Exploding growlers

[caspio]

Was on my way to a fellow homebrewer's house last night for a halloween party. I had just filled 2 2.5L growlers with my fresh batch of wheat, I figured it'd be good to bring a crowd pleaser. I don't usually bring a cooler when I take beer places, it usually comes right out of the fridge, and after a short drive goes back in the fridge. Like I've done many other times, I just lay the growlers down on the back seat.

I made it almost all the way to my friend's house, but during the very last turn ( a roundabout ) I heard disaster strike.

carnage:

Moral of the story is: secure those growlers! Last night after I got home I used an entire roll of paper towels to soak beer out of the carpet, and I'm positive I didn't get it all. I haven't gone out to my truck this morning, but I'm sure it's going to smell like a dive bar. I'm probably going to have to go rent a steam cleaner. Any suggestions for getting it out?

A side note - for anyone who's seen the anti-drunk driving ads (not sure if they're california specific) where the driver opens the door and alcohol comes pouring out of the car, it pretty much looked just like that (just on the pass side).

I seemed to be having bad luck yesterday, a fitting under the kitchen sink started leaking, and managed to soak a good portion of the carpet in the hallway. Anyone else get tricks instead of treats for their halloween?

 

[david_42]

Very sad. I had a gallon jug of milk shatter in one of my cars. Despite my cleaning efforts, some remained and went sour. Never did get all of the smell out.

Plan on pulling up the carpet and cleaning under it. Hose it down well when it's out.

 

[WIP]

Go to a detailer, and they will clean it for around $75

 

[dutch-brew]

Take your car to a carwash and use the vacuum to suck the glass shards and liquid out.. Most of them also have a shampoo wand to rub shampoo in there and again vacuum it out. I've done it before on liquids and to clean rugs.. smells were gone and stayed gone.

 

[Brewme]

Paying someone else to do it is easier, but in my opinion they won't do nearly as good a job. Try to shampoo it yourself. If that doesn't work, you'll need to remove the seats and pull out the carpeting. I've had a car in a flood and that is what I did and it worked perfectly.

 

[Homercidal]

I can rent a carpet cleaner from the hardware store for like $16 a day. They work sweet on auto carpet. I'd pop the seats out, even if you have to unbolt them from the body. To make sure you get it all out.

 

[Bobby_M]

Do you have the anti open container law there? In NJ, it's a big problem to have a non factory sealed alcohol container within reach of the driver's seat.

 

[caspio]

I can rent a carpet cleaner from the hardware store for like $16 a day. They work sweet on auto carpet. I'd pop the seats out, even if you have to unbolt them from the body. To make sure you get it all out.

I was thinking about doing that, but after getting a glass shard under my fingernail while vacuuming it yesterday, I'm tempted to just make it someone else's problem. I left a VM for an auto detailing place, I'm going to see what they quote me for cleaning the carpets.

Do you have the anti open container law there? In NJ, it's a big problem to have a non factory sealed alcohol container within reach of the driver's seat.

Good point, I hadn't really thought about that. I don't know what they define as an open container, but living in a college town where the cops are paranoid, I'm sure they'd count it. from now on my bottles are going in a well secured ice chest in the back of the truck.

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

i am truley sorry for your lots

 

[IrregularPulse]

So were they just rolling around in the back? That's how this happened?? OR they just exploded??

 

[rod]

i did that with 2 jars of honey - put them on the floor in the back of the car - went around a corner and heard a crash .liquid honey is tough to get out of carpets!

 

[johntangus]

When i was in college and extremely broke I took my last $3 and purchased two 40s of King Cobra. I laid them on the floorboard on the passenger's side, hit a sharp turn and the 40 hit the metal track that the seat sits on. Long story short - 1 inch of nasty malt liquor to clean up out of carpet. sucked.

 

[caspio]

So were they just rolling around in the back? That's how this happened?? OR they just exploded??

They were originally on the seat on the drivers side. While going through a roundabout they both slid all the way to the passenger side, and upon hitting the door/each other they shattered. I didn't expect them to do that, i've done it dones of times without any problems having them move. Live and learn..

 

[Brewin06111]

I think most of you are missing the point to this thread...

RIP beer

 

[Shooter]

I don't know what they define as an open container, but living in a college town where the cops are paranoid, I'm sure they'd count it. from now on my bottles are going in a well secured ice chest in the back of the truck.

Good plan, I'm pretty sure your previous method would have been frowned upon by local law enforcement.

 

[Soulrebel]

I think most of you are missing the point to this thread...

RIP beer

I'm glad someones paying attention...

Brewski's, you will be missed.

 

[Bigsnake]

As a former mobile detailer, what a terrible mess. I wouldn't want to tackle that job without a wet/dry vac to get the glass and a carpet extractor to shampoo and suck the beer out.

 

[caspio]

As a former mobile detailer, what a terrible mess. I wouldn't want to tackle that job without a wet/dry vac to get the glass and a carpet extractor to shampoo and suck the beer out.

I went by a self-service car wash and used one of their big vacuums to get as much of the glass out as I could. I'm sort of stuck as far as the carpet goes though - the "rug doctor" units you usually see at hardware/grocery stores for rental don't have any kind of hose attachment. I'm considering buying a big brush and some carpet shampoo, and just going back to the vacuum at the car wash. It seemed decently powerful, although I don't know if the owners would be too happy about someone using it for liquids.

Thanks to those who are having a moment of silence for the lost brews

 

[taylornate]

I went by a self-service car wash and used one of their big vacuums to get as much of the glass out as I could. I'm sort of stuck as far as the carpet goes though - the "rug doctor" units you usually see at hardware/grocery stores for rental don't have any kind of hose attachment. I'm considering buying a big brush and some carpet shampoo, and just going back to the vacuum at the car wash. It seemed decently powerful, although I don't know if the owners would be too happy about someone using it for liquids.

Thanks to those who are having a moment of silence for the lost brews

Should be fine for liquids.

 

[humann_brewing]

Sorry to hear and see that. The beer loss will be mourned.

Reminds me of leaving a can of root beer in the car during the winter. I came out to what looked like a shotgun blast to the front windshield. The top of the can was angled up and it shot out the top of the can just like a gun after getting too cold. Very sticky mess.

 

[broadbill]

They were originally on the seat on the drivers side. While going through a roundabout they both slid all the way to the passenger side, and upon hitting the door/each other they shattered. I didn't expect them to do that, i've done it dones of times without any problems having them move. Live and learn..

Hijack

This reminds me of when I learned the same lesson to ALWAYS SECURE THE LOAD...the hard way of course.

I was picking up a load of lumber for my father and driving it home (about 50 pieces of 2x4, 2x6)... Instead of SECURING THE LOAD, I just stacked them in the bed of the pickup with the tailgate down. As it turns out, this particular pickup I was driving had a hard plastic bedliner...kinda slippery.

Sure enough, as I'm driving home I need to pull out into a busy intersection and I hit the gas from a complete stop. The truck gets up and goes, but the lumber doesn't. The entire load slides out of the back of the truck into the middle of the busy intersection, almost as neatly stacked as it was in the bed of the pickup! Dumb.

ALWAYS SECURE THE LOAD!

end hijack

 

[taylornate]

On Halloween I rode my bicycle to a party with a 2L plastic bottle of Apfelwein in my backpack, along with a few bottles of beer and my heavy U-lock. I've been thinking I need to get a growler because it would be cool, but the thought of it breaking in my backpack also crossed my mind. That would suck.

 

[dunnright00]

Thanks to those who are having a moment of silence for the lost brews

I'll pour a homey on the curb for the fallen 40's.

 

[Bigsnake]

I went by a self-service car wash and used one of their big vacuums to get as much of the glass out as I could. I'm sort of stuck as far as the carpet goes though - the "rug doctor" units you usually see at hardware/grocery stores for rental don't have any kind of hose attachment. I'm considering buying a big brush and some carpet shampoo, and just going back to the vacuum at the car wash. It seemed decently powerful, although I don't know if the owners would be too happy about someone using it for liquids.

Thanks to those who are having a moment of silence for the lost brews

You can use a big vac that way with good result. I used to clean carpets that way until I purchased a carpet extractor. The only downside to the wet/dry vac method is the carpets will be slightly more damp and it's hard to rinse the soap out completely. The hardest thing is cleaning in those cracks and crevices between seats and supports.

Can force dry your car fast by closing it up and cranking the heater up to full blast.

 

[ChshreCat]

There was a picture on here of someone with growlers belted into a child's car seat to keep them safe. That was the first thing I thought of when I read the OP.

 

[Shooter]

There was a picture on here of someone with growlers belted into a child's car seat to keep them safe. That was the first thing I thought of when I read the OP.

Um, I've actually done this. I used to take the four year old out to the local brewpub for dinner once a week. I always had them refill my growler, to enjoy later, and, since the two year old wasn't joining us, I would strap it into his three point harness system. Of course, now that the little was has started joining us for dinner I have to find another method of securing that thing!