Broken Bottle

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Rich71093

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Joined
May 21, 2011
Messages
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Location
Tionesta
I bottled my first batch of beer 2 weeks ago (english brown ale). I decided to sample one last night, but when I went to pry the cap off, the neck of the bottle broke off instead of the cap coming off. I used the butterfly capper that came with my kit. I am wondering if I used too much force when capping. Anyone else ever have this problem? I wonder how many bottles are going to break on me...
 
I see you're from Tionesta,PA! We used to go to school there,& fish for Crappie! We lived in Harmony Township. It's more likely the bottles you used were weak in the neck area. What bottles were they? Do you remember? Were they twist offs?
 
The bottles are sam adams bottles that I bought (full of beer) and saved the bottles because I planned to start brewing one day. As far as I know they are used once by me. I have six cases of sam bottles that I have been saving.
 
Huh. That's odd. I have many Sam Adam's bottles myself,never broke one. Must've just been a weak one with a thin spot.? When I hold bottles up to the light after initial cleaning,they do look a bit wavy inside. So it's likely just a thin spot from when the hot glass was blown into the mold.
I like the German Paulaner bottles the best. They are a light/medium amber color with a hint of green. With the embossed busts of bearded monks around the shoulder of the bottle. That's cool,& never a problem with sealing,breaking,etc.
 
Hopefully it's just a fluke. I'm worried I used too much force capping them. I cut my thumb pretty good and don't want a repeat!!
 
Yeah,I make sure I hold back a little to make sure I'm not going to gorilla the bottle. I have to keep telling myself "it's just a thin steel stamping" add infinitum.
 
I have had that happen a few times.

Twice, when using the butterfly capper I must put a little torque on it and snap the neck then. It makes me think that you can put a stress in the glass depending on how you use the butterfly capper.

Then at a friend's place I snapped 3 bottles using his waiter's key. I think that his model in particular again put more lateral force than mine leading to the bottles breaking.

My concern has always been what to do with the beer. Is there small glass shards or not?
 
I strained mine though a very fine mesh coffee strainer. Don't want to waste beer!!! That would be alcohol abuse!!
 
Make sure the caps stay in hot water as they cool they require more force to crimp. I also switched to a church key that puts pressure on the top 2 corners and lifts at the center.
 
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