My 5 Gallon carboy split in half and there goes a batch of beer

....better the beer than my skin getting all cut up.

I was actually already in bed. This is a beer I racked last night around 10PM and pitched the yeast. All was going fine no fermentation activity of course and I went to bed. Got up at 6AM and there's a text from my downstairs neighbors that there's beer leaking into their kitchen..this is a room that used to be the stairs to the 1st floor of the house so it leaked down through the hole in the plywood and down their stairs. Could have been worse.

Time to clean up for an hour.

BTW, I always check carboys for hairline cracks before using them. This one was just fine. I racked at 80 degrees so it's not like the wort was too hot. It just failed for some reason.

Ouch! Sorry to hear man. any reason you don't keep them in a plastic tub? My fermentors are kept in the downstairs shower just in case something happens.

Joe13 said:

Ouch! Sorry to hear man. any reason you don't keep them in a plastic tub? My fermentors are kept in the downstairs shower just in case something happens.

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It's something that will be done from now on. No reason not to store them that way. I've slowly been buying plastic carboys for this reason..cheaper, shipping is less and no cracks.

Wow that's impressive...thankfully this isn't another "check out the stitches I got from my shattered carboy" thread...

My final two words are: Better. Bottles.

I may be the only person who has never broken a carboy. 13 years with the same glass. sorry for your beer loss. glad no one was hurt.

That is a crazy crack. I'm sorry for your loss, and all the clean up.

Billy-Klubb said:

I may be the only person who has never broken a carboy. 13 years with the same glass. sorry for your beer loss. glad no one was hurt.

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I haven't either, but I handle my glass carboys as if they were Condor eggs.

Disintegr8or said:

I haven't either, but I handle my glass carboys as if they were Condor eggs.

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you throw them at your neighbors? aaahhhhhh!

seriously, accidents happen. maybe we been lucky, but I had read an awful lot on people breaking their carboys.

Could the airlock have plugged causing the carboy to crack?

Spartan1979 said:

Could the airlock have plugged causing the carboy to crack?

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It's likely. That's what I thougtht but it wasn't plugged. Plus, this strain takes a solid 12 hours to show any signs of bubbling and I had only pitched it 7 hours ago when I went in the cellar to check it.

Billy-Klubb said:

I may be the only person who has never broken a carboy. 13 years with the same glass. sorry for your beer loss. glad no one was hurt.

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i got ya beat 20 years with the same glass carboys. (looks around for some wood to knock on)

I'm always scared to put beer into a 5 gallon carboy cause the beer would blow out the top... Now I have a new fear!

adamjackson said:

It's likely. That's what I thougtht but it wasn't plugged. Plus, this strain takes a solid 12 hours to show any signs of bubbling and I had only pitched it 7 hours ago when I went in the cellar to check it.

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Looking at the neck of the carboy and the airlock it looks like you had some yeast activity going on before the break.