I had my first (and hopefully last) bottle bomb tonight. It was my second batch, a 1 gal AG cream ale. Three weeks in primary and three weeks in the bottle before putting in the fridge. After 48 hours in the fridge, I opened the first last night. It was way overcarbonated; it immediately began to overflow the bottle. I went to get my second after mowing the grass today, and found a broken bottle. Fortunately, my fridge has spill-proof shelves (i.e., bottom and side all one piece), so the mess was contained to a single shelf. I was able to get it cleaned up pretty quickly and easily. After cleanup, I opened another bottle, and it had almost no carbonation.
I suspect uneven mixture of the priming sugar into the beer before bottling. I poured my cooled priming sugar/water into my bottling bucket, and then I racked the beer on top, but I suppose that wasn't sufficient mixing. I will be giving my sugar/beer mixture a gentle stir before bottling from now on.
I suspect uneven mixture of the priming sugar into the beer before bottling. I poured my cooled priming sugar/water into my bottling bucket, and then I racked the beer on top, but I suppose that wasn't sufficient mixing. I will be giving my sugar/beer mixture a gentle stir before bottling from now on.