How Badly Did I Screw Up?

[donManguno]

So, I bottled my first beer last night. I have a bad habit of being hasty in all things, and it carried over into this endeavor. I made a BB RIS, and the target FG was 1.020 but my FG was 1.033 (OG was right on target at 1.082). There had been no activity in the airlock for about 60 hours, but I read today that it is a bad idea to use the airlock as a gauge of when fermentation is complete. I was concerned abou contaminating my beer if I opened it up every day to take a hydrometer reading, but I think I'm going to have to start doing that.

Furthermore, I didn't stir the mixture after siphoning into the bottling bucket (onto the priming sugar solution) because I couldn't remember if I was supposed to and the two homebrew books I had made no mentino of stirring, even though it seemed to me that I should. Later I found the recipe sheet that came with my BB kit, and it recommends stirring for one minute to mix in the priming sugar.

Lastly, two questions about yeast. I pitched dry yeast, and am wondering how much, and what sort of difference it would make if I made a yeast starter in the future. Also, I have a vial of yeast in my refrigerator for a Belgian Wit that I want to make, and I'm wondering how long it will keep before I shouldn't use it anymore.

[Mylo]

So, I bottled my first beer last night. I have a bad habit of being hasty in all things, and it carried over into this endeavor. I made a BB RIS, and the target FG was 1.020 but my FG was 1.033 (OG was right on target at 1.082). There had been no activity in the airlock for about 60 hours, but I read today that it is a bad idea to use the airlock as a gauge of when fermentation is complete. I was concerned abou contaminating my beer if I opened it up every day to take a hydrometer reading, but I think I'm going to have to start doing that.

Furthermore, I didn't stir the mixture after siphoning into the bottling bucket (onto the priming sugar solution) because I couldn't remember if I was supposed to and the two homebrew books I had made no mentino of stirring, even though it seemed to me that I should. Later I found the recipe sheet that came with my BB kit, and it recommends stirring for one minute to mix in the priming sugar.

Lastly, two questions about yeast. I pitched dry yeast, and am wondering how much, and what sort of difference it would make if I made a yeast starter in the future. Also, I have a vial of yeast in my refrigerator for a Belgian Wit that I want to make, and I'm wondering how long it will keep before I shouldn't use it anymore.

Well.... do you own a flac jacket? You've basically set yourself up for bottle bombs. The no mix of the priming sugar will probably exacerbate the situation for a few bottles (probably the first ones to be bottled) and lessen the situation for the last 6-12 pack bottled. Bottling so early means that fermentation might not have been complete. Best thing to do would be to monitor the situation pretty closely. If you have the room, you can put the beer into one of those $5 styrefoam coolers IN your fridge to help contain the shrapnel - or wrap each six pack in a couple of bags.

In the future.... rely on final gravity to determine when it's done. If you get a small wine thief, and a refractometer - you can do small samples. You don't have to do it every day. Check the beer when the krausen falls, and then a few days after that. If it changed, wait another few days. Once you get consistant readings, you're safe to start bottling.

The other piece of advice for priming is to make your sanitized "simple syrup", and put it in your bottling bucket first. Then rack on top of that, which will distribute the sugar more evenly - less stirring and chance for oxidation.


Mylo

[donManguno]

Well.... do you own a flac jacket? You've basically set yourself up for bottle bombs. The no mix of the priming sugar will probably exacerbate the situation for a few bottles (probably the first ones to be bottled) and lessen the situation for the last 6-12 pack bottled. Bottling so early means that fermentation might not have been complete. Best thing to do would be to monitor the situation pretty closely. If you have the room, you can put the beer into one of those $5 styrefoam coolers IN your fridge to help contain the shrapnel - or wrap each six pack in a couple of bags.

Damn, I am not going to be home until tomorrow, and as it stands my bottles are all in two cases under a table in my living room. Should I be worried about bottles bursting as soon as today? Also, why do you say that they should be in my fridge? My literature said that this beer should bottle condition at 68-74°.

In the future.... rely on final gravity to determine when it's done. If you get a small wine thief, and a refractometer - you can do small samples. You don't have to do it every day. Check the beer when the krausen falls, and then a few days after that. If it changed, wait another few days. Once you get consistant readings, you're safe to start bottling.

I will do this from now on.

The other piece of advice for priming is to make your sanitized "simple syrup", and put it in your bottling bucket first. Then rack on top of that, which will distribute the sugar more evenly - less stirring and chance for oxidation.

I did this, so hopefully that will reduce the number of explosions I have to clean up.

Thanks for your quick response and all of your advice!

[PhillyBrewer]

I would uncap them all and pour them back into a fermenter. Pitch some champagne yeast and see if you can get it to finish. Then bottle correctly. Your current situation is too dangerous and, even if the bottles don't explode, they'll be too carbonated to drink.

[donManguno]

I would uncap them all and pour them back into a fermenter. Pitch some champagne yeast and see if you can get it to finish. Then bottle correctly. Your current situation is too dangerous and, even if the bottles don't explode, they'll be too carbonated to drink.

Damn. That is not what I wanted to hear. As I said above, I won't be home again until tomorrow evening, do you think it will be too late then? Also, why champagne yeast?

[Mylo]

Relax... They aren't going to turn to bombs immediately. It will take a week or so for them to carbonate at room temps... problem is that they might keep going, in which case you hope for gushers instead of bombs.

You got about 60% AA, which is pretty bad, but not horrible. Depending on your mash schedule or unfermentable sugar contributions, the yeast strain and viability, O2 (lack of?), and/or fermentation temps (too low? fluctuating?) - you might not be as bad you think (ie, that might be the most they are gonna do). Start checking them at 7 days in the bottle. Once they reach the desired carb level - put them in the fridge. That will slow down the continued activity. Sample every 3-5 days. If they start creeping up - then have a party and drink it all!

It sounds like because you racked on the sugar, then they should be somewhat consistent - which is better.


Mylo

[PhillyBrewer]

Just try to get them to get the ferm to complete. The champagne yeast has a higher alcohol tolerance. I imagine your ABV is around 6+ now so that would kill normal dry yeast if you tried to repitch.

I wouldn't want to have to drink 2 cases worth of BB RIS before they became bottle bombs...

[donManguno]

You got about 60% AA, which is pretty bad, but not horrible.

To me, AA means Alpha Acid utilization, and I'm not sure how you could tell that based on the information I gave you. Am I wrong?

Depending on your mash schedule or unfermentable sugar contributions, the yeast strain and viability, O2 (lack of?), and/or fermentation temps (too low? fluctuating?) - you might not be as bad you think (ie, that might be the most they are gonna do).

Well, I steeped the small amount of specialty grains that came with the kit at the prescribed temperature for the prescribed amount of time. As for yeast, I used the dry yeast packet that came with the kit, and didn't make a starter culture (which I think i will do from now on. Temperature fluctuated a bit the first two days because I couldn't find the right spot in my house, but it didn't fluctuate out of the temperature range given in the kit information. When it did stabilize, it was at the low end of the recommended temperatures.

Start checking them at 7 days in the bottle. Once they reach the desired carb level - put them in the fridge. That will slow down the continued activity. Sample every 3-5 days. If they start creeping up - then have a party and drink it all!

This is what I'm going to do. I appreciate your advice, PhillyBrewer, but it's way more work than Mylo's advice, so I'm going to roll the dice and if this batch turns out wasted and I need to rent a carpet cleaner, it will have been a learning experience.


Thanks Mylo and PhillyBrewer for all of your advice.