3 weeks in Primary and bottled with FG at 1.022...trouble?

The Green Man

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Hello Brew crew. Well, I've just bottled my most recent Brown Ale, see recipe below:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/702777/dorset-brown-ale

The OG was bang on the money at 1.062. I did pitch a touch warm (20c) as I do not have temperature control at the moment. High Krausen and bubbling as usual. 10 days in 1.024. 3 weeks after pitching 1.022 (target 1.017). The gravity samples didn't taste sweet, so I thought 'that'll do' and bottled it direct from primary (as don't have a bottling bucket yet).

What do you think? Exploding bottles? House blown to smithereens? Empty bottles and re-pitch?

Or, is it a case of sit back and pop open a brew? I suspect, I should be reaching for an ale...
 
Sit back and pop open a brew ;)

Can't go wrong there
 
3 weeks after pitching 1.022 (target 1.017). The gravity samples didn't taste sweet, so I thought 'that'll do' and bottled it direct from primary (as don't have a bottling bucket yet).
Did you check it more than once at 1.022? I'm assuming that you bottle-primed? If so, what sort of priming sugar did you use?
If you didn't check gravity at least a couple of times and get the same result, you could have trouble. If you bottle-primed and used those carb-tab lozenges, one per bottle is a little bit of an overcarb and even a little extra fermentation from your wort could cause trouble.
All you can do is wait and see. If you check one or two and it's really well carbed, put the whole batch in the fridge to arrest any further fermentation.
 
Cheers JA. I assumed that after three weeks and only two points of movement that it was done...but, I'm a little concerned because 1.022 seems high.
I added a sugar solution to the primary (appropriate for 2.0 vols according to the priming calculator). I stirred it and left it to settle for about 30 mins then bottled.
I suspect it's not an over-carb, but don't know. The bottles are at ambient temp now 18c ish. I thought I'd put them in the garage in a few days where they'll be about 16c max probably cooler.
 
I used MJ Empire Ale yeast in an ESB a couple of months ago. OG was 1.050 and it quit at 1.024. after warming, swirling and letting it sit for another week with no movement I pitched an active US-05 starter and krausen reappeared and was present for about 5 days before it began to drop clear. A gravity check a few days later found it had only moved a few points. IIRC, it finished at 1.020.

Being that the US-05 finished at 1.020 I blame the high FG on mashing higher than planned. The beer is great and not especially sweet. Hopefully your fermentation was indeed complete when you bottled.
 
I stirred it and left it to settle for about 30 mins then bottled.
Not the best practice. Get yourself a bottling vessel. You're stirring up all the gunk that you don't want in the bottle. Any off-flavors that have settled out with the yeast may be reintroduced. Also as the crap settles out, so does the sugar. Only want to guarantee good, even carb is to either dose the bottles or introduce priming sugar after transfer to the bottling bucket.
I thought I'd put them in the garage in a few days where they'll be about 16c max probably cooler.
Carb warmer than that... 70F at least. It's either going to bomb or not. You'll know pretty quickly. If you're holding cool, you'll almost certainly have uneven carb and they could take a while to reach full carb.
 
Not the best practice. Get yourself a bottling vessel. You're stirring up all the gunk that you don't want in the bottle. Any off-flavors that have settled out with the yeast may be reintroduced. Also as the crap settles out, so does the sugar. Only want to guarantee good, even carb is to either dose the bottles or introduce priming sugar after transfer to the bottling bucket.

Carb warmer than that... 70F at least. It's either going to bomb or not. You'll know pretty quickly. If you're holding cool, you'll almost certainly have uneven carb and they could take a while to reach full carb.

My preferred method is sugar solution into the bottling bucket and go from there. I have just upped my volumes and am using a new set-up, so don't have it all as I would like it yet (I am also in the process of sorting out a ferm' chamber too).
Not the best practice I agree, but as needs must. I'm looking forward to getting a bottling bucket (I have the bottling wand ready to go).
The samples tasted pretty good and I'm looking forward to tasting my first Brown Ale...if they don't explode. 12 hours in and no bulging caps so far...may have dodged the bullet.
 
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I used MJ Empire Ale yeast in an ESB a couple of months ago. OG was 1.050 and it quit at 1.024. after warming, swirling and letting it sit for another week with no movement I pitched an active US-05 starter and krausen reappeared and was present for about 5 days before it began to drop clear. A gravity check a few days later found it had only moved a few points. IIRC, it finished at 1.020.

Being that the US-05 finished at 1.020 I blame the high FG on mashing higher than planned. The beer is great and not especially sweet. Hopefully your fermentation was indeed complete when you bottled.

Thanks for sharing your experience. MJ yeasts don't seem to be that popular, so you rarely hear about them. This is my first Empire Ale effort. Not really a fan of S04, so am looking for an alternative. Might have try Lallemand Windsor, ESB and London Ale yeasts next. Can't be bothered with liquid...
 
You'll probably be fine but next time I would wait until you have a few measurements several days apart that are the same. You also won't really know if you're safe until at least a few days and upwards of a 4+weeks out (I actually just had my first bottle bomb last week from something I bottled 5 1/2 weeks prior). If you can, put your bottles in something that will help contain the mess of glass and liquid just in case (lesson I just learned the hard way).

Cheers!
 
I have just upped my volumes and am using a new set-up, so don't have it all as I would like it yet
Makes sense.
If you have a bottling vessel you used for your smaller batches, you could transfer half the primary to it and bottle in 2 batches. As long as you have good volume markings on it, you could measure the proper amount of priming sugar for any amount. Might get you by until you get a vessel that fits your current volume. And might keep priming sugar in solution better than one big batch. ;)
 
Makes sense.
If you have a bottling vessel you used for your smaller batches, you could transfer half the primary to it and bottle in 2 batches. As long as you have good volume markings on it, you could measure the proper amount of priming sugar for any amount. Might get you by until you get a vessel that fits your current volume. And might keep priming sugar in solution better than one big batch. ;)

I like the plan JA, but I am now using my bottling vessel as a Primary fermenter. So, I have two small primary fermenters (which are half to two thirds full). Hence the lack of bottling bucket. One is on order though. For the next brew I should have a ferm' chamber and a bottling bucket. Then it's just the steam issue...:eek:...but, I have ideas for that.
 
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I've had a bunch lately finish out around 1.020 for some reason. They've all tasted fine, not sure what the deal is but I suspect it might have been the yeast I was using tapping out.
 
Pleased to report that 2 weeks in the bottle with that high FG hasn't result in bottle bombs (...yet...). Plus, it's shaping up really well and starting to taste a lot like another Ruby Ale, Medusa, which you can buy in the Aldi supermarkets here in the UK.
Also, with the temps dropping outside (and therefore in the garage, sorry beer cellar;)), I'm hoping that the yeasties will dropping out of suspension too. Happy days!:)
 

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