Just had my first bottle bomb!!!!!

My fiance and I were just getting ready to relax and enjoy our Sunday evening when we heard a loud explosion. My first reaction was, damn that cat..what did he knock over this time? We ran into the living area (we have a 1 bedroom condo...not much room) and immediately noticed the beer pouring out of our buffet/cabinet. It was a damn mess. There were 6 broken bottles inside the cabinet. I'm guessing 1 blew up and decapitated 5 others in the process. I had about 40 bottles conditioning in there and about 50 other empty bottles, not to mention all of our wine glasses on the shelf above. All were covered in beer and shards of glass.

I was so paranoid that another one was going to blow during the clean up process that I made my fiance wear her sunglasses just in case something shot at her eyes. We quickly washed off all of the remaining full bottles and wrapped in trash bags in sets of 4 bottles per bag, then covered all in another trash bag, then covered that with two cardboard boxes in preparation for another bomb.

So, here are the facts of the explosive beer:
-Brew date was 4/2/11, 5 gallon batch partial boil
-American Amber extract kit which was pieced together by LHBS
-6lbs of LME
-3/4 lb of Crystal 40 Malt
-1/8 lb of Victory Malt
-1 oz Falcon Flight HopPellets 10.5% at 60 min
-1/2 oz Centennial HopPellets 9.2% at 30 min
-1/2 oz Centennial HopPellets 9.2% at 10 min
-White Labs East Coast Ale Yeast
Dry Hopped with 1oz 5% Cascade HopPellets (I added this to recipe)
OG = 1.048
FG = 1.014
ABV = 4.54%
74 IBUs

-Pitched yeast at 69 degrees
-Fermented in primary for 13 days at 72-75 degrees
-Secondary for about 2 weeks with 1oz Cascade dry hop
-Used 5 ounces of priming sugar at bottling, boiled in water, poured into bottling bucket, then siphoned beer on top with the siphon at the bottom of the bucket. Should have been an even mix of sugar
-Bottled on 4/29, so bottles are at 9 days bottle conditioning
-They've been in a dark cabinet at about 75 degrees

I tried one at 7 days (1 day in fridge) and it was good but definitely not anywhere close to being fully carbed. It was pretty flat

So....what are some explanations for this? I just assumed this happened when there was too much C02 pressure in the bottle. But a buddy of mine told me he read somewhere this can happen from a contamination of some type in the bottle. I like to think I'm pretty thorough with my sanitation methods, but I do collect all my bottles used so maybe something slipped through. Also, I used a bottling wand for the first time with this batch. In the past I would always just use the spigot and fill to about an inch below the cap. Never had any problems but I was told it was better to use a wand to force the oxygen out of the bottle...so I made the switch. But, with the wand I can't fill as high due to the volume the wand takes up while in the bottle, so I'm left with less beer in each bottle. Could this extra head space have cause the problem? Any other thoughts?

I'm gonna guess the priming solution wasn't evenly distributed throughout and some got more sugar than others. Seems like everything you did was correct, the only variable is the priming solution.

tmurph6 said:

I'm gonna guess the priming solution wasn't evenly distributed throughout and some got more sugar than others. Seems like everything you did was correct, the only variable is the priming solution.

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Is this just something that is inevitably going to happen at some point in our brewing lives? I boiled priming sugar in 2 cups of water, poured into bottling bucket, then siphoned beer from secondary on top of the priming sugar. Seems like it should have evenly distributed throughout, no?

I've had 2 exploded bottles in 20 batches. I don't really know what caused either explosion.

I'm inclined to think that it's either one-off bottle infections, or that it's uneven priming distribution.

It's frustrating and scary to say the least, especially since it makes me less comfortable to give beer away, which is one of my favorite parts of the hobby.

Kaboom!!!! Like a nonsilent warrior!!!!!!!

Not to get too far off my original post, but does anyone have any horor stories of people getting injured from bottle bombs?

One more question, just the chance of a bottle bomb decrease once they are in the fridge?

MileHighHops said:

One more question, just the chance of a bottle bomb decrease once they are in the fridge?

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Yes, as the temp decreases so does the pressure.

You have to make sure that when you are measuring your priming sugar, you measure for the amount that is going into the bottling bucket. Dont assume that you have 5 gallons of beer that is being bottled if you brewed 5 gallons.

Someone is always posting something about a bottle bomb. When are people going to learn to put the bottles in some kind of container to contain the blast once it happens?

C-Rider said:

Someone is always posting something about a bottle bomb. When are people going to learn to put the bottles in some kind of container to contain the blast once it happens?

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Yeah, well, I guess I learned the hard way. Luckily I only lost a six pack, and not an eye. I'll be working on making a box lined with some industrial strength bags to contain any future explosions.

Lesson learned

C-Rider said:

Someone is always posting something about a bottle bomb. When are people going to learn to put the bottles in some kind of container to contain the blast once it happens?

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+1 When getting ready to bottle my first batch, I was searching all over the house for a nice out of the way spot that was a fairly constant 70-75F. My wife suggested a number of places that I rejected because a puddle of beer would have possibly ruined something or other.

With proper sanitation and accurate measuring, in theory thee should be no problem, but... call me crazy, but whenever I am pressurizing a glass vessel, I assume there is always a small possibility of it violently exploding.

I wonder if people in higher elevations are more susceptible to bottle bombs. I'm guessing no, if the beer was bottled at the same elevation, but has there ever been anything written about this?

MileHigh, you've got me worried. I bottled my first batch this past Saturday and your process sounds just like mine down to the letter.

That's why I bottle condition in two coolers with lids. I haven't had one yet but I imagine if I do my cleanup and subsequent trouble with SWMBO will be a lot less than yours.

I was told early on that there are two kinds of brewers:
Those that have had bottle bombs,
and those that will.

Plan accordingly.


To date, I've done 15-20 batches and lost 4 to bottle bombs.
There was no constant. One was bottle primed, the other batch primed.
One was an AG recipe, the other an extract.
One was a 12oz bottle, the other a 16oz flippie.

Go figure.

I know 75 isn't TOO hot, but I wonder if that higher temp caused it? My basement stays between 66 and 68, and I haven't had it happen yet (knock on wood) but it takes a little longer for them to carb up at the lower temp. I think I'd rather wait longer, than risk bottle bombs. Maybe it was a combination of being the one of the last bottles(might have had a little more sugar settled at the bottom of the bucket) and the temp.

I've never had bottle bombs. I use the whirlpool method of racking to the bottling bucket; no stirring necessary as the whirlpool will thoroughly mix everything (you know, as long as you don't let it sit forever afterwards.)

It could be a slight infection in one bottle. The tiniest chip in the glass or dust particle can harbor bacteria and wild yeast that will continue to ferment the beer in the bottle resulting in kaboom.

Extra paranoid about sanitation when I bottle (keg mostly, so I can afford be a little obsessive every once in a while.) I do an oxyclean soak for a couple hours (or until the solution is not longer hot and thus less effective) followed by thorough rinsing with both hot and cold water. Then those suckers are ran in the dishwasher with a high-heat dry for sanitation, then once they cool they are soaked in an iodophor bath and subsequently racked to drain out everything.

I also use oxygen-absorbing caps... they're only $1/lb. more at LHBS.

chapa said:

I know 75 isn't TOO hot, but I wonder if that higher temp caused it? My basement stays between 66 and 68, and I haven't had it happen yet (knock on wood) but it takes a little longer for them to carb up at the lower temp. I think I'd rather wait longer, than risk bottle bombs. Maybe it was a combination of being the one of the last bottles(might have had a little more sugar settled at the bottom of the bucket) and the temp.

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That very well could be. It was in the mid 80s all weekend here in Denver, which is much hotter than what it's been in weeks past. Add to that our building hasn't switched over to A/C yet and our place has been unsually warm these past few days. I just hope I don't have another one from this batch. I'm at day 10 conditioning, so it won't be too much longer until they all go in the fridge.

Reno_eNVy_446 said:

I've never had bottle bombs. I use the whirlpool method of racking to the bottling bucket; no stirring necessary as the whirlpool will thoroughly mix everything (you know, as long as you don't let it sit forever afterwards.)

It could be a slight infection in one bottle. The tiniest chip in the glass or dust particle can harbor bacteria and wild yeast that will continue to ferment the beer in the bottle resulting in kaboom.

Extra paranoid about sanitation when I bottle (keg mostly, so I can afford be a little obsessive every once in a while.) I do an oxyclean soak for a couple hours (or until the solution is not longer hot and thus less effective) followed by thorough rinsing with both hot and cold water. Then those suckers are ran in the dishwasher with a high-heat dry for sanitation, then once they cool they are soaked in an iodophor bath and subsequently racked to drain out everything.

I also use oxygen-absorbing caps... they're only $1/lb. more at LHBS.

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Wow... I rinse all bottles with very hot water after consuming and then let them dry. They are stored until bottling day in boxes with no lids and then I dunk in StarSan for a few minutes and empty and fill. No infections yet but your post makes me wonder if I'm asking for one.

C-Rider said:

Someone is always posting something about a bottle bomb. When are people going to learn to put the bottles in some kind of container to contain the blast once it happens?

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+1

If the 40 bottles were from that single batch, then that's only 3.75 gallons. 5 ounces of sugar in that volume is quite a bit and I'm not surprised one popped.

When you bottled, did you actually have a full five gallons? I usually have less, and wind up adjusting the amount of priming sugar to avoid over-carbonation, and possible bottle bombs. I had a bottle bomb of a different nature, when my beer fridge got too cold and froze a liter of my IPA, which then exploded all over the fridge. Oh well, the fridge needed cleaning anyway, too bad the beer was wasted.

that's a good tip about batch priming for what's going in the bottling bucket. My first couple batches were a bit over carbonated (no bombs, but definitely a bit more pop to the swingtops than I had anticipated). I didn't think about the fact that I was basically priming for a couple extra bottles
I guess I'm not terribly bright :cross:

PIGMAN said:

When you bottled, did you actually have a full five gallons? I usually have less, and wind up adjusting the amount of priming sugar to avoid over-carbonation, and possible bottle bombs. I had a bottle bomb of a different nature, when my beer fridge got too cold and froze a liter of my IPA, which then exploded all over the fridge. Oh well, the fridge needed cleaning anyway, too bad the beer was wasted.

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Not quite 5 gallons, no. Did I use all 5 oz. of the priming sugar? Yes. I probably had between 4 and 4 1/2 gallons that actually ended up in the bottle.

My first ever batch yielded about 3 gallons of brew when all was said and done (had some transferring issues back then), but I still used the 5 oz of priming sugar. No bottle bombs then, but I suppose it was bound to happen at some point.

Point taken, lesson learned

MileHighHops said:

Not quite 5 gallons, no. Did I use all 5 oz. of the priming sugar? Yes. I probably had between 4 and 4 1/2 gallons that actually ended up in the bottle.

My first ever batch yielded about 3 gallons of brew when all was said and done (had some transferring issues back then), but I still used the 5 oz of priming sugar. No bottle bombs then, but I suppose it was bound to happen at some point.

Point taken, lesson learned

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It would be nice if the kit instructions mentioned this, I wouldn't have known if it wasn't for this forum.

PIGMAN said:

It would be nice if the kit instructions mentioned this, I wouldn't have known if it wasn't for this forum.

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Which is precisely why I tell any prospective brewer to throw the kit instructions out the window and come on here and the Brewing Network to learn how and more importantly why they need to perform each step in the brewing process.

PIGMAN said:

It would be nice if the kit instructions mentioned this, I wouldn't have known if it wasn't for this forum.

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Kit instructions as they're written serve two purposes: (1) seem incredibly easy to a novice, and (2) result in quick turnaround, meaning they sell more kits.

I'd make sure that 75 degrees didn't cause the bottles to produce co2 more quickly than a lower temp might have firstly. I know I do things a bit differently at 62F, but you should be ok up to around 70 or so. 75 might be too much? I'm not sure, but it just seems high is all I'm saying.

Kealia said:

I was told early on that there are two kinds of brewers:
Those that have had bottle bombs,
and those that will.

Plan accordingly.


To date, I've done 15-20 batches and lost 4 to bottle bombs.
There was no constant. One was bottle primed, the other batch primed.
One was an AG recipe, the other an extract.
One was a 12oz bottle, the other a 16oz flippie.

Go figure.

Click to expand...

Did the flip top shatter too? I'd have thought that a flip top would pop itself open. I have a couple of cases of those bottles which I like to use for ease of capping. I also thought maybe they would be safer in case of bombs but evidently not huh?

Reno_eNVy_446 said:

I've never had bottle bombs. I use the whirlpool method of racking to the bottling bucket; no stirring necessary as the whirlpool will thoroughly mix everything (you know, as long as you don't let it sit forever afterwards.)

Click to expand...

I'm unscientifically inclined to think that my 2 bottle explosions, and my somewhat frequent gusher or two per batch is due to uneven priming, even though I do the "whirlpool method" as well. I wonder if there's some very subtle thing that most people do correctly, but a handful of us don't do right, and it's causing this type of issue?

It's either that or infected bottles.

Well it's been two days now since the "incident" and no other explosions. I just put one in the fridge and will probably give it a drink in two days. The temperature has stayed about the same in here, probably around 75'ish, but will be cooling down in the next two days as the high here will only be in the 40s tomorrow. So inside temps will be a tad cooler. One would think the bomb was due to an infection in the bottle since the others seem to be okay, but I'll update on Thursday when I try the beer (remember, first and only beer I tried from the batch was flat 5 days in, bottle exploded on day 9, this weekend will be the 2 week mark).

This seems very strange to me. "Bottle bombs" seem like they should be almost impossible. It seems like the crowns should fail before the bottles. I have bottle a bunch of batches and carbed on the high side and the low side and never had a problem. 'just in case', I cellar my beer in an unused basement shower (in 12-pack boxes and in the early days, I covered the boxes with a towel) Every single time, I had perfect beer (after one week, they were a bit foamy, but great after two).

Again, I'm not tremendously experienced, but it seem like if you are sure your beer is fully fermented before you bottle and you don't introduce extreme temperature swings, practice good sanitation, and prime properly - you will end up with good results.

Maybe I'll feel differently if I have a bunch of bottle stealing my car and mugging my dear, sweet granny. But it just seems like a lot of worry over little risk to me.

cms said:

Maybe I'll feel differently if I have a bunch of bottle stealing my car and mugging my dear, sweet granny. But it just seems like a lot of worry over little risk to me.

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Except that lots of people HAVE had bottle bombs, so clearly the risk is real.. I'm 32 and have never broken a bone, but I don't go around telling people not to worry about it!

tvtoms said:

Did the flip top shatter too? I'd have thought that a flip top would pop itself open. I have a couple of cases of those bottles which I like to use for ease of capping. I also thought maybe they would be safer in case of bombs but evidently not huh?

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Thinking back - no. Sorry about that, it wasn't a flippie that I lost, I was confusing that with something else.

This may have been said before, but sometimes it's just a bad bottle. If you're reusing bottles (or even buying new for that matter) always hold them up to a light to see if there are any imperfections or areas of glass that look more thin than they should. There's a picture of bottle like that floating around here and you can clearly see that the glass is about half a thick as it needs to be on one side.

Oh, and the obligatory - "Bottling sucks, switch to kegging"

Brewphish said:

This may have been said before, but sometimes it's just a bad bottle. If you're reusing bottles (or even buying new for that matter) always look hold them up to a light to see if there are any imperfections or areas of glass that look more thin than they should. There's a picture of bottle like that floating around here and you can clearly see that the glass is about half a thick as it needs to be on one side.

Oh, and the obligatory - "Bottling sucks, switch to kegging"

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This.

Also, nice The Poopsmith avatar.

Brewphish said:

This may have been said before, but sometimes it's just a bad bottle. If you're reusing bottles (or even buying new for that matter) always hold them up to a light to see if there are any imperfections or areas of glass that look more thin than they should. There's a picture of bottle like that floating around here and you can clearly see that the glass is about half a thick as it needs to be on one side.

Oh, and the obligatory - "Bottling sucks, switch to kegging"

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I think I can narrow the problem down to this. I just tried one of the beers from this batch that conditioned for 11 days (12 with 1 day in fridge) and it's still not ready. The beer taste pretty damn good (I think I'm going to dry hop all of my Ambers from now on) but there's very little head and not much carbonation. I find it hard to believe the sugar didn't mix evenly in the bottling bucket, so a bad bottle seems to be the best guess. I collect and re-use bottles, maybe I should invest in a bottle brush....

I wish I would have taken pictures when the explosion went down, but everything was so chaotic during the moment that my first thought was to contain the other beers and start clean up. I will, however, try to post a picture of the damage it did to my cabinet. The bottle must have exploded into hundreds of pieces of glass, it was pretty impressive

I am new here and in no position to give anyone any advice. Am told not to bottle if gravity is above 1.20. Maybe I missed it but did not see your OG and FG mentioned.

I bottle condition in a flip top tote from homedepot. Fairly heavy duty. something similar to the link below but in black to keep out light. They run 5-6 dollars each. Ive haven't had a bottle bomb in a long time and it was more from a problem bottle. It basically took the top of the bottle off below the neck. One of the posters mentioned F.G. that is obviously a big factor. Another is uneven priming sugar. Revvy and others have posted on bottling and priming procedures.

The tote has a very flat bottom compared to other totes which are more rounded at the bottom and the interlocking flip top. It should at least contain the mess plus it has good grips to carry 30+ 12 oz.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

WCD said:

I bottle condition in a flip top tote from homedepot. Fairly heavy duty. something similar to the link below but in black to keep out light. They run 5-6 dollars each. Ive haven't had a bottle bomb in a long time and it was more from a problem bottle. It basically took the top of the bottle off below the neck. One of the posters mentioned F.G. that is obviously a big factor. Another is uneven priming sugar. Revvy and others have posted on bottling and priming procedures.

The tote has a very flat bottom compared to other totes which are more rounded at the bottom and the interlocking flip top. It should at least contain the mess plus it has good grips to carry 30+ 12 oz.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

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That's a great little storage device for super cheap. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have to go pick a couple up.

As far as the OG and FG comments above, I noted that in my original post in this thread, but there's a lot of info in here so I don't fault ya for missing that.
OG = 1.048
FG = 1.014

ImperialStout said:

I am new here and in no position to give anyone any advice. Am told not to bottle if gravity is above 1.20. Maybe I missed it but did not see your OG and FG mentioned.

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That's somewhat true (you should bottle when fermentation is done) but I would expect most of your batch to explode in the bottled-to-early case. In this thread, many of us are wondering why we get the occasional one or two explosions.

MileHighHops said:

I think I can narrow the problem down to this. I just tried one of the beers from this batch that conditioned for 11 days (12 with 1 day in fridge) and it's still not ready. The beer taste pretty damn good (I think I'm going to dry hop all of my Ambers from now on) but there's very little head and not much carbonation. I find it hard to believe the sugar didn't mix evenly in the bottling bucket, so a bad bottle seems to be the best guess.

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I'm not sure I follow the logic here. It seems that either a) carbonation isn't done yet, since there's very little, or b) your sample bottle didn't have enough sugar.

Why does this point to having a bad bottle? If its (a), then wouldn't the bottle have to be *really* bad to explode when carbonation hasn't even finished?