I bottle my Caribou Brown Ale last night
I filled one 20 oz soda bottle 1 inch from top and squeezed it to get the beer to the rim.
today it is already fully expanded and rock hard :shock:
is it possible my beer is carbonated that fast?
:?:
guess I could drink whats in the soda bottle tonight and know that way…its just that everything I have read says it should take at the very least several days.
[quote=“Ekffazr”]I bottle my Caribou Brown Ale last night
I filled one 20 oz soda bottle 1 inch from top and squeezed it to get the beer to the rim.
today it is already fully expanded and rock hard :shock:
is it possible my beer is carbonated that fast?
:?:
guess I could drink whats in the soda bottle tonight and know that way…its just that everything I have read says it should take at the very least several days.[/quote]
What exactly are you reading that gave you the idea to try bottling in a soda bottle like that???
Anyway, if you squeezed the bottle so that there’s no head space, it’s no wonder it’s inflated. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that your beer is ready…that top’ll probably come flying off before that happens!
[quote=“rainyseason”][quote=“Ekffazr”]I bottle my Caribou Brown Ale last night
I filled one 20 oz soda bottle 1 inch from top and squeezed it to get the beer to the rim.
today it is already fully expanded and rock hard :shock:
is it possible my beer is carbonated that fast?
:?:
guess I could drink whats in the soda bottle tonight and know that way…its just that everything I have read says it should take at the very least several days.[/quote]
What exactly are you reading that gave you the idea to try bottling in a soda bottle like that???
Anyway, if you squeezed the bottle so that there’s no head space, it’s no wonder it’s inflated. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that your beer is ready…that top’ll probably come flying off before that happens![/quote]
Definitely the best way to know that a bottled batch has carbonated. All of the rest are bottled in glass. My concern is whether the fermentation is complete - maybe not, in which case bottle bombs are a possibility. What were your gravity readings and how many did you do? If done, then I am concerned about how well the priming sugar was mixed in…
I take a soda bottle fill it with beer then put on one of those carbonater caps put the gas to it at 30 psi shake and drink works every time ready in 5 min or less.
[quote=“rainyseason”]
What exactly are you reading that gave you the idea to try bottling in a soda bottle like that???
Anyway, if you squeezed the bottle so that there’s no head space, it’s no wonder it’s inflated. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that your beer is ready…that top’ll probably come flying off before that happens![/quote]
He is probably reading any number of my posts where I tell new brewers to fill a soda bottle with their beer. Squeeze the O2 out and screw the cap on. When the yeast make CO2, the bottle will expand. This will give you a visual as to what is happening in your glass bottles. That way you don’t open a bottle in 1 week and be disappointed that it is not carbonated. 
NB sells new plastic bottles. No reason to not recycle plastic bottles like we do glass beer bottles.
Soda bottles also make great “growlers” to take to football night, poker night, backyard parties… especially to parks/camping when you don’t want to worry about broken glass. If you are able to plan ahead, 1l and 2l bottles work great.
As to the OP’s question, that’s very strange that the bottle would have expanded in 1 day. If you put in in the fridge for a couple of days, it might collapse a bit. I would still wait a couple weeks before trying it.
[quote=“rainyseason”]Anyway, if you squeezed the bottle so that there’s no head space, it’s no wonder it’s inflated. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that your beer is ready…that top’ll probably come flying off before that happens![/quote]Actually, when the PET bottle is fully inflated and firm when squeezed, the batch is carbed - that’s why you do it (as an indication for the whole batch). And no, the carbonation in beer is less than in soda, so the bottle will not burst. At least, none of the hundreds of PET bottles that I’ve used have ever popped, even when filled multiple times.
To the OP - if you had plenty of active yeast in the beer, lots of sugar, and kept it in a warm place, it could certainly carb in a day or two.
Well I opened it and drank it…a little carbonation was present
just probably got giddy at my first batch being bottled and couldn’t wait
:roll:
it had some bitterness i didn’t expect, but then again I did try it after one day in the bottle
and it is my first ever, so I didn’t really know what to expect anyhow.
soooooo I wait another week or so, then share my results
as always thanks for ALL the input and advice from those who know more than me…which is pretty much all of you
:cheers:
[quote=“Nighthawk”][quote=“rainyseason”]
What exactly are you reading that gave you the idea to try bottling in a soda bottle like that???
Anyway, if you squeezed the bottle so that there’s no head space, it’s no wonder it’s inflated. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that your beer is ready…that top’ll probably come flying off before that happens![/quote]
He is probably reading any number of my posts where I tell new brewers to fill a soda bottle with their beer. Squeeze the O2 out and screw the cap on. When the yeast make CO2, the bottle will expand. This will give you a visual as to what is happening in your glass bottles. That way you don’t open a bottle in 1 week and be disappointed that it is not carbonated.
NB sells new plastic bottles. No reason to not recycle plastic bottles like we do glass beer bottles.
Soda bottles also make great “growlers” to take to football night, poker night, backyard parties… especially to parks/camping when you don’t want to worry about broken glass. If you are able to plan ahead, 1l and 2l bottles work great.
As to the OP’s question, that’s very strange that the bottle would have expanded in 1 day. If you put in in the fridge for a couple of days, it might collapse a bit. I would still wait a couple weeks before trying it.[/quote]
Wow…I’d never heard of that. Learn somethin’ new every day around here
[quote=“Ekffazr”]Well I opened it and drank it…a little carbonation was present
just probably got giddy at my first batch being bottled and couldn’t wait
:roll:
it had some bitterness i didn’t expect, but then again I did try it after one day in the bottle
and it is my first ever, so I didn’t really know what to expect anyhow.
soooooo I wait another week or so, then share my results
as always thanks for ALL the input and advice from those who know more than me…which is pretty much all of you
:cheers: [/quote]
I did the plastic bottle thing on my 2nd or 3rd brew. it didn’t carb as fast as yours, but I did try it not long after the bottle felt solid. And it was barely carbonated too. Someone here told me the liquid needs time to absorb the CO2. So even though the bottle felt ready the liquid inside was not.
I know it sucks, but I would give 2 weeks really. And still that will probably taste young. But you could always take tasting notes and see how things progress.
My first few batches I was always chomping at the bit to try them, but time is your friend. Especially when the ambient temps are dropping (at least in my draft apartment).
:cheers:
I know it sucks, but I would give 2 weeks really. And still that will probably taste young. But you could always take tasting notes and see how things progress.
My first few batches I was always chomping at the bit to try them, but time is your friend. Especially when the ambient temps are dropping (at least in my draft apartment).
:cheers: [/quote]
I agree. I’ve had some beers that were carbonated enough to enjoy after 4-5 days, but I always enjoyed them more after an additional week to ten days.
