Exploding bottles

[brew2you]

I brewed an Irish Stout. My OG was 1.050 and my FG was 1.014. I used 5oz priming sugar mixed into my bottling bucket. I came up with 50 12oz bottles. My bottles are stored in the basement at 70 degrees. When I bring them up and they warm up a bit they explode. Also, if I move them straight to the fridge, once they are chilled they foam everywhere when you open them. 2/3 of the bottle will foam out. These beers were bottled 3 months ago. This is the first batch I've had do this. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. Thanks in advance!

 

[Revvy]

Have you gone from the basement to the fridge yet? Try chilling a few down for maybe close to a week before opening one. The cold will pull more of the co2 in solution. Over carbonation/bottle bombs could be two things, too much sugar was used to prime, or there's an infection. We'll need to know more about your bottling regimen to help. How much sugar did you use, how did you prime them, what was your sanitization like? What temp was the beer when you primed/bottled it?

 

[brew2you]

Bottles are washed then soaked for 15 minutes in 1step right before bottling. The beer was bottled at 76* f. Pulled beer from carboy and put into bottling bucket. I then added 5oz of priming sugar mixed with 2 cups of water. I stirred this in well and then proceeded to bottle. I have put some in the fridge for 2 weeks. These foam out when opened. The others were in the back seat of the truck when they exploded. The truck was about 78*. I hope this helps. This is the same routine I always use but the first time I've encountered this problem.

 

[mkorpal]

Have you gone from the basement to the fridge yet? Try chilling a few down for maybe close to a week before opening one. The cold will pull more of the co2 in solution. Over carbonation/bottle bombs could be two things, too much sugar was used to prime, or there's an infection. We'll need to know more about your bottling regimen to help. How much sugar did you use, how did you prime them, what was your sanitization like? What temp was the beer when you primed/bottled it?

It's also possible fermentation had not finished before bottling. How long was your beer in primary, and was the gravity reading constant?

 

[Revvy]

It's also possible fermentation had not finished before bottling. How long was your beer in primary, and was the gravity reading constant?

His FG was 1.014....I'm going to bet that it was done fermenting. I'm thinking too much priming sugar for the temp bottled at, or sadly an infection. Not the usual new brewer mistake of bottling too soon.....unless the beer was going to end up below 1.010 or something. Not sure though.

 

[mkorpal]

His FG was 1.014....I'm going to bet that it was done fermenting. I'm thinking too much priming sugar for the temp bottled at, or sadly an infection. Not the usual new brewer mistake of bottling too soon.....unless the beer was going to end up below 1.010 or something. Not sure though.

Thats probably true, although 80% attenuation isn't unheard of. Is every bottle like this, or is it only a few. Could possibly be poor mixing of priming sugar.

 

[mkorpal]

Also, 5oz of priming sugar will yield almost 3 volumes of carbonation, which is too much for a stout. I don't think it alone would bust bottles though.

 

[Pappers_]

I don't think five ounces of corn sugar is enough to cause bottle bombs - its 25% more than the baseline that I use for a basic pale ale. I'm guessing an infection.

 

[Revvy]

Also, 5oz of priming sugar will yield almost 3 volumes of carbonation, which is too much for a stout. I don't think it alone would bust bottles though.

Yeah that's why this is such a stumper....unless he cold crashed the beer and added the 5 ounces priming sugar while the beer was still cold, that would possibly produce a higher volume of co2, because more would be in solution, but even palmer's nomograph wouldn't put 5 ounces of priming sugar into the danger zone for bottle bombs even if the beer were near freezing at bottling time.

 

[midfielder5]

I then added 5oz of priming sugar mixed with 2 cups of water.

did you boil the water, then mix in the sugar and let the sugar water boil for ten minutes, then cool (i like to ice down the small pot in an ice bath in the sink) before being added to the bottling bucket?

 

[brew2you]

The beer had been in the fermenter for 32 days. I don't believe I rushed it. The gravity didn't change for 3 different readings. I didn't cold crash it. However, I also didn't cool my sugar water down. It cooled for a few minutes but I didn't chill it with ice. I actually didn't know I should be doing this. I'm still thinking that it's not an infection, due to how good the beer does tastes after 3 months. I didn't really notice the problem on the first case I drank. A couple were a little foamy but nothing real bad. From the last case is where I really noticed the problem, which is also where the exploding ones came from. If they go straight from the basement to the fridge they are just foamy. If you put them in your car and try to take some to your buddies house you end up with a box full of glass and a seat full of wasted beer.

 

[Revvy]

The beer had been in the fermenter for 32 days. I don't believe I rushed it. The gravity didn't change for 3 different readings. I didn't cold crash it. However, I also didn't cool my sugar water down. It cooled for a few minutes but I didn't chill it with ice. I actually didn't know I should be doing this. I'm still thinking that it's not an infection, due to how good the beer does tastes after 3 months. I didn't really notice the problem on the first case I drank. A couple were a little foamy but nothing real bad. From the last case is where I really noticed the problem, which is also where the exploding ones came from. If they go straight from the basement to the fridge they are just foamy. If you put them in your car and try to take some to your buddies house you end up with a box full of glass and a seat full of wasted beer.

I'm having a gusher issue with a small batch of my blonde that I added peaches to. Had a lot of problems on bottling day with peach gunk blocking up my bottling wand. Tried a bunch of stuff, including sticking my sanitized arm in the bottling bucket to fit a strainer over my dip tube. Consequently the beer is gushing upon opening it.

BUT the overall taste of whatever beer is left in the glass after the foam settles is perfectly find. I don't think all gusher infections necessarily lead to off flavors, at least right away, but may ferment some normally unfermentables which would produce more co2.

This comment in another bottle bomb thread, got me thinking about that for my beer;

However, at those temps, an infection could really get going and eat up the normally non-fermentable carbs in there.

Just my $0.02

Maybe the OP's as well.

 

[passedpawn]

The beer had been in the fermenter for 32 days. I don't believe I rushed it. The gravity didn't change for 3 different readings. I didn't cold crash it. However, I also didn't cool my sugar water down. It cooled for a few minutes but I didn't chill it with ice. I actually didn't know I should be doing this. I'm still thinking that it's not an infection, due to how good the beer does tastes after 3 months. I didn't really notice the problem on the first case I drank. A couple were a little foamy but nothing real bad. From the last case is where I really noticed the problem, which is also where the exploding ones came from. If they go straight from the basement to the fridge they are just foamy. If you put them in your car and try to take some to your buddies house you end up with a box full of glass and a seat full of wasted beer.

I have NEVER cooled the priming sugar solution. Boiling, straight into the bottling bucket.

 

[midfielder5]

Since you boiled the water, doubt infection came from that.

Sounds like a gusher infection. I'd toss em and make more.
Sorry for your loss!

The ice bath for priming sugar obviously isn't necessary-- I just do it, like I do with my wort for starters. Palmer just says to let it cool before adding. But do whatever works for ya!

 

[devilishprune]

Don't toss them, just leave them in your basement and throw them in the fridge a few days before consumption. Problem solved.

 

[Pappers_]

I have NEVER cooled the priming sugar solution. Boiling, straight into the bottling bucket.

Really? I've always let it cool down to some temperature less than yeast-killing. I suppose it cools down quickly when you rack the beer into it, only killing a few of the first yeasties to hit it.

I'm continually amazed at the variety of ways we all make beer, and how it all works out despite (or maybe because) of the differences.

 

[midfielder5]

Yeah, sorry,I presumed they tasted like cr#p, such as the one gusher a friend gave me.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Seems like you kick-started a stuck ferment when you bottled. 5 oz of priming sugar doesn't leave you with a whole lot room for error. Depending on the yeast you used, a 1.050 beer can easily dry out to 1.008ish.

I'd be very careful around these bottles - they are called bottle bombs for a reason. If one blows while you hold it or stand close to it, you can get some really nasty injuries.

 

[riromero]

Is it possible that the sugar solution wasn't evenly mixed into the beer, making some of the bombs while others are okay?