Faster Than Expected Carbonation

[JPennington]

I was very excited to make my first batch of root beer last night using an extract I purchased from Northern Brewer's website. I followed the directions provided with the extract and bottled the batch last night around 9:00 CST. The recipe estimated 3-4 days for the bottles to condition. Much to my surprise, however, when I came home this afternoon and checked them (around 3:30 CST) the plastic bottles were rock hard and a visible layer of yeast sediment had formed on the bottom of the bottle.

Naturally, I immediately put them in the fridge to shut down fermentation and avoid bottle grenades. But what caused this to carbonate so quickly? The temperature in our apartment has been pretty average and I even covered the bottles with a towel to avoid excess light.

I plan on opening a bottle and tasting it later tonight, once it's had a chance to cool to a more palatable temperature.

The recipe I used is below:

1 Gallon Spring Water
1 Tbsp "Homebrew" Old Fashioned Root Beer Extract
1 cup White Table Sugar
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Lavalin EC-1118 Champagne Yeast

Did I use too much yeast? Did it maybe get hotter than I realized?

Any help in figuring out where I went wrong would be much appreciated.

 

[mredge73]

I have had 5 gallon batches of beer fully ferment overnight; happy healthy yeast colonies have a very high appetite.
So I am not surprised at all, it may have taken 3-4 days if it was chilly (<60F).
Now that it is in the fridge the pressure will drop significantly as C02 absorbs into the fluid. The yeast will still eat but at a much reduced rate.

That said you still need high pressure for root beer to get to the desired 5+ volumes, something close to 60psi at room temp and 30psi at freezing.
With just feel, it is hard to tell the difference between 30psi and 60psi. Some sort of cap pressure gauge would help.

My opinion is that the directions are simply irresponsible. I would never attempt to naturally carbonate soda.
Good thing that plastic bottles can take +200psi before bursting!

 

[JPennington]

@mredge73 - Thanks for the information! I actually opened a bottle yesterday and discovered exactly what you said: the bottles became a little less pressurized. The root beer has a good flavor, and a subtle-but-noticeable carbonation - far less than I expected it to be at first. That said though, I like the end product.

As for naturally carbonating soda, I opted to go that route since the equipment needed for bottle-carbing is minimal, and I definitely don't have the funds or space needed for a kegging system at this time. I've seen a lot of sources that reccomend it (some more reputable than others, i'm sure), but all of them agree that it should only be done in plastic bottles unless you seriously know what you're doing. I honestly have no intentions of ever using glass bottles for soda (at least until I can afford that kegging system), but I have found a brand of cheap root beer that I can reuse the brown plastic bottles from. At $1.00 for a 32oz bottle, I don't mind replacing them if need be.

I'm considering making the next batch using the same recipe and letting the bottles go a day longer. They should get closer to that 60psi you mentioned and will back off from that once I throw them in the fridge and should give the finished product a more noticeable bite, at least in theory. I'm keeping them in a bucket with a heavy towel over them, so even if I were to lose a bottle or two I should just end up with a dirty towel, a bucket of flat root beer, and busted bottles rather than a sticky mess all over the room, right?

Either way, that's still a ways off. After all, I've still got a gallon of root beer to finish off first...

Well... most of a gallon.

 

[Drewed]

You could take your bottles out of the fridge for a day or two and the yeast should kick back in and make more co2. A pressure gage in a cap is a good investment. You can make you own for about $20.

 

[JPennington]

Final Update on Batch 1:

My wife and I opened and shared the last bottle from Batch 1 the other night (on our 1-year anniversary no less ). After 2 and a half weeks in the refridgerator, it had gained just enough carbonation to notice the difference. The flavor had improved, and the brown sugar was a definite standout. I've got a couple of ideas on how to improve batch two.

Carbonation-wise, I plan on letting it ferment at least a little bit longer to increase the carbonation. I think I might have overreacted a bit and sent them to the fridge just a little too soon, being new and all.

Recipe-wise, I think the addition of a little Vanilla would compliment the brown sugar note very well.

 

[EcuPirate07]

congrats on batch 1. When I bottled, I usually only took 3-4 to the fridge and would leave the rest in the cellar and would replace a bottle as I drank it. That way you always have some cold but you also have some aging and gaining more carbonation, because we all know as a first time homebrewer half the battle is waiting.

 

[JPennington]

congrats on batch 1. When I bottled, I usually only took 3-4 to the fridge and would leave the rest in the cellar and would replace a bottle as I drank it. That way you always have some cold but you also have some aging and gaining more carbonation, because we all know as a first time homebrewer half the battle is waiting.

LoL, I know! I eventually want to cross over into beers, and I'm already thinking, "Geez, you mean I have to let it run for 4 to 6 weeks?! And then bottle carb it for two more?!?"

But I guess it's true what they say, right? Good beer comes to those who wait...

 

[mredge73]

It doesn't take that long.
For beer your grain to glass should run about 3-4 weeks.
I generally give 2 weeks for fermentation and 2 weeks for carbonation.
You can get your grain to glass down to under 1 week with a kegging system and a low ABV recipe.
Extract kits take about 2 hours to brew and you already have most of the equipment needed so give it a try, you may enjoy it much more than root beer.

Also, that saying is only accurate for high alcohol beers like a Belgium Triple or Russian Imperial Stout. IPAs and lighter ABV beers are best served young.