Gerhard vdW Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Hi Everyone I bottled my first brew last night on day 6. It is a coopers real ale brew, if that matters. According to my hydrometer readings, fermentation has finalized,but I am just afraid that I could have read it wrong. I got 500ml bottles with the home brew kit that I bought, and also carbonation drops suitable for that. The instructions on the package suggested 2 drops per 500ml, which I did. Now I am afraid that I may have added too much as the bottles are already hardening after 12 hours. Do you recon I have something to worry a out? Would it help if I store the bottles in a plastic container so that they do not explode everywhere? Thank you for your advice -Gerhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeastyBoy Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Yeap you will have fizz, lots of it. Approx 3 grams per Coopers Carb drop. One for 375ml, need 2 for 750ml. Roughly 8g per litre so you needed about 4g. Goodluck, if we do not hear from you again we will understand you slept to close to the brew but we understand you were doing what you most enjoyed? Cheers YB 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerhard vdW Posted October 13, 2019 Author Share Posted October 13, 2019 15 minutes ago, YeastyBoy said: Goodluck, if we do not hear from you again we will understand you slept to close to the brew but we understand you were doing what you most enjoyed? Do they explode badly or what happens? It's just strange since the instructions on the carbination drops mentions 2 per 500ml. Could it be that the drops I have differ from the Coopers drops? Maybe it's then best to just open them up and throw it away? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerhard vdW Posted October 13, 2019 Author Share Posted October 13, 2019 These are the drops I used, it says the package weight is 160g and there were 80 inside, which means that each drop is 2 grams. So by adding 2 drops, I eccencially have 4g, which seem to be spot on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 3 minutes ago, Gerhard vdW said: Do they explode badly or what happens? It's just strange since the instructions on the carbination drops mentions 2 per 500ml. Could it be that the drops I have differ from the Coopers drops? Maybe it's then best to just open them up and throw it away? I have not had any PET bottles fail due to pressure. Others have though. They do not report bombs like you get with glass bottles. Failures in the base happen sometimes. More likely to just fail and run out, making a mess. Store them in a plastic box to capture any spillage. If you have any of the carbonation drops left over, weight them to see if they are a bit smaller than the standard Coopers drops, which are sized to fit 375ml (1 drop) and 750ml bottles (2 drops). Based on the instructions you describe, I think you will find they are a bit smaller. Also if it turns out that the drops are the same as the Coopers drops, as your bottles are PETs I am assuming they are screw caps. Just undo the caps now to release pressure and do them back up. Hopefully they will continue to carbonate and end up just fine. Cheers Shamus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 5 minutes ago, Gerhard vdW said: These are the drops I used, it says the package weight is 160g and there were 80 inside, which means that each drop is 2 grams. So by adding 2 drops, I eccencially have 4g, which seem to be spot on? Just seen your above post. You should be fine. Ignore my advice. Enjoy the brew in a few weeks. The Real Ale is a well regarded brew in the Coopers family. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeastyBoy Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 7 hours ago, Gerhard vdW said: These are the drops I used, it says the package weight is 160g and there were 80 inside, which means that each drop is 2 grams. So by adding 2 drops, I eccencially have 4g, which seem to be spot on? Spot on indeed. Now wait two weeks at about 18c or above & enjoy your brew. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Should be fine but next time don't bottle it so early. It will benefit from a few days in the fermenter after it reaches FG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 As a general rule PET bottles do not explode so you will be fine ... glass for that matter is a different thing. Before I turned to kegs I bottled 1000's of glass bottles and only had a couple explode which was usually the bottom coming away from the bottle... So all will be good ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malter White Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 11 hours ago, Gerhard vdW said: It's just strange since the instructions on the carbination drops mentions 2 per 500ml. Could it be that the drops I have differ from the Coopers drops? Your carb drops are different to the Coopers ones. Yours are 2 grams each, the Coopers are 3 grams. You should be fine. I use PETs and haven't had any explode. A few have gone soft and flat. I don't know if that's from the pressure of carbonation causing the lid seal to fail or if I didn't tighten the lids enough but it's a rarity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 If you ever find that your PET bottles are over carbed then unscrew the lid to release some gas and then re-tighten. You may have to do it a few times over a few days before it is right. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerhard vdW Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 11 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said: Should be fine but next time don't bottle it so early. It will benefit from a few days in the fermenter after it reaches FG Hi Otto, I will definitely leave it a bit longer the next time, but I have quite hectic schedule coming up so I tasted it and it was rather nice already. I hope it will develop a bit further in the bottle. Next time I am hoping to add some hops for extra flavor. I bit apprehensive on that front, but I think the results will be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerhard vdW Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 10 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said: As a general rule PET bottles do not explode so you will be fine ... glass for that matter is a different thing. Before I turned to kegs I bottled 1000's of glass bottles and only had a couple explode which was usually the bottom coming away from the bottle... So all will be good ... I was thinking to buy glass bottles next but I think I will stick with PET bottles until I am comfortable with this procedure. On a different note, is the carbonation drops always depended on the size of the bottle, or do the style of beer also play a role? Meaning that if I do a wheat beer next with some added Malt extract, can I still trust to add 4g of carbonation drops per 500ml? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBooz2 Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 Gerhard - I also know not much but; are you sure they are 500ml PET bottles as the Cooper ones that come with both the 23 litre kit and 8.5 litre craft brew kits are 740ml. Maybe different with your brand of kit? Also how full did you fill up the PET bottles when bottling? Too much air space and the Co2 compresses into the gap before compressing and carbonating into the beer? The bigger the air gap the less likely the PET bottles will rupture. Yep agree too that how soon the beer is bottled after reaching FG and the storage temperature thing has big part to play. Maybe after a cold crash let it warm up a bit before bottling. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 11 hours ago, Gerhard vdW said: Hi Otto, I will definitely leave it a bit longer the next time, but I have quite hectic schedule coming up so I tasted it and it was rather nice already. I hope it will develop a bit further in the bottle. Next time I am hoping to add some hops for extra flavor. I bit apprehensive on that front, but I think the results will be good. Yeah, you probably are better off bottling it earlier than leaving it too long if you're unable to get to it. In situations where bottling can be done anytime, I find giving the yeast a few days to clean up after FG is reached improves the beer quicker. I don't find the headspace in the bottles makes a lot of difference to the carbonation level. There is also no need to warm the beer up before bottling if a cold crash is done. It can be bottled cold and allowed to warm up in the bottles. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 21 hours ago, Gerhard vdW said: On a different note, is the carbonation drops always depended on the size of the bottle, or do the style of beer also play a role? Style of beers play a role but only for the amount of carbonation which is usually desired for the style. eg a stout is less carbonated so 1 drop will work fine I am not familiar with what is usual for a wheat beer but I would go with 2 drops if you want normal sort of carbonation .... also need to realise that the PET bottles don't hold pressure over extended periods of time. I have PET bottles of stout that are around 12 months old and older and the bottles are no longer rock hard because the PET is more porous than glass and slowly release pressure. Myself and many other on here over time have moved from PET to glass and then kegs but in saying that there are still loads of fellas here that use PET and have great results. I suppose it is a personal choice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozlizard Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 I bottled my NEIPA probably too soon, although the SG reading were stable, I had a white film over the top and didn't want it to spoil. Bottles hardened up over a couple of days but had no issues with them, apart from one that overflowed when I opened it. Needless to say the carbonation was very good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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