Releasing pressure....from bottles

[sbaclimber]

I could probably do a lot of fancy calculations to figure this one out. ...or just wait a day or two and see what happens, but am impatient and lazy, so here is the scenario and question for your speculation / experienced consideration.
Scenario: I bottled my last batch waaayyyy too early. My fermentor wasn't sealed properly and fermentation wasn't finished, but once opened, I decided to bottle anyway, with no priming sugar and a good >3-4° over calculated FG.
Needless to say, as fermentation continues in the bottles and FG is approaching, I am sitting on potential bottle-bombs. Pressure is well above a hefe-weizen already and they would have already blown if I wasn't using german 1/2l hefe-weizen bottles to begin with...
To avoid the potentially inevitable (I know, contradiction of terms...) I just released the head-pressure and resealed all bottles (not swing-tops, just lightly opened and resealed caps).
Question: Assuming fermentation has now more-or-less come to an end, will I need to re-release pressure as more CO2 comes out of solution, or should I be "good"? I realize that the pressure within the bottle has now been effectively reduced to 0 and I no longer have potential bottle-bombs, but I am more concerned about the amount of CO2 still within the liquid. I like my beer more on the "flat" side, and am just curious if releasing the head-pressure in the bottle will be enough to reduce the in-liquid CO2 down to less than weizen levels...

 

[Ward Chillington]

How cold can you keep them so to slow any over carbination that you are worried about?

Also...how about the vitals? Og?? Expected Fg and where it was at bottling time?

 

[sbaclimber]

How cold can you keep them so to slow any over carbination that you are worried about?

Also...how about the vitals? Og?? Expected Fg and where it was at bottling time?

Storage temp = ~8°C
OG = 14.3°P
expected FG ~4°P
SG @ bottling >7°P

Bottles have been condition for 4 weeks now, and SG is currently ~4°P, so I think fermentation is pretty much done. So, as mentioned, I have probably (just barely) avoided bottle-bombs, but they are definitely gushers when opened. :-(
I guess I am more wondering how/if I can now reduce the CO2 in solution, so I don't have a bunch of gushers...

 

[Nosybear]

I could probably do a lot of fancy calculations to figure this one out. ...or just wait a day or two and see what happens, but am impatient and lazy, so here is the scenario and question for your speculation / experienced consideration.
Scenario: I bottled my last batch waaayyyy too early. My fermentor wasn't sealed properly and fermentation wasn't finished, but once opened, I decided to bottle anyway, with no priming sugar and a good >3-4° over calculated FG.
Needless to say, as fermentation continues in the bottles and FG is approaching, I am sitting on potential bottle-bombs. Pressure is well above a hefe-weizen already and they would have already blown if I wasn't using german 1/2l hefe-weizen bottles to begin with...
To avoid the potentially inevitable (I know, contradiction of terms...) I just released the head-pressure and resealed all bottles (not swing-tops, just lightly opened and resealed caps).
Question: Assuming fermentation has now more-or-less come to an end, will I need to re-release pressure as more CO2 comes out of solution, or should I be "good"? I realize that the pressure within the bottle has now been effectively reduced to 0 and I no longer have potential bottle-bombs, but I am more concerned about the amount of CO2 still within the liquid. I like my beer more on the "flat" side, and am just curious if releasing the head-pressure in the bottle will be enough to reduce the in-liquid CO2 down to less than weizen levels...

I don't have any science for you on that.... Wait and see?

 

[Ward Chillington]

Aaaa....yeah....ummm maybe a really long handled bottle opener?

 

[sbaclimber]

I don't have any science for you on that.... Wait and see?

Will report back after the yeast has settled back down to the bottom and I re-open one.

 

[Minbari]

I would just throw a really heavy blanket over them. If they blow at least it won't hurt anything.

Too late for "you should have......" but never bottle when fermentation isn't done

 

[sbaclimber]

never bottle when fermentation isn't done

Words to live by!

 

[sbaclimber]

UPDATE #1: yeast has (mostly) settled, so cracked a couple of bottles...
PRO: there is (marginaly, but noticable) less CO2 in solution.
CON. there is (currently) a huge amount of CO2 in the head just waiting to escape! Means less pressure overall within the bottles (which is good), but they are even more foamers than before, at least for now.
I will leave the rest of the bottles for a week or two and see if some of the CO2 goes back into solution and/or, if I will have to do a 2nd or 3rd release...

 

[Minbari]

UPDATE #1: yeast has (mostly) settled, so cracked a couple of bottles...
PRO: there is (marginaly, but noticable) less CO2 in solution.
CON. there is (currently) a huge amount of CO2 in the head just waiting to escape! Means less pressure overall within the bottles (which is good), but they are even more foamers than before, at least for now.
I will leave the rest of the bottles for a week or two and see if some of the CO2 goes back into solution and/or, if I will have to do a 2nd or 3rd release...

I have had this happen. Give it 2-3 weeks to settle. When you do open them, put em in the freezer for 15 minutes, then open really slow. Like crack open and let sit, seeping for 10 minutes. It should lessen the foam and flat beer

 

[sbaclimber]

I have had this happen. Give it 2-3 weeks to settle. When you do open them, put em in the freezer for 15 minutes, then open really slow. Like crack open and let sit, seeping for 10 minutes. It should lessen the foam and flat beer

If it also keeps the "yeast-swirl" down, definitely worth a shot. cheers!

 

[GFHomebrew]

So the co2 should absorb more readily back into solution at cold temp just like kegging.
If it were me I'd put them all in the fridge and leave for a week then try.

 

[sbaclimber]

Update. yes, cold does help.....some.
If I get the bottles down close to freezing, I only get 1.5-2L of foam per .5L bottle (room temp. = 2.5-3L)
I have a couple of bottles that I release the pressure every couple of days now. Have released 2x today and will open a bottle in a couple of days......here's to hoping!
(fwiw, while running this experiment, I have drunk almost 1/2 of my stock .....albeit mostly flat after the foam has settled)

 

[Ward Chillington]

Update. yes, cold does help....

I have a couple of bottles that I release the pressure every couple of days now. Have released 2x today and will open a bottle in a couple of days......here's to hoping!
(fwiw, while running this experiment, I have drunk almost 1/2 of my stock .....albeit mostly flat after the foam has settled)

I guess the take away is a little flat beer is better than a lotta broken glass and thank you physics!