23 replies to this topic

[nigel]

Good day, Gang.Some of you may recall my maple wee heavy from a couple months ago. Long and short, my initial yeast population wasn't strong enough...AND I racked too cleanly (left too much yeast behind) when I moved the brew to the secondary and added a lot of maple syrup. I'd subsequently gone through two additions of dry (hydrated) yeast to bring the FG down from 1.048 (OG was, with the maple, effectively 1.100) 'cause I was worried about bottle bombs. It's dropped oh so slowly to 1.043 and appears to have the tiniest bit of action going on with the smallest surface bubbles I've ever seen in little groupings (8, 10, 12 smaller-than-pinhead-sized bubbles).So...last Friday, I bottled (with no additional yeast or priming sugar) one glass bottle of it and one plastic Poland Spring 12-oz. water bottle of it to monitor carbonation. When moving the filled-and-capped plastic bottle, I made the ultimate error and it slipped out of my hand, bouncing on the floor, carbing up. DUH. I know, I know. Mistakes happen. I tucked it away under my kitchen cabinet (room temp: 70ish). There's now yeast at the bottom (maybe a good sign, maybe not), and the plastic bottle's quite firm/hard and beginning to bulge a bit on the bottom and the cap's bulging a bit.Question: Should I let the air out and see if it expands again, or assume that it's carbing up on its own?I did this test 'cause I didn't want to chance having 40+ bottle bombs in my closet (2 are better if any at all).Anyone have experience with test bottles like this (or any suggestions)? At this point, I won't be introducing ANOTHER batch of yeast to try to bring the gravity down; it's got 3 kinds in it already! It tastes really nice (and sweet, as I'd planned), and I don't want to dry it out.Essentially, I was thinking that if these do carb up on their own, I'd bottle the rest of the batch, give it about two weeks, then stick 'em all in the fridge to kill/slow the yeast.THANKS big time,Nige

[Deerslyr]

Good day, Gang.Some of you may recall my maple wee heavy from a couple months ago. Long and short, my initial yeast population wasn't strong enough...AND I racked too cleanly (left too much yeast behind) when I moved the brew to the secondary and added a lot of maple syrup. I'd subsequently gone through two additions of dry (hydrated) yeast to bring the FG down from 1.048 (OG was, with the maple, effectively 1.100) 'cause I was worried about bottle bombs. It's dropped oh so slowly to 1.043 and appears to have the tiniest bit of action going on with the smallest surface bubbles I've ever seen in little groupings (8, 10, 12 smaller-than-pinhead-sized bubbles).So...last Friday, I bottled (with no additional yeast or priming sugar) one glass bottle of it and one plastic Poland Spring 12-oz. water bottle of it to monitor carbonation. When moving the filled-and-capped plastic bottle, I made the ultimate error and it slipped out of my hand, bouncing on the floor, carbing up. DUH. I know, I know. Mistakes happen. I tucked it away under my kitchen cabinet (room temp: 70ish). There's now yeast at the bottom (maybe a good sign, maybe not), and the plastic bottle's quite firm/hard and beginning to bulge a bit on the bottom and the cap's bulging a bit.Question: Should I let the air out and see if it expands again, or assume that it's carbing up on its own?I did this test 'cause I didn't want to chance having 40+ bottle bombs in my closet (2 are better if any at all).Anyone have experience with test bottles like this (or any suggestions)? At this point, I won't be introducing ANOTHER batch of yeast to try to bring the gravity down; it's got 3 kinds in it already! It tastes really nice (and sweet, as I'd planned), and I don't want to dry it out.Essentially, I was thinking that if these do carb up on their own, I'd bottle the rest of the batch, give it about two weeks, then stick 'em all in the fridge to kill/slow the yeast.THANKS big time,Nige

You didn't say how, or if, you primed the bottle... need more info on that.

[DaBearSox]

You didn't say how, or if, you primed the bottle... need more info on that.

Think he said that he didn't use any additional priming sugar...

[Deerslyr]

Think he said that he didn't use any additional priming sugar...

ah yes... I see that now...Well, the purpose of the plastic bottle is to gauge the carbonation. If it is bulging, I would be worried. If he opens them (both the plastic and the one glass bottle) I would bet that they would be gushers. Bottling and carbonating for a few weeks and putting them in the fridge is still a very imprecise method. If it were me... I'd kill all the yeast with some metabisulfate and keg the stuff with force carbonation.

[djinkc]

I don't recall what the psi is for pop but it's way over what we use in the most carbonated beers. If the bottle is bulging you probably have some potential bottle bombs.If it were me, I'd chill them overnight to almost freezing, open and reseal. Then keep them cold until consumed. Kegging would be tough since they're probably overcarbed now. Be careful with them.

[Deerslyr]

I don't recall what the psi is for pop but it's way over what we use in the most carbonated beers. If the bottle is bulging you probably have some potential bottle bombs.If it were me, I'd chill them overnight to almost freezing, open and reseal. Then keep them cold until consumed. Kegging would be tough since they're probably overcarbed now. Be careful with them.

He only bottled one glass and one plastic. The rest is apparently waiting the test. If that is the case, I'd keg it per my prior note.

[djinkc]

He only bottled one glass and one plastic. The rest is apparently waiting the test. If that is the case, I'd keg it per my prior note.

Missed that one.........I'd keg it and keep it cold. I don't know if meta would kill the yeast or not to be honest. When I use it for Chloramines I'm sure it gets busted up and looses that effect. And I know squat about winemaking..........

[nigel]

Hi,Yeah, if only I were able to keg the brew.... I haven't any means to do so (no space for a kegerator or extra fridge in my apartment), unfortunately.If I gently loosen the cap of the plastic bottle (maybe just one thread of the cap) to let the CO2 out and then reseal/retighten it, would that serve to introduce oxygen and possibly oxidize the beer?Sorry it was such a lengthy description, guys. Just wanted to give background and answers to the expected questions first.I fear for the glass bottle I have in the closet (in a cardboard box in my closet). Wow.Any other suggestions out there?Cheers.

[MtnBrewer]

If I gently loosen the cap of the plastic bottle (maybe just one thread of the cap) to let the CO2 out and then reseal/retighten it, would that serve to introduce oxygen and possibly oxidize the beer?

I think oxidation is the least of your worries here. Remember that for a given amount of pressure, the smaller the aperture, the higher the velocity of the expellant. Chill it really cold first before you open it but also put a towel over it and do it in the sink.

[nigel]

I think oxidation is the least of your worries here. Remember that for a given amount of pressure, the smaller the aperture, the higher the velocity of the expellant. Chill it really cold first before you open it but also put a towel over it and do it in the sink.

Makes sense. Thanks. So if it's still got enough live yeast in there, it makes sense that even if I do open it a little bit to let the current CO2 out, I can reclose it and it would then refill with CO2? (This is at the heart of my question, I suppose.)

[Deerslyr]

another last resort option (short of dumping it) would be to get a "Mother of Vinegar" and make some malt vinegar... bottle it up and give it away as a gifts or something. Without the ability to keg, I just don't see this going anywhere good... not when there is uncertainty as to how much fermentables are left in the beer. I remember the initial discussion on this batch... just seems like way too much has happened to it.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Can you let it all sit in secondary for a couple more weeks and see if the gravity doesn't fall some more, maybe its just slow and steady. Since this is a high gravity brew anyway, don't you want it to mellow out a bit before you consume it?Cheers,Rich

[MtnBrewer]

Makes sense. Thanks. So if it's still got enough live yeast in there, it makes sense that even if I do open it a little bit to let the current CO2 out, I can reclose it and it would then refill with CO2? (This is at the heart of my question, I suppose.)

Why don't you just drink it?

[nigel]

Can you let it all sit in secondary for a couple more weeks and see if the gravity doesn't fall some more, maybe its just slow and steady. Since this is a high gravity brew anyway, don't you want it to mellow out a bit before you consume it?Cheers,Rich

Hi Rich,I brewed this one on 1/26, and it was in the secondary for a while and now in the tertiary for ages. Still small signs of fermentation. :/ It's slow and steady, alright. I'm happy to mellow it and will wait as long as it takes, but it looks like it just may ferment forever at this rate 'til it rots. :smilielol:Deerslyr: Hey, thanks for your input on this. Yeah, it's getting pretty discouraging. You played a good part in the original discussion. Damn, there's GOT to be SOMETHING I can do to salvage it (short of making malt vinegar of it). <sigh>

[djinkc]

.............Damn, there's GOT to be SOMETHING I can do to salvage it (short of making malt vinegar of it). <sigh>

1. chill the two bottles2. drink themThe rest is up to you to try it - I wouldn't3. bottle another in a plastic bottle4. bottle the rest5. as soon as it shows signs of carbing keep the rest at 32df and drink it fast.......or wait it out until gravity stabilizes - which may never happenor beg, borrow a keg from a buddy, chill, carb and drinkthat's about all I've got............

Edited by dj in kc, 04 May 2010 - 03:34 PM.

[ChefLamont]

.... I'm happy to mellow it and will wait as long as it takes....

This. Let the beer tell you when its ready. It will be fine. Some of the maple may fade, but overall it will just get more interesting. It is only 3ish months old. I say forget about it until 6-9 months.

[jammer]

This. Let the beer tell you when its ready. It will be fine. Some of the maple may fade, but overall it will just get more interesting. It is only 3ish months old. I say forget about it until 6-9 months.

I 2nd the nomination.

[Deerslyr]

Hi Rich,I brewed this one on 1/26, and it was in the secondary for a while and now in the tertiary for ages. Still small signs of fermentation. :/ It's slow and steady, alright. I'm happy to mellow it and will wait as long as it takes, but it looks like it just may ferment forever at this rate 'til it rots. :smilielol:Deerslyr: Hey, thanks for your input on this. Yeah, it's getting pretty discouraging. You played a good part in the original discussion. Damn, there's GOT to be SOMETHING I can do to salvage it (short of making malt vinegar of it). <sigh>

I didn't mean to be too discouraging. It's just that at a certain point you will have put more effort into it then its worth. It's just so much easier to do these things when kegging is an option. You could just buy a 5 gallon ball lock keg and a gas charger, put the beer in there, seat the lid with the gas and occasionally (i.e. once a week) release the gas. Stainless Steel is a fantastic aging chamber. This would free up your other equipment. I had an Old Ale that I aged in a keg like this for about 5 or 6 months. It's just really tough to tell you what to do when there is an uncertainty as to how much your beer would carbonate. If the vessel that it is in can be simply forgotten, then just set it aside. I would caution that if it is a plastic bucket, there is a degree of permeability that will allow oxygen into the beer. If you have a glass carboy you are fine. But then for the amount of time you may need to leave it, it means that you have one less piece of equipment available to you.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I am a newb so correct me if I am wrong, you can let a beer sit for a long time if its at the correct temp and has little air interference, plus the yeast is still going?Cheers,Rich

[Deerslyr]

I am a newb so correct me if I am wrong, you can let a beer sit for a long time if its at the correct temp and has little air interference, plus the yeast is still going?Cheers,Rich

This is generally true, however the OP has had issues with the yeast doing what they need to do. It's been all this time and he has yet to reach terminal gravity.