Hello all I am new to this site. I just did my first batch of IPA and added 5 oz of priming sugar to my bottling bucked and was only able to get 4 Gallons out of the secondary fermenter. I've calculated the Co2 level to be around 3.12. Should I be worried about bottle bombs? Lesson learned I will never do this again!! Thanks all
First, welcome to BA, and home brewing. A mod will move this to the proper forum. As for your problem, I would expect some serious carbonation, and possible bombs.
I wouldn't be too concerned with this. I have been homebrewing off and on for the better part of five years, have made this mistake once or twice, and never had a "bottle bomb." My suggestion would be to check the carbonation level on this batch frequently; when it gets to where you want it, store all the beer cold if possible(should help slow down futher carbonation). If you can't do that, drink it all as fast as possible.
Also, here is a good reference tool for carbonation: http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/
Welcome to the BA site, Michaeldi23. I hope that you don't learn this lesson the hard way and have bottle bombs, but the potential is there. I would put these bottles inside a container that can withstand a popped cap or an exploding bottle. It usually takes bottles to begin to carbonate to a drinkable level around 10 days. I'll suggest that you use great care in handling these bottles, and begin checking the carbonation after 7-8 days by chilling one and then opening it when you are next to a sink with your glass ready. If this first bottle is just about right, and if you have room in your fridge for all of the bottles, put them in there to chill all of them down so that the re-fermentation will cease. But I will still sugest that you handle all of them carefully when you open them. Drink them quickly. If that first one doesn't taste like a good beer, consider pitching the entire batch and consider it an expensive lesson learned.
Thanks for the comments and helpful information. If anyone has anything else to add it would be awesome. Thanks!
If your calculations/measurements are correct, I wouldn't worry much. Maybe keep the bottles in the fridge after they are carb'd. But when I was a bottler, I bottled hefe's in regular brown bottles (homebrew store type bottles) at about 3.5 volumes with no problems. YMMV.
I would be very very worried. Very. Check a bottle for carbonation after just 2-3 days and if I am correct, open all bottles into a bucket, ferment out, and start over.
My beers carbed up after a week nice and I have put them in the fridge to avoid bottle bomb. Beer looks good has a nice head but the flavor tastes "green". Will the flavor improve in the fridge or am I screwed?
Flavor conditioning will be slower in the fridge but it will happen, and you likely have no other choice anyway.
No, that's up to your taste buds. You'll want to keep checking the beer to see when it reaches a maturity level that you'll like.
