Dry-Hopping / Sediment / Bottling Question

[drlars]

Okay, so I am planning on bottling my split-batch IPA (half citra, half amarillo) tonight. I used a Two-Hearted clone partial-mash malt bill (O.G. = 1.072). American Ale II yeast with a starter. They've been fermenting for four weeks total now. And for the last week, I've been dry-hopping each in their respective 2.5-gal fermentors with hop pellets and marbels in nylon mesh bags. (This is my first attempt at dry-hopping.)

For the last 4 days, they've been 'cool'-crashing in the basement. So I bring them up today in preparation for bottling tonight. Except when I look at them now, the airlock seems to be active again. Plus, I can see streams of CO2 bubbles coming off of the sediment (which was agitated a lot more than usual with the marble bags when I transported them).

Does anyone know if CO2 simply gets trapped in the sediment, or should I be worried about bottle-bombs? I mean, its been four weeks......

 

[zachattack]

CO2 is less soluble in warm liquid than cold, which is why a warm bottle of beer/soda can be messy to open. You're seeing CO2 leave the beer as it warms up. No big deal. The sediment is a nice nucleation site.

 

[sidepart]

I'm no scientist so I could be wrong on this (fair warning). The yeast reaction does produce CO2 and alcohol during fermentation. As I understand it, some of that CO2 does dissolve into the product. I don't find it unusual at all that you see some CO2 fizz.

If you agitated things by dragging your carboy upstairs, I'm not surprised that the airlock bubbled a tad. Just CO2 escaping. The change in temperature could probably also cause the gas in the headspace to expand.

 

[RM-MN]

The way you ensure you don't get bottle bombs is to use your hydrometer. I'm pretty sure that your beer is done, it has been in the fermenter for 4 weeks but sometimes people get a stuck fermentation that restarts later. Your hydrometer doesn't know how to lie. Take a reading now, take a reading on Thursday. If they are exactly the same, you bottle. If they have changed, you wait.

 

[drlars]

Thanks for the quick replies - I feel better about bottling it now. I got 15 and 16 Grolsch swing-tops, respectively, from each of the 2.5 gal batches.

Just to be safe, I transferred all of the coats out of the closet that I am keeping them in. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, because the wife would be unhappy (to say the least) if they exploded.

I know people say to take successive hydrometer readings, but I kind of had to bottle them yesterday or else my next chance wouldn't be until next week, and I've heard some people say thats too long to dry-hop because you'll get a 'grassy' taste.

BTW - the split-batch bottling was even more of a PITA than than on brew day. I don't know that I'll do that again. On the upside, the green beer I sampled from the hydrometer flask tasted great, so I think these batches have potential.