Bottle Explodes While Cleaning In Sink? 4 months old??

[dstranger99]

Was getting a few beers for a friend last night to take to work with me. Room temp beer, went to the sink to wash the bottles to look nice, and while several were sitting in the sink with the water still running, one exploded ?......

These beers are from a summer batch, not over-carbed or anything.

Was it Boyle's law about gases ??

First time that's ever happened to me, and I've done it like this for years.

Thoughts ?

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

my guess would be that you were close to the bottles tolerances for pressure already. when you washed the bottles you probably used hot water (?), if so, the temp increase might make the co2 come out of solution inside the capped bottle. this would force a lot of pressure into the head space of the bottle, maybe more pressure then the bottle could handle. The warmer a liquid is, the less co2 it can hold in suspension.

I wouldn't guess an infection but I think I would chill one down and try it before I sent any away with my friends for fear of injury.

I could be way off though, good luck bro!

 

[dstranger99]

I wouldn't guess an infection but I think I would chill one down and try it before I sent any away with my friends for fear of injury.

It is weird, I've given several bottles away from this batch, washed them like I always do, but this time I left them in the sink while I was washing the others, usually I'd wash one, then lay it on the counter. Maybe the hot water was too much for it too handle ??

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

yeah possibly, the hot water running over the bottles for a few minutes probably wouldn't change the temp of the beer inside very much. maybe by leaving them in the sink, the running water and maybe more so, the water pooling around the bottoms of the bottles had the necessary time to affect the inside beers temp? again, all guesses lol.

 

[Hello]

The bottle exploding once in contact with hot water tells me that the bottles must be over-carbonated. How long ago did you give your friends the beer previously? The only time bottles exploded on me once in contact with hot water was when I had cider that was back sweetened and seriously over-carbonated. Just a theory really.

 

[dstranger99]

The bottle exploding once in contact with hot water tells me that the bottles must be over-carbonated. How long ago did you give your friends the beer previously? The only time bottles exploded on me once in contact with hot water was when I had cider that was back sweetened and seriously over-carbonated. Just a theory really.

Nope, they are all fine. I think this batch is from June, I've given several bottles away since August, Sept, and now in December. Normally when they are chilled and opened they pour fine, never overflows out the bottle and has a 1/2 inch head in the glass......

It had to be from sitting in that hot water and waking up that yeast from the bottom......Only thing I can come up with ???

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

I agree that it was from sitting in the hot water but it didn't wake up the yeast, it made the co2 come out of suspension in the beer.

 

[dstranger99]

I agree that it was from sitting in the hot water but it didn't wake up the yeast, it made the co2 come out of suspension in the beer.

New Rule of thumb: Wash with cold water !!!...........

 

[joshesmusica]

Maybe stop cleaning them after they've carbed up?

I usually clean my bottles with a wet rag right after I've capped them, before I'm about to store them. If they're getting dirty where you're storing them, I suppose you could think about putting an old sheet or towel on top of them?

 

[dstranger99]

Maybe stop cleaning them after they've carbed up?

Yeah, I was being lazy and I had some label residue on these and wanted to clean them up real good before I bagged them for my friend. So, I had to do a little scrubbing......And POW !!!!...........

 

[zachattack]

I agree that it was from sitting in the hot water but it didn't wake up the yeast, it made the co2 come out of suspension in the beer.

Agreed. If you have 2.5 volumes of CO2 in that beer, at 70 degrees there's 29 PSI in the headspace. If the beer got up to 90 degrees while you were washing it, that pressure would jump up to 41 PSI. At 100 degrees, 48 PSI. Etc. I've posted this before but check out plot I made.

 

[grainbill]

Could also have been an isolated case of an inferior bottle, perhaps a hairline fracture before you even bottled?

 

[fizgig]

yeah, i bet you shocked the glass

 

[dstranger99]

Could also have been an isolated case of an inferior bottle, perhaps a hairline fracture before you even bottled?

Plausible....There were 2 others sitting there, they didn't explode. But the one that did was in the deeper end of the sink. Got more of the hot water....

 

[grainbill]

never go in the deep end....