PET bottles

[Hayzer]

Is this rising of the cap normal for the plastic bottle? It’s my first batch and I’m just wondering if this is safe. Three weeks in and this is the first time this bottle was handled.


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[John Sand]

I think it is. The pressure is high now at room temp, and not completely absorbed by the beer.

[Beer-lord]

How hard are the bottles and how long have they been carbing? I've had to release pressure in bottles in the past but not often but only when I felt they were way too hard and possibly overcarbed. Also, heavily used bottles and caps could possibly be a problem but I would think after many, many uses.

[Hayzer]

This is from my first batch in the BD. It's a Pilsner, )which I hope tastes better than any other Pilsner I've had to choke down) The bottles and caps are new and they have been conditioning at 72-76 degrees for two weeks. The bottles are hard, but after seeing the bubbled top I did not squeeze to see how hard they were.

Should I release some carbonation from those plastic bottles? If so, how do I do that with these plastic caps? If I blow up bottles I'm certain my wife will put the hammer down on my brewing.

[Beer-lord]

I wouldn't do anything now. You are close to tasting one soon so wait and see how that is before deciding to release pressure. I'm not convinced that's necessary, I merely threw that out as one possibility.
Let us know your thoughts after your first taste test. If they are hard, pop one in the fridge and try it then wait another week and see how much better it is then.

[Hayzer]

I wouldn't do anything now. You are close to tasting one soon so wait and see how that is before deciding to release pressure. I'm not convinced that's necessary, I merely threw that out as one possibility.
Let us know your thoughts after your first taste test. If they are hard, pop one in the fridge and try it then wait another week and see how much better it is then.

The last bottle pulled out of the fermenter did not fill to the top and I put it in the refrigerator last night. In fact it had some sediment in the bottom and I am a wheat beer guy so that doesn't bother me. I will taste it after 24 hours in the fridge. That bottle was about 5/8th full and the cap is not bulging on it.

I edited the original post. These have been carbonating for two weeks. Will the refrigeration pull back the carbonation that's building in these plastic bottles? Should I see the lids go back down after being cooled?

[RickBeer]

I recommend you follow 3/4, then 3.

3 weeks fermenting at mid 60s wort temp.
4 weeks bottle conditioning at 70 or higher.
3 days in the fridge for what you're ready to drink, leaving the rest at 70 or higher.

If it's been 2 weeks since you bottled, PULL THE BOTTLE BACK OUT OF THE FRIDGE and go 2 more weeks.

When you cool beer, CO2 is absorbed back into the beer. In addition, as beer cools, pressure decreases because the CO2 molecules move slower.

You want 3 days in the fridge to give the CO2 time to absorb back into the beer, and not quickly escape when you open it.

Lids going up is unusual. I see you fermented for 19 days, so it should have been done. Make sure you didn't put too much sugar in the bottles for the size you have.

[Hayzer]

The bottles are quart sized and I put 2 1/2 teaspoons in each bottle. I think I am going to get a tote with a lid and finish conditioning in that. If it blows, there's no mess. Would you do that or release a bit of pressure and hope for the best?

[RickBeer]

The bottles are quart sized and I put 2 1/2 teaspoons in each bottle. I think I am going to get a tote with a lid and finish conditioning in that. If it blows, there's no mess. Would you do that or release a bit of pressure and hope for the best?

Are these Mr. Beer bottles? If not, whose bottles are those? Have they held, or are they designed to hold, carbonated beverages?

2.5 teaspoons in a 32 or 33.8 oz bottle is fine, although will probably be a bit fizzy. 2.5 TABLESPOONS would be way too much and cause problems.

I would NOT release pressure. A tote with lid is fine. STANDING UP.

[Hayzer]

Rick, these (I assume) have never held beverages. They came with my BrewDemon starter kit. First time use for me. I’m going to put them in a tote for their last two weeks of conditioning.


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[RickBeer]

I can't comment on Brew Demon bottles, as I have none. They are of course suited for carbonated beverages, but I can't tell you that the caps are identical or shouldn't bulge. I'd call them.

[mashani]

Those caps only bulge under high pressure. That doesn't necessarily mean it's "too much" in the sense of it turning into a geyser or a bottle bomb, but it is for sure highly carbonated.

2 1/2 tsps. of sugar could do that especially if the beer was bottled slightly before it was really done. 2 1/2 tsps. of sugar is actually a pretty high carb level on it's own. I don't know why the suggest so much, except that Americans like fizzy shit.

To put that in perspective, I would prime a 1L bottle with 3 Dominos Dots sugar cubes for most beers. That would amount to 7.5 grams of sugar. (or 2 Dots in a 740ML bottle, IE 5 grams of sugar).

At 4 grams per tsp, 2 1/2 tsps. is 10 grams of sugar (like 4 Dominos Dots). If the teaspoons were even slightly heaping it might be closer to 11 grams of sugar.

That's how much I'd use if I was looking for something approaching Wheat Beer / Belgian Strong Golden Ale like carb levels.

Which the bottle can handle, but the caps do start to bulge at that level.

Now, if the nubs on the bottom of the bottle start to get rounded or bulge, instead of being flat on the bottom, then you are really getting into psycho levels and I would vent the bottles for sure.

[berryman]

I don't know why the suggest so much, except that Americans like fizzy shit.

Ha I guess I'm one of them, I like a high carb level and don't always go by style on carb, and know how to pour on a high carb beer.
To the OP, I haven't used PET's in a while and have had some rock hard ones, but have never seen a cap look like that. I think you should be ok and after in the fridg will calm down some. Keep us informed and if it does blow, how high I think I wouldn't re-use the caps again, but I can't say that for sure because IDK and never had it happen.

[FrozenInTime]

I would gently open one over a sink. IMHO, no way should they be bulging like that. I don't think chilling those will help much. In fact, if it were me, I would burp each one over a sink without opening them, then let them finish conditioning in a container but I think you are going to have highly carb'd soda water. Again, IMHO.

That I can recall (yea, I'm getting slow and old), there are only 2 things that will cause that. Either they are over-carbonated, or infected.

[Hayzer]

I put one in the fridge for 48 hours. That bottle was the last one off the fermenter. It was about 5/8 full, so not bulging. It was HIGHLY over-carbonated. After spooning off head, I passed it around for several to sample. Everyone wanted more. Something’s right, but wrong. I think I’ll release pressure, allow to carb two more weeks, then a couple weeks in the refrigerator.


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