What if there was no head space in a sealed

[mmead]

bottle. The yeast lives but there is no space to accept the gas. If it produces gas wouldn't that gas have to compress the liquid to be introduced into the enviroment? I know, I should have learned this in physics. Perhaps it is a state where molecules are exchanged from liquid to gas. I would call this an unhappy fermentation.

 

[weirdboy]

The CO2 compresses in the headspace and builds up pressure. Over time, some of this CO2 dissolves back into the liquid until either the system reaches a steady state, or the bottle explodes.

 

[AmandaK]

1) Water cannot be compressed under normal circumstances (the deepest depths of the ocean is an exception). Beer is mostly water, so it will not compress.

2) My guess is that the yeast will not produce CO2, due to being under a high pressure (more like having no space to fart). Which is probably why you need around 1" of head space for proper carbonation.

 

[RockSlice]

From what I know of dissolving gases, it should still carbonate. The CO2 gets produced in solution anyway, then normally bubbles out into the headspace, increasing pressure until equilibrium is raised enough. Almost no volume on the headspace shouldn't prevent carbonation, as the dissolved CO2 takes up way more space as a gas anyway.

The danger, imo, is rather that without headspace, the pressure levels have less buffer space, and have more chance of causing a bottle bomb.

 

[Sulli]

I read somewhere that pressure as low as 20 psi can kill yeast.

 

[Malticulous]

If you keep it cool it probably will be fine. You need that buffer for temp and atmospheric changes.