Too much priming sugar?

[debaniel]

and I ask for help/advice once again... this new hobby certainly is a learning experience.


bottled yesterday, added 3/4 cup of corn sugar to 2 cups of water, boiled and added to the beer, then realized that with this first batch, I've actually only got a little under 4 gallons of beer... probably 3.7 gallons of beer...


So, the age-old question - are these bottle bombs?


my plan is to keep an eye on 'em, crack one every 2 days or so and see how they are, and put 'em in the fridge as soon as they are carbed... if they start foaming really bad, I guess I might have to crack 'em all and re-cap?


Thanks

 

[homebrewer_99]

Depending on the conditioning temp I'd probably would check the first one in 5 days.

As long as the FG was achieved the little too much CS you used should not result in grenades if you put them in the fridge as planned.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

But have a mop and big sponge ready.

Or drink them all before they explode

 

[debaniel]

temp is about 75...

OG was 1.090, used Wyeast 1214, and the FG stayed at 1.022 for over 7 days... at the attenuation (and alcohol tolerance) for that strain of yeast, I figured it wasn't going to go any lower...

 

[malkore]

that's not that bad. i would not expect bottle bombs. but I would expect VERY carbonated beer. some might even geyser a little.

 

[BierMuncher]

Once you open a bottle and it tastes just right...crash chill all those bottles to knock down the yeast. THat will go a long way to suspend further carbonation.

 

[Joker]

Or send each one of us a beer and limit your risk.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Seems like a pretty strong brew. You shouldn't run into any problems except excess gas (bubbles).

 

[debaniel]

Awesome... thanks for the wisdom and encouragement...

so I guess a stronger brew doesn't have quite as much risk of bottle bombs? higher alcohol content cutting down on active yeast?


yeah, i decided to jump head first into this new hobbie... pieced together a Belgian Strong Ale recipe with specialty grains, candi sugar and honey for batch #1... and have learned a TON with this first round...

 

[homebrewer_99]

Bottle grenades have nothing to do with the strength of the brew. It has more to do with the differences between the OG and FG.

As long as the beer has fermented out about 75% it should be done fermenting.

Adding (excessive) priming sugar to any brew may cause overcarbonation problems. The key is catching the proper conditioned time and placing the bottles in the fridge to retard any further fermentation.

 

[debaniel]

aha... thanks - i knew that bottling too soon would have explosive results, just wasn't sure as to whether the alcohol content came into play at all...

looking forward to the finished product - tasted great before adding the priming sugar!

thanks

 

[debaniel]

Just an update for anybody who finds the information useful - I checked a bottle on Thursday (4 days after bottling) and there was only a slight hint of carbonation. After sitting in a glass for 3 minutes, the slight hint was gone, and I was left with flat beer... So, no immediate worries for explosive carbonation, but I will of course keep an eye on it, and stick all the bottles in the fridge when the desired results are achieved.