exploding beers

[MPOWELLJR]

Learn to love the ways of the blow off tube lol... my second batch must have looked like a geyser coming out of the air lock spraying my pantry down with krausen before the lid blew off the bucket.

I've been lucky enough to not have a bottle bomb yet.

 

[heeler]

Gents, I thought the majority of the folks now go long primaries - like 20 to 30 days. If you did there would be almost no chance of bottle bomb, right??? I also do long primary and no secondary but I've never had a exploder either. My fav fermenter does have a spigot but it does not leak, and in the chiller I dont think bugs would get in or survive. Just my two cents - no judgement passed. Live and learn and keep brewin.

 

[Zixxer10R]

It's my simple observation that if you had used a blowoff tube instead of an airlock we would not be having the conversation on HBT. You wouldn't have relied on the bubbling airlock (which, tell me that now you understand how useless an indicator of anything important it is; it's more of a fascination point for all of us here), and you would have been forced to check your SG and FG instead of the bubbles. No bottle bombs happen if you follow the imperial, proven zymurgy steps.

 

[TryNotToFockThisUp]

So I bottled my first brew about two weeks ago now, I had one explode a day or two after bottling, and two more just exploded today. Now, I know that it's a product of over-carbonation that this happens, but is it a concern for all the beers I currently have bottled, or is it just random chance? Are there precautions I can take to make sure none explode in my next batch?

This happened to my second batch in my garage. I threw on some protective gear, covered them with a blanket & smashed them with a hammer. It was terrible even though I like things that explode. :rockin:

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

AHHHHH, zombies!!

 

[SteveM]

Gents, I thought the majority of the folks now go long primaries - like 20 to 30 days. If you did there would be almost no chance of bottle bomb, right??? I also do long primary and no secondary but I've never had a exploder either. My fav fermenter does have a spigot but it does not leak, and in the chiller I dont think bugs would get in or survive.

Mainly agree. I've been brewing for about 12 years (one contest entry - third place in a Philly Beer Week Home Brew IPA contest) and never had an exploder. I use a minimum of three weeks in the fermenter, often more, no secondary, and an air lock. I make sure I have a decent amount of air space at the top of the fermenter.

I rack to the bottling bucket to do my bottling. Don't count on a chiller to kill bugs. They are pretty resistant to cold. There may be things about your process that give you bug-resistance and I don't advise changing a process that works, but if it stops working, you might want to rethink.

 

[drainbamage]

I second the responses about WHY youre getting the bombs. If someone told you to bottle when the bubbles stop, no wonder youre seeing them pop. Get the hydrometer/refractometer and do it the right way. Also, if you want to keep ypur beer sweeter and stop fermentation, get you some wine conditioner and kill off the yeastie boys right before you bottle.

Won't adding wine conditioner just kill off the yeast you need to carbonate? Winemakers don't need to worry about that because they generally aren't carbonating.

I've had a few batches with gushers/bottle bombs. They were due to bottling as soon as I reached the target FG on the recipe instead of taking multiple readings to actually confirm fermentation had stopped.

 

[nvious23]

I took my first gravity reading today it should be 3 weeks primary on wendesday. I am at final gravity on a low abv witbier. I might bottle tomorrow without taking a second reading.

 

[drainbamage]

I took my first gravity reading today it should be 3 weeks primary on wendesday. I am at final gravity on a low abv witbier. I might bottle tomorrow without taking a second reading.

Once again, if I can be a cautionary tale, don't jump to bottling just because you hit a target FG that may be listed on the recipe or kit. Depending on your brewery efficiency, you could stop short of that number, or keep going past it (I've had both happen). It won't hurt anything to wait a couple more days to take a second reading and confirm your FG hasn't changed.

 

[nvious23]

Once again, if I can be a cautionary tale, don't jump to bottling just because you hit a target FG that may be listed on the recipe or kit. Depending on your brewery efficiency, you could stop short of that number, or keep going past it (I've had both happen). It won't hurt anything to wait a couple more days to take a second reading and confirm your FG hasn't changed.

True its extract so efficiency shouldn't be an issue. Would it?

 

[boysbrew2012]

Te best method to use is watch your fermentation once there are no bubbles coming up your good to go for bottling!!!

 

[vogtenstein222]

Te best method to use is watch your fermentation once there are no bubbles coming up your good to go for bottling!!!

This is not very sound advice.
Check your specific gravity for at least 3 consistent days. Then, when it has stayed put for three days, you're good to bottle. Airlocks are really just an immediately tangible device for home brewers, not so much a great sign of this or that. I literally only rely on mine to show that fermentation has STARTED.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

This is not very sound advice.
Check your specific gravity for at least 3 consistent days. Then, when it has stayed put for three days, you're good to bottle. Airlocks are really just an immediately tangible device for home brewers, not so much a great sign of this or that. I literally only rely on mine to show that fermentation has STARTED.

Agreed, horrible advice. In fact, if you read the OPs post, doing just that was the cause of his bombs.

 

[nvious23]

Te best method to use is watch your fermentation once there are no bubbles coming up your good to go for bottling!!!

Do not do this.

 

[johnsnownw]

Te best method to use is watch your fermentation once there are no bubbles coming up your good to go for bottling!!!

Absolutely incorrect.

 

[vogtenstein222]

Agreed, horrible advice. In fact, if you read the OPs post, doing just that was the cause of his bombs.

Honestly I hadn't even read the OP. I was scrolling up from the bottom, saw that, and was like "woah! Woah! Woah! Baaaaaad."