Is this normal? 9 day old beer

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seabrew8

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Hey folks, i bottled a 7 day old coopers bitter friday and because the bottles are nearly clear already i decided to open one today - i don't want bottle bombs.

The beer is actually slighty carbed already after 36 or so hours in the bottle! Do you think i might have bottle bombs?

The gravity reached 1.010 a day before i bottled it.

Note: I bottled this early because it was an open fermentation and the krausen dropped. I would of waited a few more days if i had an airlock.
 
Two SG readings of 1.010, a couple of days apart, nothing to worry about. 1.010 seems like a good final gravity, but each fermentation can be slightly different. Yeast should go through the priming sugar in a few days to produce some CO2. Check another bottle in a week. Keep the bottles in a protected area just in case.

Sanitized plastic wrap, with pin hole, taped over the airlock bung can substitute for an air lock. Hole needs to be small to keep something like fruit flies from getting through.
 
What did you prime with, dextrose or cane sugar or something else? Never had problems my self but heard cane sugar can lead to bottle bombs.
I have also had beer that is acceptably carbonated to drink with 5 or 6 days(tho not ideal) so I would say you've got nothing to worry about. I would echo the above comment that putting it in a protected area just in case is always good peace of mind.
 
Glass bottles are for the birds. Get yourself some PET bottles and you will never even have to consider this problem again.
 
Never had problems my self but heard cane sugar can lead to bottle bombs.


I'd have to disagree with this statement. Any priming sugar can result in bottle bombs. The only way to avoid bombs is to wait for fermentation to finish and bottle with an appropriate amount of priming sugar.
 
I'd say if you bottled after 7 days without checking to see if gravity is stable, you have a realistic chance of bottle bombs. Take whatever precautions you can with these bottles, including storing and handling. I hope I'm wrong, and I apologize for the negativity. Good luck.
 
In my experiences with Cooper's English bitter, 1.010 to 1.012 is a completely normal FG. Sometimes, complete fermentation can happen in very short order. I've had rehydrated Cooper's ale yeast finish & start clearing in 11 days. Rehydrated S-04 in 10 days. So this is within the realm of possibility. A healthy yeast pitched within 10 degrees of wort temp & kept in the yeast's favorite temp range can cause this to happen. Faster can be better in terms of beer flavor quality. But another week or two in the bottles will only improve it. And the English Bitter seems to like 7 days + in the fridge by my experiences. Had some bottles of my latest batch of this over the holiday weekend. Crystal clear with good bittering & head after a week+ fridge time.
 
Nothing has exploded yet :D I really can't remember beer ever finishing this fast before though, its already clear today in the bottles!

i brewed dozens of kit beers in my late teens and early 20's. I'm 36 now.

Anyone remeber brewmix? Cheap kit beer it was only like 5 or 6 bucks at the time!
 
Glass bottles are for the birds. Get yourself some PET bottles and you will never even have to consider this problem again.

Pass... Something about beer in plastic. :mug:

I'm actually going to get my keg system back up and running soon, i have 5 kegs!
 
Pass... Something about beer in plastic. :mug:

I'm actually going to get my keg system back up and running soon, i have 5 kegs!

The problem with plastic, I assure you, is merely intracranial. There are dudes winning awards from beer made in better bottles and fast fermenters.
 
You should find out what the expected FG should be for that kit and compare with your FG. 1.010 seems very reasonable for a finished beer. Not many kits will finish lower than that.
 
Do these seal reliably if left for 2 or 3 months?

At least the one I have do. They are green, 750ml pressure bottles that I save when I buy strong cider. They've got plastic screw caps. I've reused them about 10 times now. I must have over 100 of them.
 
When I was still using the Cooper's bottles, they stayed sealed for some 8 months plus. no worries. Just get the caps screwed on tight.
 
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