Why did my beer bottle burst?

[foxtail]

my room smelled rather yeasty one hot oakland afternoon, not unusual as there is often a brew burping in the closet, but they i noticed the dog acting kind of funny...and the box of my latest Saison was all soggy! One of the 22oz bottles cracked and leaked its precious contents (to the delight of the dog).

Was it because this particular brew was slightly high on carbonation? (I read that this style should have a little sparkle to it)

Was it due to extreme flux in temperatures throughout the day (the sun really heats up my west facing room in the evening, but the night air is nice and cool)

Or, was it some other factor I haven't considered?

Can I do anything to prevent further beer loss? Your thoughts, please

 

[Scut_Monkey]

It was most likely over carbed from too much priming sugar. Perhaps the priming sugar was not distributed well enough throughout the entire batch and that bottle bit the bullet. How much priming sugar did you add? How many volumes of carbonation were you trying to hit?

Welcome to Homebrewtalk.

 

[JebCkr]

I'd carefully cover the box with a garbage bag or something and try to move it somewhere like your basement or a windowless bathroom. Then again, the fact that the bottle is just cracked and not burst makes me think it may have had a small fracture from the begining and the stress of carbonation expanded it. Anyhow, cover it up, be carefull, give it time.

 

[carbon111]

It may not have been done fermenting when you bottled it. Did you use a hydrometer to get your Final Gravity?

 

[ekranzusch]

How the bottle broke could be a good clue as well, if it shattered up on the lip where the cap goes, it could have been broken by capping too tight. If it shattered down somewhere else on the bottle, it probably wasn't a fracture from capping.

 

[foxtail]

Thanks for all your responses!
I've tucked the survivors away and am letting them chill for a while longer. I hardly ever remember to take the specific gravity of my brews, mostly because I'm brewing in some faux anarchist's dirty idea of a kitchen (soon that will all change, though!), so time will tell. I've noticed your signatures and think i'll add my own:
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primary: Howling Tamarind Blonde Ale
bottle conditioning: Saison
drinking: Mister Squinty British Summer Ale