Emergency - Bottle Bombs!

[grasshopper1917]

I have beer exploding in my closet what do I do? Will putting them in the fridge stabalize them???

 

[Psylocide]

Couldn't hurt... but i would wrap the cases in a towel something.

However, i have a feeling that at this point, they'll probably gush once you open them.

Give it a shot though.

 

[passedpawn]

It will help a lot. I don't think I've ever heard of a bottle bomb in the fridge.

Might want to put on the bombproof outfit. I had a few bombs like that. I put on chem goggles, long sleeves and gloves when handling those bastards. I've seen pics on this forum of glass embedded in ceilings from bottle bombs. Don't mean to scare you, but we don't need one more picture of carnage on this site.

 

[antony]

Keep them enclosed in a rubbermaid or similar container. I had bombs last year & chilling helped but I was still getting explosions in my fridge. Just contain the batch to eliminate broken glass...I found broken shards a good 12-15 feet away.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I agree, get a cooler full of ice n water and cool em down quick, once stabilized after a day, transfer to your fridge.

 

[grasshopper1917]

I got most in the fridge and a few in the freezer -- once they cool down a bit im going to try and empty them -- only the one exploded. Thanks for the tip I did put on some gloves and safety glasses.

Has anyone else had experience with these i was hoping after a bit in the fridge they might be drinkable -- but if they will explaode in the fridge i dont wanna see anyone hurt.

Any more advice appreciated -- thanks for the feedback so far.

 

[Qhrumphf]

The way I look at it, the danger of bottle bombs is pressure. There's a relation between pressure and temperature (higher temperature is higher pressure). Generic 12 oz long neck beer bottles usually seem to be "rated" to 3 volumes (presumably with a safety margin in there so they could withstand more, I've seen 4 to 5 volumes before they start breaking) of CO2. At bottle conditioning temp of 70, that's ~37 psi in the bottle, but they can theoretically withstand more than 50 psi without breaking. If you chill them down to 35, then it takes well upwards of 6 volumes to reach the same pressure. Point I'm trying to make, depending on how overcarbed you are you could still get bottle bombs in the fridge, but it greatly reduces the risk.

 

[supermutantbrewmaster]

I do this ever so often when I try a new priming sugar or underferment. I bought a couple of those black and yellow tough boxes at costco to store my beer. They are a life and carpet saver. I way over carbed a couple of 22oz bombers with honey back in october. Oh holy ****. When those things blew it sounded like a concussion grenade going off in my beer room. My SWMBO thought we were under fire for a night or two. One of the bomber blew up so hard it actually blew a piece of class through the wall of the tough box. Yeah, be safe.

 

[passedpawn]

One good think about the bottle bombs, your wife might BEG you to buy some kegging equipment if she's there when one goes off.

 

[beergolf]

One good think about the bottle bombs, your wife might BEG you to buy some kegging equipment if she's there when one goes off.

But following wife logic, she would respond with " a keg will just be a bigger bomb". BOOM

 

[grasshopper1917]

Weird thing i dumped bout 8 after they chilled a bit in the freezer -- they weren't gushing (although they were pretty carbed up). I knew something seemed wrong when i was bottling because the beer tasted really sweet -- then i tried one after 1 week and it was sweet almost like taffy. Im taking a guess that its a combo of the beer not fully fermenting and over carbing (i didnt take a hydrometer reading). This is the first batch i ever had to dump

 

[Hello]

(i didnt take a hydrometer reading)

And that is one problem. Take readings, it's a must.

 

[grasshopper1917]

Yea im going to run out and get a new hydrometer tomorrow lol

Lesson learned

 

[antony]

Yup, the benefit of bottle bombs is the ability to easily rationalize kegging when she's been wary of the investment. I picked up my kegs not less than 6 weeks after I had glass in the ceiling and subsequently hearing about how dangerous it could be for the cats...

"absolutely, I'm worried about the safety of the cats, I have a solution."

 

[mikeymjr23]

Yup, the benefit of bottle bombs is the ability to easily rationalize kegging when she's been wary of the investment. I picked up my kegs not less than 6 weeks after I had glass in the ceiling and subsequently hearing about how dangerous it could be for the cats...

"absolutely, I'm worried about the safety of the cats, I have a solution."

That's a good one! My wife would worry about our cats getting scared of the noise...though one might walk towards the explosions. He thinks he's part lion, and needs to kill whatever is in his territory.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Yup, the benefit of bottle bombs is the ability to easily rationalize kegging when she's been wary of the investment. I picked up my kegs not less than 6 weeks after I had glass in the ceiling and subsequently hearing about how dangerous it could be for the cats...

"absolutely, I'm worried about the safety of the cats, I have a solution."

My wife would sooner say "so stop brewing".

 

[bernardsmith]

I got most in the fridge and a few in the freezer -- once they cool down a bit im going to try and empty them -

Any more advice appreciated -- thanks for the feedback so far.

Not sure that leaving any bottles in the freezer is a good idea. The narrow neck of the bottle will freeze before the base and while you won't have bottle "bombs" that freezing will crack and destroy those bottles

 

[DrankGoodness]

My wife would sooner say "so stop brewing".

...yup...

 

[legacyofmisfortune]

Yesterday I had my first bottle bomb from a Nut Brown Ale, I think I might over primed a bit I calculated sugar for 5.2 gal but didn´t took into acount the trub so I ended up with 4.9 gal. My wife was around when it happened and she scares easily, I tought I was in for a good one, but she only made me clean my mess and asked me if there was going to be more of that. Fortunaly the blast was contained to the cardboard case and only one of my beers has exploded, this saturday will be two weeks since I bottled, I hope there´s no more casualties from my over priming and the beer finish up decent.