PET bottle lid question

[Newbie123]

I have some beer in PET bottles conditioning in a cupboard. They've been in there for 9 days so far. When I put them in I made sure the lids were all tight. I checked them today and nearly all the lids could be turned a bit more.

Is this normal?

And does this mean CO2 has been able to escape out of the bottles? (The reason I ask is they aren't as hard as I expected them to be!)

 

[freisste]

You are probably fine. The plastic will relax a little bit and allow a little more deflection in the tabs that grab the threads of the neck.

Are the bottles getting hard? Not a huge deal if not as conditioning and carbonation takes time, but I would think there would be at least some CO2 in there by now. If they are getting hard you are fine. If not, wait longer. What is the temp in your cupboard?

 

[Revvy]

I just read about it last week from one of our members. I guess it's common with screw top bottles, the upwards pressure of the co2 forces the caps to unthread themselves. I guess the recommendation is to check them every couple days initially and crank them back tight if they are loose.

 

[freisste]

Hmmm. I never would have thought of that. Because of the pitch of the threads, all of the mechanical advantage is going toward keeping the lid on....

On the other hand, I suppose seeing is believing. Thanks, Rev.

 

[Revvy]

Hmmm. I never would have thought of that. Because of the pitch of the threads, all of the mechanical advantage is going toward keeping the lid on....

On the other hand, I suppose seeing is believing. Thanks, Rev.

I never heard about it until someone mentioned it last week. Surprised me too. BUT I believe there's no such thing as a coincidence. If even 2 people are reporting the same phenomena, then there must be some merit to it.

 

[Newbie123]

The temp in the cupboard is about 20C. They are definitely a bit harder than when I bottled them.

How long do you think it'll take to get properly carbonated? I could increase the temp a bit if needed.

 

[freisste]

We say 3 weeks at 70f is a minimum. You are at 68f. Try one 3 weeks after bottling. If you like it, good; if not, wait longer.

Or drink it all today. It is entirely up to you. The guidelines suggested on here deliver good results to the person making the suggestion. If they taste the way you want them to today, drink up. You are making beer for personal consumption, so you are the best (only?) judge.

 

[Revvy]

We say 3 weeks at 70f is a minimum. You are at 68f. Try one 3 weeks after bottling. If you like it, good; if not, wait longer.

Or drink it all today. It is entirely up to you. The guidelines suggested on here deliver good results to the person making the suggestion. If they taste the way you want them to today, drink up. You are making beer for personal consumption, so you are the best (only?) judge.

If these are 16 or 22 ounce pet bottles, make it a minimum 4 weeks. The larger the bottle the longer it takes.

 

[Newbie123]

Sorry should have mentioned they are 500ml bottles.

Was planning to leave them 3 weeks...

 

[707]

Make that 3 people this has happened to. Was checking my stash the other day and found a couple loose caps out of maybe a dozen. The beer taste fine from one bottle. I was afraid it might have gone flat, but was not the case.

 

[freisste]

If these are 16 or 22 ounce pet bottles, make it a minimum 4 weeks. The larger the bottle the longer it takes.

Good call. I'm so used to 12 oz bottles that I forget larger bottles are common. BTW, 500 ml is 16.9 oz, so count on more like 4 weeks as Revvy mentioned.

 

[Newbie123]

Ok 4 weeks it is then....