Too much headspace in bottled beer?

[BrewRI]

I figured that if you don't leave enough space the beer will probably explode, but are there any negative effects to leaving extra head space from worry about a bottle exploding.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Possible oxidation depending on how active the yeast gets during re-fermentation in the bottle. That just means you need to drink the beer faster

 

[BrewRI]

Cool, now also the last batch I made took too long to carbonate because it was kind of cold where the bottles were. Now I cut out one side of a cardboard box and made a sort of igloo and the hole is put up next to a heater in the wall so it should be warmer. Is there a point at which the beer could become too warm and either overcarbonate or develop off flavors and aromas?

 

[ArcaneXor]

You don't want to go above 80 degrees - beyond that point, staling reactions really start taking off. I like to carbonate in the 75-78 range when possible.

 

[jmo88]

You're overreacting. Warmer bottles doesn't mean you'll get bottle bombs, nor does not having enough head space. If you use your bottling wand and fill to the top, when you remove the wand it will have adequate head space for carbonation. If you don't over prime the bottles with too much sugar and the fermentation is in fact complete, you will not have bottle bombs. If you leave too much head space in the bottles, your beer will taste like satan's anus. I bottled a beer only halfway once and it was so spoiled with oxidation it was utterly repulsive.

Prime according to temperature and style, keep your bottles at 70F for three weeks, Voila – beer.

 

[bdleedahl]

If you use your bottling wand and fill to the top, when you remove the wand it will have adequate head space for carbonation.

just do this and you can't go wrong

 

[chefd60]

just do this and you can't go wrong

That's how I do it!!

 

[scrambledegg81]

If you leave too much head space in the bottles, your beer will taste like satan's anus.

Excellent analogy, that. :cross:


As mentioned above, just fill until you're just shy of the first lip on the bottle and you're fine. Bombs are caused by bottling too soon (i.e. active yeast with sugars still left over when bottling) or lack of sanitation.

RDWHAHB