bottled too soon

[zzephyrs]

Anyone got any advice? I made 10 gallons of bitter recently (4.5 % extract brew) which has always been fine before but because I had to be away working for a couple of weeks I bottled it too soon straight of out the primary (into 2l PETs as usual, giving it 2tsp priming sugar per bottle) whilst it was still cloudy even tho the gravity looked ok. So, probably rather predictably, I have 22 bottles of very gassy beer with a very thick layer of yeast on the bottom which do lava lamp impressions when opened, ie the yeast rises in big clumps, de-gasses then falls back down. So - I was wondering - could I leave them outside on a cold night to chill to near freezing and then decant, one bottle into the last empty and cleaned one, as I seem to remember that the CO2 doesnt expand at below ~4C. or will I have to drink 10 galls of very yeasty (though still tasty :grin: ) beer. Any solutions welcomed :

 

[pittsy]

Hi , try opening a bottle leaving the lid on . Close it straight away and leave to settle in the fridge . After a few hours re open to see if sorted . If the bottle overflows of bubbles when you first open it then i doubt you can solve it but if only sediment is lifting in bottle then you may be able to de gas em a little. Also try popiing 1 in the freezer for half an hour to see if that works first , it depends on how much they are over gassed.

 

[zzephyrs]

Thanks Pittsy,
when I've tried de-gassing them like that the yeast rises then settles but next time the cap is opened the same thing happens again, so far 3 times in 1 bottle - there really does seem to be a lot of gas there but oddly they don't overflow when opened. Its a shame cos they're starting to clear nicely now but as soon as one is opened the yeast rises and it gets very cloudy.
It's no reason to pour the lot down the sink, it seems that making homebrew inevitably involves a fairly healthy intake of yeast cells but it would be nice to drink it reasonably clear.
I nearly tried the freezer test last night but it was late and would have ended in a frozen bottle this morning - be good to know whether the cooling thing works though - don't they do something similar in champagne production to get the yeast out the bottle?

 

[Good Ed]

You could try storing them upside down, then open over the sink, let all the yeast out and put the cap back on quick. I've never tried it myself but have read about it, try 1 bottle and see

 

[graysalchemy]

If you can get the lids off them what about leaving them with the lids slackened for a day or so. Worth a try with one.

 

[zzephyrs]

Heh - like the idea of the upside down storage and yeast ejection method but have a feeling that it would lead to a complete ban on all homebrewing activities from SWMBO after the yeast sludge had been wiped off of the kitchen cabinets - though I seem to remember that it's the method that used to be employed in champagne production - its all about thumb technique...
I'll try the 'loose cap for a few days' method - it means that all my lovely nearly-clear beer would go cloudy again but I guess the bigger clumps will flocculate(?!) more quickly - been doing a bit of reading on the health benefits of brewers yeast and it looks like consuming a couple of teaspoons a day is positively good for you, even if it's not quite so good for those around you :sick:
Anyway, thanks for the answers, it's good here innit :

 

[MattN]

Heh - like the idea of the upside down storage and yeast ejection method but have a feeling that it would lead to a complete ban on all homebrewing activities from SWMBO after the yeast sludge had been wiped off of the kitchen cabinets

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

 

[Dave1970]

don't they do something similar in champagne production to get the yeast out the bottle?

in Champagne production they gradually twist and angle the bottle until the yeast ends up as a plug in the neck of the bottle. In the old days this might then have been released using a 'skilled thumb'. Now they dip the neck into a very cold liquid until the plug of yeast freezes, the bottle's then opened and the pressure pushes the frozen plug out.....going to be tricky to replicate at home!