Just how explosive are bottle bombs?

[Hwk-I-St8]

Are they "flying glass in a 5' radius" explosive or do they just kinda break?

I'm asking because I haven't bottled conditioned in over 20 years. I brewed a huge stout and ended up with more wort from the second runnings that I could use, so I brewed a mini partigyle batch that produced about 3/4 gallon of what'll be a brown or a mild I guess.

I used the brewers friend tool to calculate the sugar for carbing and bottled it up. I have a very precise scale that I use for reloading so I know I got the measurements right, but it occurred to me that if I didn't get it mixed well enough one could have too much sugar. I just have these bottles sitting on my kitchen counter (3 22 oz bombers). If one was heavily overcarbed, are we in danger from glass shrapnel? Should I move them into a plastic container or something?

 

[TGFV]

It ranges from cracking open and pouring out to glass shrapnel embedded in your wooden walls and the cap in your lowered ceiling.

If you're worried about it put them in a cheap storage bin, just in case.

 

[schatzke]

When I occasionally bottle condition I like to put the bottles in a 5 gal bucket with lid. Had it happen to me once early in my brewing career and it was a very large mess even though only 2 bottles busted.

 

[orionol73]

I have had a bottle blow up and hit the ceiling of the basement right under our bedroom one morning and I can tell you it was a huge mess and that the wife and the dog were not happy!

Just make sure that you are at a stable FG before adding your priming sugar and I highly doubt you will get a bomb.

 

[Zzyzx3]

I've never seen a bottle completely explode before, but while stewarding competitions I have seen caps fly up to the ceiling.

 

[AkTom]

I had a bottle of wine explode. The top was about 20' away from the shelf.
Only 1. The rest went into the fridge and we'd promptly drank.
No beer explosions.

 

[Cyclman]

I know of someone who lost an eye from an exploding defective champagne bottle.

 

[C-Rider]

Room temp in Hawai`i is just about never 70*. I bottle condition in an apt size reffer. I set each bottle in a six pack container. I have only had one bomb in the past 5 years and the cardboard held it in place.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Plastic tub is a great idea. I have a huge lidded plastic tub that can hold 2 full batches or ~120 bottles where they condition for a month before graduating to a shelf in the laundry room. Uneven priming charge is exactly what kept me up at night. That is, until I bought the tub.

 

[thehaze]

If you are afraid of bottle bombs, move them to a container of any sorts. I usually have plastic cases I keep covered and cardboard cases, which I seal with some tape. In the eventuality of bottle bombs, the glass shards/shrapnel will not spread around. There's of course the beer itself, but a bit of liquid on the floor beats dangerous glass shrapnel...

PS: I never had bottle bombs, but I do think of it, giving the fact that I bottle. So...better safe than sorry.

 

[Miraculix]

Ikea samla ftw!

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I put 'em in a bucket with a lid just in case. I really don't expect issues, but I'd feel horrible if one blew while my wife or one of my kids was there cooking.

 

[TropicThunder]

I bottled a black IPA in bombers before it finished fermentation and had them conditioning on top of our basement freezer. The wife heard the bottle explode from the next room and thought it was a bottle falling off of the freezer and shattering.

The bottle sent glass out in a 10-foot radius and all that was left of the bottle was about two inches of the bottom.

I now give fermentation a little extra time and store them in a plastic tub while they're conditioning. Haven't had one explode since.

 

[hammy1983]

I've only bottled about 5 batches so far and not 1 issue. Once bottled I leave them in big rubber made containers. The first one I open I wrap in in a towel just in case.

 

[glenn514]

I ended up with severe bottle bombs in a batch of highly over-primed [5 ounces vs. 3.1 ounces] Bourbon Barrel Porter. After seeing about 1/3 of the batch explode, I very gently took the remaining bottles outdoors, pointed the cap away from my body and opened the bottle. Most of those caps flew over 20 feet and struck the neighbor's wooden fence with quite a bit of force. By all means, use a priming chart!!!

glenn514

 

[TGFV]

I ended up with severe bottle bombs in a batch of highly over-primed [5 ounces vs. 3.1 ounces] Bourbon Barrel Porter. After seeing about 1/3 of the batch explode, I very gently took the remaining bottles outdoors, pointed the cap away from my body and opened the bottle. Most of those caps flew over 20 feet and struck the neighbor's wooden fence with quite a bit of force. By all means, use a priming chart!!!

glenn514

While not due to over priming I had a similiar thing with a Hefe batch.

Opened them slowly in the sink so the Capra didn't fly off and brouht the kiddos over to watch the geysers.

I still get asked by my oldest to do it again, I don't think she gets that they were wasted beer and not a magic trick lol.

 

[Jwood]

If you are doubting it, put it in a container to be safe. It isnt uncommon for the explosion to be powerful enough to take out multiple bottles next to it. It can range from just a geyser to glass shrapnel depending on the carb level.

 

[Calder]

I think a lot of it depends on how thick the bottles are (thicker bottles = less chance of flying shrapnel), and the airspace; the larger the airspace, the bigger the 'bomb' - it is the air that expands when a bottle goes.

I have had 3 bottles go in 25 years of brewing. One was on the floor, and embedded glass in the drywall about 6 feet from it. One was in a box with other bottles and took out several other bottles with it. The third just cracked in a circle just above the base (no flying glass).

 

[balrog]

$6-ish
Contains liquid and most breakages
Really all you need
Could be a cardboard box, but the whole liquid containment issue goes unanswered there.

 

[Sbe2]

I had one explode in my parents basement when I was at home on break 10 yrs ago. Sent shrapnel in a 5’ radius. It was the only one of the batch that was over carbed. Since then I have learned about sanitation and HBT.

 

[NGD]

$6-ish
Contains liquid and most breakages
Really all you need
Could be a cardboard box, but the whole liquid containment issue goes unanswered there.

This is what I use. I’m a newbie but after reading and hearing a few stories it just seemed like cheap insurance.

 

[passedpawn]

Are they "flying glass in a 5' radius" explosive or do they just kinda break?

I'm asking because I haven't bottled conditioned in over 20 years. I brewed a huge stout and ended up with more wort from the second runnings that I could use, so I brewed a mini partigyle batch that produced about 3/4 gallon of what'll be a brown or a mild I guess.

I used the brewers friend tool to calculate the sugar for carbing and bottled it up. I have a very precise scale that I use for reloading so I know I got the measurements right, but it occurred to me that if I didn't get it mixed well enough one could have too much sugar. I just have these bottles sitting on my kitchen counter (3 22 oz bombers). If one was heavily overcarbed, are we in danger from glass shrapnel? Should I move them into a plastic container or something?

Have a quick look at this thread: Boom!

Here's a picture to hook ya.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

Holy crap!

 

[TGFV]

Ya, most are unspectacular, but when they are spectacular they are damn well very spectacular.