What causes bottle bombs?

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Leezer

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Very new brewer here, have only done four batches so far. Batches 2 and 3 were bottled a couple weeks ago, and I plan to bottle batch 4 in a couple days. I haven't had any bottle bombs yet, but I'm looking for help in understanding what causes them to happen?
 
The most common way it happens is when you bottle before the yeast is done, other ways could be a infection with wild yeast or to much priming sugar. It does not happen often but when it does I am sure it is spectacular and possible dangerous. The best thing to do is check your gravity reading for 2 times 2 days apart if they are the same then the yeast is done.;)
 
Caused by infection, too much priming sugar, or incomplete fermentation. Happens faster when warm. I just found a shattered bottle in my basement this afternoon. Weak.
 
I use the priming calculator at BrewersFriend.com or BrewSmith software, putting in beer volume, temp at which it fermented (for dissolved CO2 amt already in the beer), and desired CO2 volumes (you know I generally like my English style less fizzy than Hefe's or American styles), then I weigh out the corn sugar on a gram scale. Sounds pretty OCD when I type it out, but there ya go; it should keep you well away from any over pressure situations.
 
I use the priming calculator at BrewersFriend.com or BrewSmith software, putting in beer volume, temp at which it fermented (for dissolved CO2 amt already in the beer), and desired CO2 volumes (you know I generally like my English style less fizzy than Hefe's or American styles), then I weigh out the corn sugar on a gram scale. Sounds pretty OCD when I type it out, but there ya go; it should keep you well away from any over pressure situations.

The temperature used should be the warmest it got during or post fermentation.

If you fermented at 60 then cold crashed to 35, you'd use 60.

If you fermented at 60, did a rest rise to 70, then cold crashed to 35, you'd use 70.
 
The only time I have had bottle bombs was when I didn't mix the priming sugar properly. Two bottles blew, 90% of the batch was under carbed (but still drinkable) and the rest were way way over carbed.
 
1) Too Much Priming Sugar
2) Bottling before fermentation is complete
3) An infection that converts sugars that your yeast won't
4) Weak bottles

I like numbered lists.
 
Bottle bombs happen when the carbon dioxide that is formed by the yeast during fermenting can't get out and just blows up the bottle under pressure, use an airlock
 
Bottle bombs happen when the carbon dioxide that is formed by the yeast during fermenting can't get out and just blows up the bottle under pressure, use an airlock

A carboy bomb. Now that's scary, although I think it would take a lot to cause one to explode. I assume the pressure will blow off the stopper before the glass would give to the pressure.

Bottle bombs though happen after you bottle when caps are on bottles. Airlocks really aren't a thing here. Everything else is sound, you still are creating another fermentation with the priming sugar, it's just in a beer bottle instead.
 
yeah I've had caroy blow their top after it got clogged with krausen. Luckily, the seal on a stopper or bucket lid is much less strong than a crimped bottle cap or I'd probably be missing a limb by now
 
Airlocks on bottles. Okay. See, now that would work were you to use an airlock that had a pressure release valve you could see, thereby allowing CO2 pressure from priming sugar fermentation to be built up and dissolved into the beer which is what you want, but not allowing too much pressure to build.

They would be both expensive and difficult to easily put on bottles.

I smell a new marketing opportunity though...
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