GB brew, Urgent Help Needed (newbie)

[saxonhall]

Hey Crew,

So I’ve just bottled my first batch of Ginger Beer using a Copper Tun kit. To get straight to the point, I’ve just realised I think I’ve bottled with the SG to high?

My reading was stable for 2 days through day 8 -9 at what I can read as 1.030, (see attachment) from reading further today through the forum, this is way to high? Even know it was stable for 2 days like the instructions said?

So the batch is fully bottled, in glass bottle in the shed, and I’m shitting my self, (1) because I was super excited for it to be ready, and I have a feeling I might have to throw out (2) I’ve potentially have ticking time bombs in my shed.

My ingredients where:

1 x Ginger Beer Copper Tun Kit
an Extra 0.5kg raw sugar
Extra half a cup of fresh great ginger boiled down and strained into mix.

My questions are:

(1) What are my options throw out, leave, poor back in and keep fermenting?
(2) What should my SG be at roughly to know that it has finished?
(3) Any other important pointers I should know.

Thanks so much for any help, sounds like it’s a great community here, and please don’t flog me, this is my first attempt.

Cheers,

Sax

 

[syl]

I don't make Ginger Beers, but it sounds like a stuck ferment. 1030 is way too high for bottling.

Isn't Ginger Beer supposed to be very dry? If so I would think you would be looking at a FG of less than 1010?

 

[saxonhall]

I don't make Ginger Beers, but it sounds like a stuck ferment. 1030 is way too high for bottling.

Isn't Ginger Beer supposed to be very dry? If so I would think you would be looking at a FG of less than 1010?

Thats what Im thinking (now I actually read up about it) whats my options? can it be added back into the fermenter and keep the ball rolling?

 

[robbo5253]

What was your SG?
Have you checked the hydrometer in water at 20 degrees to confirm it is calibrated (should read 1.000

Cheers

Robbo

 

[Alex.Tas]

how much priming sugar did you use for each bottle, and what was the size of the bottles? Is that hydrometer sample taken from a primed bottle, or from the fermenter?

Edit, yeah you can add it back to the barrel. just try not to slosh it around when emptying it (as this adds oxygen). also make sure everything is sanitised obviously.

 

[saxonhall]

What was your SG?
Have you checked the hydrometer in water at 20 degrees to confirm it is calibrated (should read 1.000
Cheers
Robbo

Ill check that now robbo, (the answers no by the way) :S

 

[saxonhall]

how much priming sugar did you use for each bottle, and what was the size of the bottles? Is that hydrometer sample taken from a primed bottle, or from the fermenter?

Stubbies, 375mm, the guy at the home brew store gave me a little red measuring device, small scoop for stubbies, bigger scoop for long necks, that picture of measurement was taken just before bottling, also took a bottle out of shed this morning and measured and gave the same reading.

Cheers

 

[saxonhall]

What was your SG?
Have you checked the hydrometer in water at 20 degrees to confirm it is calibrated (should read 1.000
Cheers
Robbo

SG is at 1.000 in water at 20deg so it is correctly calibrated,

Cheers,

S

 

[big78sam]

You could do a forced fermentation test. Just loosen the lid of one bottle (so it doesn't explode) and put in in a warm spot for a few days. It should kick off fermentation again and once it's done you can measure the SG and see how low it could potentially finish at, If you google forced fermentation test you'll get better instructions than those I've given but that's the gist of it.

Also have you given the hydrometer a spin while it's sitting in the ginger beer? If you don't do this you can sometimes get a dodgy reading.

I would have expected the reading from the bottle to be higher as you've added more sugar to the bottles. Did you have much carbonation when you opened one of the bottles from the shed?

 

[saxonhall]

You could do a forced fermentation test. Just loosen the lid of one bottle (so it doesn't explode) and put in in a warm spot for a few days. It should kick off fermentation again and once it's done you can measure the SG and see how low it could potentially finish at, If you google forced fermentation test you'll get better instructions than those I've given but that's the gist of it.

Also have you given the hydrometer a spin while it's sitting in the ginger beer? If you don't do this you can sometimes get a dodgy reading.

I would have expected the reading from the bottle to be higher as you've added more sugar to the bottles. Did you have much carbonation when you opened one of the bottles from the shed?

Cheers,

Ill look into the forced fermentation test, I did give the hydrometer a spin to make sure the no bubbles, and its sitting a news dick below 1.030. Its only been bottled for 1-2 days, yes there was a bit of carbonation when I opened the bottle.

 

[saxonhall]

I've read up about people bottling at 1.020 and having no problem, is there any chance/hope that they could be fine? Im located in Tasmania, the temperature down here really isn't that warm in the shed, or are they still going to keep fermenting regardless?

 

[saxonhall]

Found this over at home brewtalk.com with pretty much the exact same problem, and this was someones solution:


"I would let them carb for one week. Chill one bottle for 48 hours, and sample. Check for overall carb level and gushers. Remember that it is normal for young beer to act like a gusher if it is still in the process of carbonating.

If the bottle gushes, or if the head is HUGE, but the beer itself is still flat, or not overly bubbly, then you are probably OK. This is normal for beer partway through the carbing process. The yeast has made a bunch of CO2, but it has not been absorbed back into the beer yet. If it gushes, and the beer itself is overcarbonated, then you will need to vent pressure.

This can be done by spraying the tops of the bottles with a contact sanitizer (like Star San), waiting one minute, opening the top to release excess pressure, and re-capping. Since you used Grolsch bottles, this is as easy as releasing the metal band, lifting the lid, and then immediately re-closing the bottle. 


If your test bottle is still completely flat, check another one in 2 to 3 days. Keep checking every 2 to 3 days until you find properly carbonated or over-carbonated beer. 



Also, it would be a good idea to put your bottles into a large plastic tupperware tub, heavy trash bags, or some other containment device, until you are more certain that you are not storing a case of beer-grenades!"


Newbie questions:

(1) whats 'gusher'
(2) carb level tested by personal opinion, or some sort of tool?

Cheers,

S

 

[Alex.Tas]

1) gusher is a bottle that gushes out the top of the bottle, or gives a tonne of head when poured
2) carb level is tested by you looking at the beer once its poured.

if you are gonna do a forced fermentation test and are worried about your other bottles exploding in the meantime, put them under the house if you can. I'm in Tassie too, and the temp under there is probably around 8 degrees usually. it wont stop the bottles conditioning, but it will slow it down. if you have space in an esky or something, try that with some ice.
Launnie can be damn foggy and its not nearly as tropical as Hobart :lol: so maybe if you dont have a warm spot in the house, try putting your forced fermentation bottle near the water cylinder.

 

[Not For Horses]

Tropical Hobart?? I think not

 

[bum]

is there any chance/hope that they could be fine?

Nope. 1030 would be a suitable OG (yes, OG) if one was aiming for a ~4% bottle conditioned GB. Do not hang on to these beers. Get them all (yes, all) into the fridge and drink them ASAP or tip them. Not worth stuffing around with, mate. Do not wait to see what happens. Or hear, as the case may be.

 

[GalBrew]

I've read up about people bottling at 1.020 and having no problem

Only if at 1.020 there are no fermentables left.

 

[saxonhall]

1) gusher is a bottle that gushes out the top of the bottle, or gives a tonne of head when poured
2) carb level is tested by you looking at the beer once its poured.

if you are gonna do a forced fermentation test and are worried about your other bottles exploding in the meantime, put them under the house if you can. I'm in Tassie too, and the temp under there is probably around 8 degrees usually. it wont stop the bottles conditioning, but it will slow it down. if you have space in an esky or something, try that with some ice.
Launnie can be damn foggy and its not nearly as tropical as Hobart :lol: so maybe if you dont have a warm spot in the house, try putting your forced fermentation bottle near the water cylinder.

Thanks Alex,

Yeah im not getting the point of a forced fermentation? to see what the FG will get down to? That still will not solve my problem of Bottle Bombs any second now, haha.

 

[saxonhall]

Nope. 1030 would be a suitable OG (yes, OG) if one was aiming for a ~4% bottle conditioned GB. Do not hang on to these beers. Get them all (yes, all) into the fridge and drink them ASAP or tip them. Not worth stuffing around with, mate. Do not wait to see what happens. Or hear, as the case may be.

Hey Bum, so your saying forget even bothering to try and force ferment, unseal/recap etc? and just chuck straight in the fridge and drink?

(1) What is the sole purpose of the 4 weeks sitting in shed? is it just carbonation? or for flavour as well? (personally the one I have tested already was carbonated and wasn't tasting awful lets out it that way)
(2) If the bottles are taken out of the fridge, can the fermentation start back up again.
(3) can you get sick from drinking ginger beer thats not yet finished fermentation?

Currently have them all sitting in eskies in the coldest part of the shed I can find?

Cheers,

S

 

[saxonhall]

Bottle Bomb, just out of interest, what gives first? The cap or glass?

 

[bum]

Hey Bum, so your saying forget even bothering to try and force ferment

Yeah. The yeasties will be munching away at the batch while the fast ferment is going on. The horse will have already bolted by the time you learn anything useful, if such a thing might happen from a fast ferment test in this situation - I'm dubious. We know it is bottled too early. Not sure what the value is.

unseal/recap etc?

Not being bottled so very early. Look at it this way - you've done the equivalent of over-priming by 8 times the usual amount. Not worth stuffing around with the risk of the recapping process, IMO.

and just chuck straight in the fridge and drink?

Yeah. Or tip it. Don't think about letting it ferment out in the bottle. I wouldn't think about tipping it back into the fermenter but you could try it, I guess.

(1) What is the sole purpose of the 4 weeks sitting in shed? is it just carbonation? or for flavour as well? (personally the one I have tested already was carbonated and wasn't tasting awful lets out it that way)

Yeah, flavour as well. I find that kit GBs aren't in their prime for months. You should not let these bottles sit around for months. I strongly suspect they couldn't survive that long anyway.

(2) If the bottles are taken out of the fridge, can the fermentation start back up again.

Yep.

(3) can you get sick from drinking ginger beer thats not yet finished fermentation?

Nope. Some people have a higher sensitivity to yeast though and there will be more in the GB so young.

Currently have them all sitting in eskies in the coldest part of the shed I can find?

I still see a real safety issue. Your call to make.