How long can I wait to bottle after adding priming sugar?

[beerwrangler]

A disaster occurred yesterday. The arm on my bench capper snapped off after 20 bottles, so I was left with 12 litres of beer. I'd added the melted sugar to my pressure barrel and siphoned over the beer from the FV, and was filling the bottles from there. After the arm snapped off I gently poured the 20 or so uncapped bottles back into the pressure barrel, and stuck the lid on.

So, I now have a half filled pressure barrel and I'm concerned that there's too much space in there for carbonation. At the same time I'm concerned that dispensing into bottles, and then and pouring back into the barrel may have let in too much air.

My question is, if I can repair the bottler in the next couple of days, could I get away with bottling* again?

*I want to bottle as I'm not convinced that the CO2 injector valve is sound.

[pads72]

Hi Beerwrangler,
What's done is done, and I'd suggest repairing/replacing the bottler and then go ahead and re-bottle and cap the beers. Then just use a marker pen to put an 'X' on each cap, so you can differentiate those that might have had too much aeration.
Condition as normal and then give them the taste test!
Time will tell.

[beerwrangler]

I thought that would be the case, and I have a set of different coloured caps on standby. Just wanted to see what the wider opinion was e.g to save the work and write off the whole thing, or that I stand a chance of getting away with it.

[tazzymutt]

I reckon you'll get away with it (but if not, you'll be the first to know... )

To give you a little extra confidence I'll admit to the fact that (being as tight as a homophobic ducks backside) I pour the last slops from every pint into a swing top bottle until it is full (that could take several weeks and many additions) then add a little sugar, invert it and leave it a week or two. I figure if the result is undrinkable it has only cost me half a spoon of sugar. So far, every one of my salvaged pints has been fine, some better than others (depending on what mix of bottle ends I've collected) but all drinkable. And I always get a buzz from knowing that I am drinking a completely free pint that would usually have been thrown away).

Happy brewing,


Ian.

[beerwrangler]

Just wanted to provide an update for anyone else who has a similar drama.

I couldn't hold off waiting so I opened a bottle of the batch that went wrong, and it was fine. Carbonation was good (perhaps a little too much), and no taste of off beer. It's certainly not ready though, so got the homebew twang so I must resist.

thanks for the replies back.