Carbonation Right Out Of Primary Fermenter... Problem?

[johnno1]

Hi guys,

My first post!

I'm very new to home brewing and just bottled my third brew. I noticed when i was bottling that this time round the beer seemed to be quite carbonated straight out of the fermenter (in comparison to the first 2 that I did), I shook one of the bottles up and it fizzed a bit and afterwards the (PET) bottle seemed a little pressurised. The first two brews i did appeared to be completely flat when i bottled them so im just a bit worried about exploding bottles (i primed with carb drops as well).

The batch in question is a Canadienne India Pale Ale with a blend of LDM, dextrose and maltodextrin, and my first time using Safale yeast, kept at 20-23 degrees. The first 2 batches were lagers with kit yeast.

Airlock activity was far more subdued than the lager brews, and had all but ceased for a good few days before bottling (even though SG was still slowly getting lower). Final SG was also higher than the lagers (1.015).

Hows she looking Doc?

 

[Macca17]

Did you take gravity readings over a few days with no change ?, as it sounds like it hasn't finished fermenting yet.

 

[Scruffy]

Hows she looking Doc?

Fine!

How's she tasting?

(Hi Johnno BTW!) :icon_cheers:

 

[manticle]

Hi guys,

My first post!

I'm very new to home brewing and just bottled my third brew. I noticed when i was bottling that this time round the beer seemed to be quite carbonated straight out of the fermenter (in comparison to the first 2 that I did), I shook one of the bottles up and it fizzed a bit and afterwards the (PET) bottle seemed a little pressurised. The first two brews i did appeared to be completely flat when i bottled them so im just a bit worried about exploding bottles (i primed with carb drops as well).

The batch in question is a Canadienne India Pale Ale with a blend of LDM, dextrose and maltodextrin, and my first time using Safale yeast, kept at 20-23 degrees. The first 2 batches were lagers with kit yeast.

Airlock activity was far more subdued than the lager brews, and had all but ceased for a good few days before bottling (even though SG was still slowly getting lower). Final SG was also higher than the lagers (1.015).

Hows she looking Doc?

How did you know 1015 was it? I'm with Macca.

 

[buttersd70]

... with a blend of LDM, dextrose and maltodextrin

.... Final SG was also higher than the lagers (1.015).

How much of each? volume? OG?

stable over several days?

 

[petesbrew]

How much of each? volume? OG?

stable over several days?

Yeah, how long was it brewing for?
I take the carbonation signs as it was still fermenting.
Are they in plastic bottles? Just make sure they're covered, in case you have any bottle bombs.

 

[Pennywise]

As above, quantities of the fermentables? Batch Volume? Although I reckon even if it wasn't quite finished, 1015 with any brew that has LDME & maltodextrin it wasn't far off, and being an IPA (I'm guessing you're following a recipe here?, maybe a BC one?) you'll end up with a higher gravinty anyway.

Just a thought though, could it just have been co2 coming out of solution from a change in temp? Did it have bubbles like a bottled beer or just a little bit, cause most or all of my hydro samples have some bubbles in them.

 

[johnno1]

Not sure of the blend, it was a 1kg bag of "Brew Booster" unfortunately the bag is long gone, but i think its by Brewers Choice? OG was about 1.037 and slowed to almost unnoticeable changes for the last few days, didnt appear to have moved at all in the final 24 hours before bottling. It wasnt quite as bubbly as a fully finished beer but was definitely more carbonated than ive seen before. Oh and it tasted great!

In the event that a bottle does explode, is there any benefit to slightly opening the bottles partway through secondary carbonation to let a little of the pressure out, or will this ruin things?

[EDIT: it was a standard 23L batch]

 

[manticle]

You can degas the bottles but you'll have to replace the seals.

 

[dpadden]

You can degas the bottles but you'll have to replace the seals.

no need to replace, PET lids can be re-used a number of times.

 

[manticle]

Really? i thought the seals were no good for any decent length of time once broken?

I use crown seals so I apologise if I've led anyone astray.

 

[buttersd70]

no need to replace, PET lids can be re-used a number of times.

yeah, heaps of times, if not abused.

BUT, was that FG consistant over a several days, or are you relying on the always-lying-spawn-of-satan-airlock-bubbling?

 

[Tony M]

I noticed when i was bottling that this time round the beer seemed to be quite carbonated straight out of the fermenter (in comparison to the first 2 that I did), I shook one of the bottles up and it fizzed a bit and afterwards the (PET) bottle seemed a little pressurised. The first two brews i did appeared to be completely flat when i bottled them so im just a bit worried about exploding bottles (i primed with carb drops as well).

Depending on your fermentation temp, there will be gas in your beer at end of fermentation and you should use this knowledge when doing your priming calcs. Read this.
http://www.brewery.org/library/YPrimerMH.html
remember though that if the beer warms up after ferment and before capping, (ie, putting into hot bottles)you will lose some gas.

 

[johnno1]

To buttersd70,

OG was about 1.037 and slowed to almost unnoticeable changes for the last few days, didnt appear to have moved at all in the final 24 hours before bottling.

I was refering to the SG here, and not the airlock so yes, sg was constant for about 24 hours



And Tony M, thanks for the Priming article, dont have time to read it all right now but i know it will be some valuable information, so cheers!

 

[buttersd70]

I was refering to the SG here, and not the airlock so yes, sg was constant for about 24 hours

Good lad.

It's either one of 2 things....either,
there was residual post-fermentation CO2; or
primary fermentation was not complete.

Either way, don't worry. Take a bottle, shake it to make it cloudy, and put it in a very warm spot, say 30C. (a small cupboard with a bottle of hot water in it will suffice if theres no other option).....rouse the yeast daily for 3 days....then after 6 days, chill it down....on the seventh, open it and pour it.

If the carb is OK, or if it under carbed: the batch will be fine. Don't worry.
If it's really really fizzy: vent the rest of the batch, by loosening the caps, leaving for 10mins or so, then recapping. Then repeat the test, but shorten it to 2 days rousing, chill on the 4th, and open on the 5th day. Repeat, untill the tester is either carbed OK, or slightly under expectation.

 

[johnno1]

Take a bottle, shake it to make it cloudy, and put it in a very warm spot, say 30C. (a small cupboard with a bottle of hot water in it will suffice if theres no other option).....rouse the yeast daily for 3 days....then after 6 days, chill it down....on the seventh, open it and pour it.

If the carb is OK, or if it under carbed: the batch will be fine. Don't worry.
If it's really really fizzy: vent the rest of the batch, by loosening the caps, leaving for 10mins or so, then recapping. Then repeat the test, but shorten it to 2 days rousing, chill on the 4th, and open on the 5th day. Repeat, untill the tester is either carbed OK, or slightly under expectation.

Interesting method... what do you mean by rousing the yeast? I think the easiest way for me to keep it warm would be to put it in a bucket half filled with water and an aquarium heater set to 30C, are you saying it should be kept at the temp for the full 6 days? or just while 'rousing the yeast'