1st Batch Help

How much priming sugar did you use exactly? What style beer is it?

 

How did you determine the correct amount of priming sugar for 5 gallons? Go to that same calculator and change the beer volume to 4 gallons, then change the 'desired CO2 volumes' (or whatever it's called in that particular calculator) upward until the 'required sugar' matches the amount you used. That will tell you how many volumes of CO2 to expect with the sugar amount you used.

If you hadn't used a calculator and just pitched an unknown weight of sugar (that perhaps came with a kit), that's going to be harder, unless there's some way for you to get the weight.

 

And so... how much sugar did you use?

 

My guess would be the recipe would have called for 2.0 Vols. Coming up a gallon short would put it around 2.4 vols I think. It'll be more carbed than intended obviously but shouldn't ruin the batch as long as the sugar got well integrated into the beer.

On the other hand I could be very wrong.

 

Most kits I've seen give you a 5 oz bag of corn sugar and tell you to use the whole thing. If this is the case you are looking at roughly 3.2 volumes of CO2. So the beer will be over carbonated for the style.

 

http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html

 

5oz should get you at 3.0 vols. it'll be nice and carbed. again as long as the sugar got well integrated into the beer then you shouldn't have bottle bombs.

 

Most kits have bad instructions. Not really your fault. Just try to read up on basic procedures before your next brew. Using the search feature on this site and books like www.howtobrew.com should give you a good base to start with.

My guess is you won't have to worry about bombs. But you can put all of the bottles in a sealed plastic storage container to be safe while they are carbonating if you are worried about it. I would try one at 1 week and see where its at. More than likely you will just have to pour really slow to keep it from foaming up and should have drinkable beer.

 

The calculator will tell you the volumes of CO2 to expect. You may want to use it, then report the number back, and people can give you an opinion on the likelihood of major problems.

 

Since you have bottled last night you will be able to degas them every once in a while to diminish carbonation . Wait 7 days to start, refrigerate bottles and then use a bottle opener, put just enough gentle leverage on the cap to allow it to degas but not so much that it won't re-seal when you release it. Wait another week and repeat to try to get them more reasonably carbed. It's tedious but it works.

 

Esteban, it sounds like you have performed this ‘degassing process’ before. After the two degassing events (separated by a week), did you end up with sufficient carbonation in your bottles?

Cheers!

Jack

 

Yes Jack, it is very important that bottles have been cooled before the opening, otherwise you will be losing too much gas and beer due foam formation.

 

I wouldn't worry about it at all, because in reality there is nothing you can do about it now. Wait, open one if it fizzes all over hell and gone its over carbonated, it not enjoy.

 

I would guess that you don't need to degas to keep from having a bomb. I put a similar amount of sugar in my first batch, and failed to adequately mix the sugar with the beer. Almost all of the sugar ended up in 12-20 bottles, which were overcarbed, and started crowning the bottle caps (my capper leaves a small indented circle in the caps, this was press out), but did not explode. The remainder were nearly flat. So as long as the sugar was well mixed, I would think you are well below explosion limits. My procedure would be to check them often for bottle cap deformation, and move to the fridge immediately if the cap starts to deform.

 

I'd be interested to know more about your process b/c I've never had a beer considered anywhere near 'great' after eight days in the bottle.