Bottle Bomb Solution

[holjim]

I've had a 5 gallon batch of IPA in bottles for about a month and while the bottles in one box have been struggling a bit to get carbonated, I just chilled and opened a 22 oz from box #2 and it almost exploded (top blew off and beer everywhere...luckily no broken bottles).

Two questions:

1) what the hell do I do with the "ready to explode" bottles (I mean they are safely covered and all but literally...what next?

2) why would one box be so massively carbed and the other is practically nothing in comparison (poor mixing of sugar maybe?).

Thanks in advance!

Jim

 

[Hagen]

I think you may have answered your own question in #2

What kind and how much sugar did you prime with?

 

[quickerNu]

2)- you prolly answered yourself. Some like to stir gently. I pour the priming solution into the empty bucket, then rack (with tube on the bottom of the bucket) from secondary. Always mixes fine.

 

[Uncle Fat]

1. Do you have a keg setup? I once had 8 cases (20 gallons) of bombs once. I popped the tops one at a time (inside a deep-sink) and dumped them into kegs (once the geisers stopped)and enjoyed them.

2. Could be a number of reasons, but if he cases were from the same bottling bucket, I'd make sure your sanitation was the same for both cases.

 

[smizak]

Same happened to me with a porter I brewed. The stupid tubing I bought had a whole bunch of pinches in it from the zip tie the store used to hang it with. As a result, the beer siphoned out very slowly. Even though I siphon on the priming sugar solution, it did not mix right. Some gushed, most are flat. Now I gently stir a couple of times throughout the bottling process, lesson learned.

 

[homebrewer_99]

The best recommendation I have at this time is to get the bottles as cold as possible (near freezing) before opening, sanitize/clean off the bottles, then open them over a pitcher (allowing overflow to get in to the pitcher) and serve it from that.

 

[holjim]

I used 3/4 cup of brewers sugar but it obviously didn't mix well. I do not have a kegging system so I guess the very cold solution is my best option. It's a huge drag because the beer is actually really good but as was mentioned previously, the bottles are either ready to explode or nearly flat. *sigh* oh well, every batch is a learning experience I suppose.