Help, too much priming sugar.

[Sozzled Sab]

I have just bottled a lager and realised that I have put double the amount of priming solution in each bottle !
I know this will put me in bottle bomb territory or at least gushers. Could I get away with cracking open the caps after a few days to release some of the pressure? Any suggestions will be most helpful.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I have just bottled a lager and realised that I have put double the amount of priming solution in each bottle !
I know this will put me in bottle bomb territory or at least gushers. Could I get away with cracking open the caps after a few days to release some of the pressure? Any suggestions will be most helpful.

Yes, you can get away with this method. But it's quite unreliable as you don't know how much gas you will let out.
I've had this before where I've bottled with too much residiual sugar and primed it (essentially the same problem). I only found out once it was over-primed. I did you what you plan - crack the cap (or open the pop-tops in my case), then leave for many hours leaving the cap over the top to form a bit of a weak airlock. Then, when you think it has released the "correct" amount of gas (guesswork), reseal it. Test again in a few days to make sure it's not over-carbed. If it is, do it again. I think I left mine open for about 10 hours and still had to do it again the next week. Eventually I got down to beer that wasn't overcarbed.

 

[Agentgonzo]

One thing you could do to 'measure' the amount of CO2 escaped is to put a balloon over the top of the bottle after you crack the cap. This will inflate as CO2 escapes, giving you a rough guess of how many volumes of CO2 you have let out.

 

[An Ankoù]

I have just bottled a lager and realised that I have put double the amount of priming solution in each bottle !
I know this will put me in bottle bomb territory or at least gushers. Could I get away with cracking open the caps after a few days to release some of the pressure? Any suggestions will be most helpful.

How much sugar did you put in the bottles?
What size were the bottles?
What was the FG of the lager (if you measured it) or how long had the beer been in the fermenter?

 

[Sozzled Sab]

How much sugar did you put in the bottles?
What size were the bottles?
What was the FG of the lager (if you measured it) or how long had the beer been in the fermenter?

I used a sugar solution and a syringe, it worked out at 6g in each 500ml bottle.
Fg was 1010 measured 3 days apart (OG 1048). I did put one in a pet bottle so I will keep an eye on that.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Also put the bottles in a cool place, check after two weeks and if carbonated then leave at that temperature and start drinking.

 

[An Ankoù]

I used a sugar solution and a syringe, it worked out at 6g in each 500ml bottle.
Fg was 1010 measured 3 days apart (OG 1048). I did put one in a pet bottle so I will keep an eye on that.

Yeah, that is a bit high. Keep an eye on the PET. I've successfully reduced the pressure in overcarbed bottles by lifting the cap a little after a couple of weeks and then cramping them down again after half an hour. But you might get away with it. Just keep an eye on the PET and be careful how you handle the bottles. I regularly use 6g in 75 cl bottles.

 

[Sozzled Sab]

Also put the bottles in a cool place, check after two weeks and if carbonated then leave at that temperature and start drinking.

Tbh I am not a larger fan the brew was for when friends come round. What temp do you advise for carbonation? It's currently in my brew fridge so can control temp ok. Yeast was s23.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Normally at 20 but ambient, but you want to ensure over carbonation so 10 would be worth seeing if it still carbonates but doesn’t explode.

 

[AJA]

I'd carbonate at 20oC, but check daily after a few days to check when they are done. Then store them very cold until drinking, should stop fermentation nicely and floc the yeast in suspension.

 

[An Ankoù]

I'd carbonate at 20oC, but check daily after a few days to check when they are done. Then store them very cold until drinking, should stop fermentation nicely and floc the yeast in suspension.

It's a lager so the yeast will probably continue to ferment at quite low temperatures. I agree with carbing at a decent temperature, though, Although 20 is a bit high.