Pet Bottle Over Carbing

[sicdog1]

hi there i have just checked my brew i put down about 4 weeks ago into coopers pet bottles and the lids are starting to tilt/buldge and the bottles are very hard. i did bulk primemy brew and am wordering if is ok to release the gas inside the bottles without risk of infection or the beer going flat? also i have a few new lids laying around can i use those ? as the other lids were used ones.
thanks sd

 

[Stove]

Yeah- will be fine to unscrew and let some gas out. Only if you let stuff IN will there be any infection problems.
Doesn't sound like there'll be much entering the bottle when the cap is loosened
Are the bottles refrigerated? If not, stick them in the fridge- cooler beer allows more CO2 to be dissolved so will relieve some of the pressure- often what feels like an over-carbed beer when warm (i.e. TIGHT bottle) loosens up considerably when chilled.

 

[sicdog1]

Yeah- will be fine to unscrew and let some gas out. Only if you let stuff IN will there be any infection problems.
Doesn't sound like there'll be much entering the bottle when the cap is loosened
Are the bottles refrigerated? If not, stick them in the fridge- cooler beer allows more CO2 to be dissolved so will relieve some of the pressure- often what feels like an over-carbed beer when warm (i.e. TIGHT bottle) loosens up considerably when chilled.

cheers stove for reply , will the beer need to remain in fridge for rest of conditioning life ? or can i reshelf in the shed again as this brew tastes like its got a while to go ?

 

[Stove]

Doesn't have to stay in fridge, but will taste way better for it.
Best place to condition the beer is in the fridge. I only usually leave it out long enough to carb up and then throw the whole batch into the fridge. Lucky I have a big beer fridge

 

[Nick JD]

Go into a supermarket and squeeze a Coke bottle on the shelf. Rock hard - they don't blow up. On Mythbusters IIRC they put 120 psi into one.

Fridge one down to 4C overnight and open it and pour it before you decide to fizz them off. And note that you can't get much fizz out before the volcano tries to come out the cap - so if they are over carbed, you'll want to fizz them off probably 2 or 3 times.

EDIT: ...and they'll take a couple of days to clear up again because the fizzing lifts the sediment.