Bottle bombs are a urban legend.

[Saccharomyces]

If you read what the OP said beyond the header, he said that he has never had a bottle bomb. I'm confident that he doesn't actually think bombs are a myth like Bigfoot or the Chupacabra.

You forgot autolysis and HSA.

 

[bull8042]

If you read what the OP said beyond the header, he said that he has never had a bottle bomb. I'm confident that he doesn't actually think bombs are a myth like Bigfoot or the Chupacabra.

WHOA there! Chupacabra is not a myth. I read one of his posts here yesterday.... Just keep him away from your goats!

 

[Terry08]

I have had two blow in a garden shed, luckily. I put it down to infection or weakness in the bottle as the rest of the batch was ok. I would not like to be around when they go as the glass was in small shards and spread around the shed. There were some happy snails cleaning it up.

Definatly no urban legend. People do not realise just how lethal it could be when they blow

I always open a bottle after a week to judge the carbonation

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

At least with the bottles I have.

No, they are real if you bottle before fermentation is done, or you over dose the bottling sugar, or you do not get a good mix in bottling and overdose a few. Oh, and you have to cap very well, or your get gushers like you have instead of explosions.
If you want to do a myth busters thing, bottle one with 3 teaspoons of sugar after one day of active fermentation, place in bomb shelter and enjoy picking up the glass pieces afterwards. Do not even come close to it before hand, glass shrapnel is not a funny thing. (IE DON'T DO IT, trained professional or not! ).
If you do things right, it is not a problem. If you make NOOB mistakes they are a problem and dangerous, so don't mess up.

 

[jgln]

Running low on bottles (from giving away beer) I decided to save some bottles from beer I brought that had the tops you need an opener for. Last night I was bottleing and broke the tops off 3 bottles, all the same size and shape, and on the other 3 I heard a strange sound but the tops didn't break off (I think they will later). Anyway, it could be the type of bottle used the problem here. Checking the holder they came in they were Sierra Nevada bottles. I know now not to bother saving their bottles for reuse. Has there ever been a discussion here on what bottles can be reused and what should go in the recycling? I would love to see a list of beers the bottles are good to reuse. I know Heiniken are no good to reuse, break too often when I tried to bottle.

 

[Choguy03]

If you do things right, it is not a problem. If you make NOOB mistakes they are a problem and dangerous, so don't mess up.

You just scared about half the noobs away...haha.

As for bottles, Sam Adams seem to work well. They have the SA imprint, but are nice. Good beer too.

 

[Terry08]

Any Aussie Stubbie is excelent just drink the good stuff first before refilling. They also make for a smaller explosion if overprimed.

In all seriouseness leaving two weeks in a secondary after at least one in the primary will negate most dangers. I have thought about priming each bottle to using a bottleing bucket but will stick to priming each bottle a method that works for me.

Consider this. Yes using a sugar measure has inconsistances but how do you know just how much beer is in the brew.

I bet after evaporation as gas escapes and inacuracies in the original wort amount, the error could also be quite considerable. Added to that is the accuracy of the measured priming sugar. Just assuming that larger quantities are taken into account does not mean that the error is automatically small. Accuracy and consistancy is the best approach.

Actually I measured 10 measured amounts on a fairly accurate herb scale and the difference was within 2% so in my case a quoted 5% inacuracy is not proven. 2% I can live with.

 

[MattMann]

I use sierra nevada bottles all the time. No problem. What kind of capper are you using?

 

[Kevin Dean]

SNPA bottles break at the neck far too often for me to even bother with them anymore. I use Anchor Steam bottles. I like them a lot more.

 

[homebrewer_99]

BBs are NOT a legend.

I lost about a case of root beer way back in '95. They were Bud long neck bottles so no great loss except for the contents.

 

[bingotem]

Sorry, but bottle bomb are not myth, nor are they limited to NOOB homebrewers.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/myfox/p...ale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1


http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/myfox/p...ale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

So, I've been a homebrewer for almost 2 years now. I've never had a problem, except for one growler type bottle. It didn't explode, but when I opened it, the cap skipped off my face and put a small dent in the dryway on my kitchen ceiling. Since then, I've only used 12 oz bottles without incident.

 

[Bobby_M]

I got a call from the wife this morning. One of the bombers I got in a beer swap last year just exploded when she moved it from one shelf to another in the basement. I think some of these get right up to the edge of pressure capacity and it just takes one little bump to set it off. It was probably an infection. She's (or I should say I'M) lucky that she didn't get any glass in her eye. It broke into about 25 pieces. It wasn't one of those convenient bottom blow outs.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Bobby, Man I'm glad to hear she's OK. That really is a scary thing. I think you owe her a nice night out, dinner, the whole nine yards +.

 

[Roasty]

Bobby, Man I'm glad to hear she's OK. That really is a scary thing. I think you owe her a nice night out, dinner, the whole nine yards +.

I'd ask her why she was in my man cave, touching my beer. Exploding bottles is only a secondary problem.

 

[Bobby_M]

That's the problem, I kinda had my supplies and stash all over the place intermixed with her craft supplies and other junk. We both agreed that carbed bottles need to be on the floor in boxes and the whole mess of brew supplies should be in a concentrated no-wife zone.

 

[bull8042]

That's the problem, I kinda had my supplies and stash all over the place intermixed with her craft supplies and other junk. We both agreed that carbed bottles need to be on the floor in boxes and the whole mess of brew supplies should be in a concentrated no-wife zone.

Oooooohhhh! Shared space is living life on the edge! Reach for the hydrometer an knock over a trinket and break it, you're a dead man!

 

[zoebisch01]

I think some of these get right up to the edge of pressure capacity and it just takes one little bump to set it off.

Yeah, I think so as well. They should be moved like moving around Nitroglycerin .

I have a half case of an experiment I did with some second runnings. Well I didn't take care of the stuff at all and I think it has a gusher infection. I opened one and it sprayed all over the place. That reminds me, I need to take them outside and relieve the pressure....:fro:

 

[carnevoodoo]

I have a keg full of beer with various infections in it. I hope it explodes.

 

[WilliBChrist]

I have a keg full of beer with various infections in it. I hope it explodes.

Ooooo! take Video! :rockin:

 

[jollyjake]

Does head space have any effect on the potential for bottle bombs?