Accidental Overpriming: Which Bottles Can Handle It?

[parktho]

Today I bulk primed a small batch of beer (my first AG using BIAB with a terrible efficiency) and several things happened which caused me to lose some beer, hence lessening the volume I had used to calculate my carbonation levels.

As I normally do, I'd already dissolved the sugar in some of the beer, boiled it for 5 minutes, added it to my cube and started the transfer, so there was no going back. Basically, instead of 10.1 L, I ended up bottling only 7.35 L (I know - a lot of room for improvement).

This means, instead of the 3.0 volumes of CO2 I wanted, I'm expecting 4.0. I bottled in Matilda Bay Fat Yak bottles (I normally throw my brews down in the last couple of cartons I've been drinking). My question is, will the bottles handle it?

And it might help to post here the carbonation limits for other types of bottles that people use - it would be a handy reference.

Btw, as an aside, I noticed that most people let their sugar solution cool before adding it to the cube. Is it a major issue if you don't? I would've thought the volume of the sugar solution is negligible compared to the volume of the whole ferment.

Thomas.

 

[Pennywise]

Can't help with the pressure limits of the bottles (would like to know though as I too use the FY bottles, among others), but I'd be ripping the caps off in a few days and re-capping to let some pressure out, regardless if the bottles can handle them, it's not what you wanted and 1 vol is a fair diffierence.

 

[hsb]

One reason to cool the sugar solution before adding would be to avoid killing (some of) the yeast needed for carbonation.

I can't imagine there is a list defining what bottles can take in terms of carbonation - at least not a publically available one - too many variables and too much danger involved.

4 volumes is mighty fizzy beer, I agree with uncapping to release some CO2, irrespective of the potential bottle bomb issue.

Do you have PET bottles you could use? Might be less hassle?

 

[DU99]

grolsch type bottles

 

[going down a hill]

+1 to caps
Just twist it a 1/4 turn and re tighten, simple but effective. You will enjoy drinking it as well as it not taking your eye out.

 

[pimpsqueak]

I know this doesn't exactly help you now, but should it ever happen again, just let it ferment out (assuming you're using a sealable fermenter for your bulk priming). It shouldn't take long to ferment out, then you can re-prime with the correct amount of sugaz, then bottle.

 

[Jazzafish]

That is a shame mate, the only way to save the beer is to vent the bottles.

Next time, measure the volume and temperature of your beer before adding priming sugar. I normally have a dedicated bottling bucket.

 

[mkstalen]

Like everyone else has said I agree with uncapping to release some CO2. You're certain to get bottle bombs if you don't.

4 CO2 vols is a hall of a lot for beer. (I think soda is only about 3.5)

http://www.homebrew.com/pdfs/CO2chart.pdf

If you have a look at this you're probably going to be storing your beer for carbonation at aroun 20 degrees C, which is 68F, off this chart. But from my fudgy reading and pseudo math I'd be equating that to about 45-50 psi in the bottle at that temp. Apparently champagne bottles typically hold 60-90psi, but they're a lot thicker than your Fat Yak bottles. In addition to this I've seen references to paper published by some smarty-pants MIT researcher that brown bottles can burst as low as 20 psi but this is pretty extreme.

 

[argon]

Btw, as an aside, I noticed that most people let their sugar solution cool before adding it to the cube. Is it a major issue if you don't? I would've thought the volume of the sugar solution is negligible compared to the volume of the whole ferment.

Thomas.

I no longer bulk prime... but when i did i never worried about cooling the boiled sugar priming solution. The very small amount of sugar priming solution will only bump the temp up a very small amount.

In your case i assume you bottle cold (if not you should) 7.35L wort @ 4C + 250mL sugar priming solution @ 95C = 7.6L @ 7C... hardly worth worrying about.

In future if you were to do full size batches... 23L @ 4C + 250mL @ 95C = 5C

 

[QldKev]

Did you add it to the 10.1L and only bottle 7.35 and leave/dump the remaining beer,

OR was the sugar dissolved into just the 7.35L of beer

QldKev

 

[alfadog]

Good work on the first All Grain! don't worry too much I have stuffed up my fair share of brews one way or another.

 

[the_new_darren]

Which bottles can handle it?

The ones that don't go BANG!!

tnd

 

[raven19]

Bottle bombs are indeed dangerous. Vent or remove caps then cover with some foil till fermented out then reprime and cap.

 

[Bubba]

Bottle bombs are bad.

Grolsch swingtops will let excessive pressure out, and PET will take a lot of pressure although they can still split but will not be anywhere near as dangerous as glass.
I would not use recycled 750m bottles where you can see a seam or glass join, and that is probably 70% of the commercial bottles out there!

 

[raven19]

Grolsch swingtops will let excessive pressure out...

Not in my experience, certainly they did not shatter and explode, more akin to shearing the bottoms off the bottles stored in the hot shed many years ago iirc. Still explosive glass is bloody dangerous!

 

[Muscovy_333]

I no longer bulk prime... but when i did i never worried about cooling the boiled sugar priming solution. The very small amount of sugar priming solution will only bump the temp up a very small amount.

In your case i assume you bottle cold (if not you should) 7.35L wort @ 4C + 250mL sugar priming solution @ 95C = 7.6L @ 7C... hardly worth worrying about.

In future if you were to do full size batches... 23L @ 4C + 250mL @ 95C = 5C

I'm with Argon.

I never cool my bulk prime additions. I just solublise dextrose in boiling water at 9g/Litre, dump it in and give it a shake to wake up the beast and make sure the sugar syrup doesnt fall straight to the bottom.

A bit rough and ready. The only time it has let me down is when i did not give it a shake and ended up with a super-carbed first dozen, and a sleepy remainder.


If you re-use your bottles then tend to weaken over time as well.

crack em and re-cap. They will have a lovely Co2 blanket on them after a few days.

 

[Florian]

So what's a Hefeweizen normally carbed at? On carbonation calculators it suggests 3.6 to 4.5 volumes. If that's the case for commercial ones then the 'normal' euro bottles (.33L and .5L) should be able to handle it, as that's what it usually comes in. Not sure about FY bottles though, better to be safe than sorry.

 

[hoppy2B]

I heard a news report or read in the paper a few years back about how many people are killed in China annually by exploding beer bottles. The figure was in the thousands! I was stunned. They are indeed dangerous Raven.

 

[michael_aussie]

I heard a news report or read in the paper a few years back about how many people are killed in China annually by exploding beer bottles. The figure was in the thousands! I was stunned. They are indeed dangerous Raven.

Chinese population = 1.4billion people.

They wouldn't even notice a few thousand less.

A woman in China has a baby every 2 minutes.
If they could find and stop this woman .. their over-population problems would be solved.

.. or they could just make more home brew and wipe themselves out with bottle bombs.

 

[pyrosx]

Did you add it to the 10.1L and only bottle 7.35 and leave/dump the remaining beer,

OR was the sugar dissolved into just the 7.35L of beer

QldKev

QFT

Bottles probably won't be exploding... everyone can go back to yell at SiloTed now