Paranoid / Worried...

[Schnell88]

A few days ago I bottled my home brew into liter pet bottles, leaving about an inch and a half from the top. I have brewed a bitter, and when I filled them up they got a bit of head on them, even though I took every care to pour it down the side of the bottle. Anyway I have left them at my Uni home, and im back home for Easter. I put the sugar in, and shook them to dissolve the sugar. This made the beer give of a gas, just like a coke bottle. The bottle went quite rigid. They had a big head on them after I shook them, but this went down.

Im worried they might explode. Am I being paranoid, considering that the secondary fermentation will give off even more gas. How much pressure can these plastic bottles take? Surely glass is 100x's better.

can anyone put my mind at ease...

Thanks x

 

[Wez]

PET bottles are very strong and can take a good deal of pressure - throw a warm bottle of coke down a few flights of stairs and feel how hard the bottle feels - relax it'll be reet :thumb:

 

[Schnell88]

Thanks lol...

 

[A T]

But in future you really don't need to shake the bottle cause you are asking for problems doing that (aeration). How did you prime? if you batch prime (add the priming sugar to the fermenter prior to bottling) there's no need to do anything with the bottles. Myself i prime my bottles individually and syphon first to the keg and when it clears i start bottling how ever much i plan to bottle and put the rest in the keg. It is extra work priming all the bottles and i never shake or even invert my bottles and i've never had a problem. This is not standard practice but i think you'll find everybody has their own way and you'll find yours in time

 

[Schnell88]

I just added half teaspoon to a pint. I just thought as I could see the sugar in the bottom when I bottled I needed to dissolve it. Next time lol :thumb:

 

[A T]

It's no harm to invert the bottle slowly making sure not to be to vigorous and introduce oxygen into your beer, you'll bee grand and you'll learn from it. We all have done the same things as you at some point and the beer was never thrown out

 

[aeddon]

its usualy "recommended" you add 1 tsp per pint, but experiement.

For the 1lt bottles this would be around a tsp and a half, but try a few with 1.5tsp, 1tsp, 1/2tsp. Some people dont prime their bottle, allowing long conditioning to produce a mild carbonation. I'm still experiementing with my ale to get a good carbonation and not as 1tsp makes it abit too largery if that makes sense.

 

[tubby_shaw]

its usualy "recommended" you add 1 tsp per pint

Who recommended that aeddon?
As you have said at 1tsp/pint that would make your beers cola gassy :sick:
1/2 tsp/pint is more usual and I even find that too gassy in most ales :hmm:
But it's a good start but as aeddon says experiment and have fun :thumb:

 

[MEB]

1 tsp per pint :shock: :shock: :shock: 1/2 tsp per pint :shock: :shock: :shock:
**** me what are you after? A lunar landing from your mega fizzy beer :rofl:

I go for 1/2 tsp per litre for Pale Ales and half that for standard bitters. And even that is a bit on the fizzy side. PET bottles can cope with up to 100psi so you'll be fine with the pressure-glass copes with no where near that. :thumb:

 

[prolix]

No sorry :nono: they will all explode and take out half the street!

Drive back tonight and drink them all. :

You have been warned. :rofl:

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Schnell88]

Your telling me to drive back...? Seriously? I only put half a teaspoon, if that in each bottle as i knew i would be driving back home..

 

[Smod]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Aleman]

I have seen a video where someone connected a CO2 cylinder up to a PET Bottle . . . It reached 250 psi before it blew . . . I'm glad there was no on ein the vicinity when it went 'pop' :lol:

1/2 a tsp in a 50ml PET bottle is fine for 'bottled' beer taste . . . I normally go much lower than that but then I want much less carbonation in my beer.

 

[Schnell88]

O well, guess i will use them as grenades... shake and throw... BOOM...!! :thumb: