 weeks in primary, 2 weeks in secondary, but the issue was the DME I used for priming.

I didn't want to say this again because of how bad it is but... here goes. I dumped 3/4 cup DME right into my bottling bucket, hence the out of body experience. I don't know what happened, I was rushing maybe. I didn't dissolve it into boiling water. Anyways, I brought it up on homebrewtalk and the senior guys were worried about inconsistant levels of carbonation and possible bottle bombs. I stirred it up to the point that there were no clumps in the bottling bucket, and it appeared to be evenly distributed throughout the beer.

Up until today, which is two weeks after bottling, I haven't had any problems. Only got about a case and a half because I'm a newb and lots of trub. Actually the carbonation level has been great!!! Nice full one inch head with a good smooth pour and tilted glass. It tastes great too. Today however I had a little guy (sierra nevada bottle) not gush but come out a little, or simply it was overcarbonated. I had put the 1/2 case into the fridge to slow carbonation. I took the remaining four bottles out of the fridge today, popped open and put them into a growler with the top slightly loose for safety purposes. The remaining bottles are in the basement in a rubermaid container at room temperature.

Where do I go from here?

 

[ndhowlett]

Just got this message from Eddie:

Have you had any burst on you? If they've been setting at >60F for more than...say...two weeks then you've passed the point where bottle bombs are a concern. In fact, I'd take the opportunity to "sample" the goods to see just how things are progressing.

 

[Yooper]

Oh, gotcha. I didn't realize that was you! The only problem you might have then is uneven carbonation. If you didn't have an issue with it, then you're probably fine. Still, once you're happy with the carbonation, I'd chill those babies!