Bubbly Beer or Big Mistake

So, the very next night after bottling I was telling my wife how the process went. That it was pretty easy and went off without a hitch. Then it hit me – I primed too much sugar. I had just made a case of bottle bombs!

The night before, rather than measuring out my sugar, I grabbed a pre-measured 5 oz. package that was in with my ingredients. I was trying to be quick and didn’t even think about the 2.5 gallon batch I was about to bottle only needing 2.5 oz. of sugar.

I searched over HomeBrewTalk and other sites. I was most definitely going to have bottle bombs. I waited 5 days and then uncapped two, easily and over the sink. A light hiss and nothing more. I quickly recapped them and let the entire lot sit for 3 more days.

A-Z Brown Ale I grabbed a new bottle from the case and popped the top. Again, nothing crazy happened. I poured it to a glass and it looked great. The beer was clear and had a nice, dark amber/brown color. The head was about two-fingers thick, probably from the over-carbonation.

I tasted a sip and it was pretty good. Not the best I’ve had, but way better than I expected for my first batch. It was bubbly, too much so. It had a malty and fruity taste to it, much like Old Speckled Hen. There was a slight hop finish, which could be a little stronger. The alcohol is prevalent in the taste. I should have let it sit longer before bottling and I hoping it will mellow as it ages, which it should. At 7.5% ABV, it’s definitely a sipping beer.

I went about my business and started working on some stuff around the house. Taking a sip now and then. As it sat, the bubbles worked themselves out and it lost most of the carbonation, making it quite a nice beer.

I’ll be trying one again in about a week to see how it’s different. I want it to mellow a bit more before passing a few out to my friends. We’ll see what it tastes like after it sits a bit longer.

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