Exploding Bottle!

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Hey all,

Just sitting on the balcony minding my own business when i thought someone shot a gun in my house! My first casualty of home brewing. The brew was just a standard lager kit with some added hops. Bottled in a longneck last week with two coopers carb drops. Question: Its a hot day today, could that do it? Also, i'm reluctant to move the rest for fear of another bomb!

Any advice or tips????

Cheers in advance,
Rob

 

[manticle]

Hot weather doesn't help. I've had single bottles go off on a 40 degree day while the rest of the batch has been fine (back when I used carb drops).

To be on the safe side, get some eye goggles, strong gloves and sturdy clothing that covers your skin.

You can do one of the following:

Wrap each bottle tightly in glad wrap and see what happens. This will contain the mess and glass.

Place each bottle in the fridge. When cooled right down, decap one and see if it's overgassed and/or infected. If they taste ok but are overgassed you can degas each one and reseal.

Bombs can be dangerous so be careful. How did you prime them?

 

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Bombs can be dangerous so be careful. How did you prime them?

Just with two coopers carb drops. What is the best method?

 

[bum]

I've used carb drops and can see how I might in the future but they're really just like crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. In my opinion the best method is using a priming calculator (plenty of info around the board) and bulk priming.

Of course, making sure your beer is completely fermented out before bottling is of paramount importance.

[EDIT: I am drinking beer and am typing accordingly]

 

[ben_sa]

I sed to use carb drops a few years ago and had a few explosions, and a few people on other forums said the same (im talking 2004). Coopers then RE-released the carb drops and i was under the impression that they made them slightly smaller to fix this problem?

Ive just got back into the HB game after 3 years off and would like to know wether it IS infact the drops fault you have had exploding bottles. Not a nice thing in the middle of the night!!

 

[bum]

would like to know wether it IS infact the drops fault you have had exploding bottles. Not a nice thing in the middle of the night!!

Does everyone who uses Coopers carb drops have bottle bombs?

 

[manticle]

Just with two coopers carb drops. What is the best method?

Best is relative.

Since bulk priming, I've had no explosions so that's my preferre method. Others prefer measured scoops while some go for CSR sugar cubes.

Maybe next time try one carb drop but leave them for longer and see what you think?

 

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Does everyone who uses Coopers carb drops have bottle bombs?

first time in 4 brews, Hoping the rest are ok!

 

[[email protected]]

Best is relative.

Since bulk priming, I've had no explosions so that's my preferre method. Others prefer measured scoops while some go for CSR sugar cubes.

Maybe next time try one carb drop but leave them for longer and see what you think?

What exactly is involved in bulk priming mate??

 

[big78sam]

What exactly is involved in bulk priming mate??

Try here

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...;showarticle=27

I bulk primed for the first time a week ago and will never go back to carb drops. It's so easy and gives so much more control

 

[ben_sa]

A great thing with bulk priming, you can adjust the carbonation of your beer with each batch. If one is too "fizzy" or overcarbonated for YOUR liking, drop 5-10grams of sugar/dex/whatever your priming with, on the next brew

 

[murrayr]

when i used coopers carbonation drops (the one and only time) i had several bottle bombs in the one batch. mind you they were those inferior second hand vb and carlton longnecks. these days it's bulk prime all the way.

 

[dug]

I spent friday night cleaning up my garage from results of a bottle bomb... well 4 actually. first 3 went bang at the same time, and that made me jump! I went to look at the damage and thought right now I should clean that up now. So back inside to get some old towels, open the door to the garage and BANG! off went another one. Now I'm not going to mess around with exploding bottles so on went the saftey glasses and overalls, and very quickly and gently I tokk all the remaining bottles outside and opened them. no more exploding stout for me.

I must clean the ute now as it has brown spatters on the door, and a few bits of glass imbedded into the paint work <_<

 

[Daniel.lear]

When i used to bottle (before i had kegs), i mainly bulk primed although every so often i would use carb drops, in fact sometimes i still do if i have a litre or so left in the fermenter that wont fit in the keg.

Anyhoo, even when i bulk primed, every so often i would find one that would go, even though the rest are fine. I put it down to week bottles in the end. I ended up having a policy that i would only reuse a bottle up to 5 times before i threw it out (recycled), that was with Tooheys twist tops.

Leary

 

[TidalPete]

Have a good read of this LINK

TP

 

[bum]

I must clean the ute now as it has brown spatters on the door

Randomly exploding glass is pretty scary.

 

[glaab]

A mates son needed micro surgery on his finger after a bottle went off. When I started quizzing him it turned out that he'd been brewing for long enough that he didn't need to use the hydrometer anymore. I've bottled around 1000 stubbies using carb drops and never had one explode but wouldn't be hard to put one too many in a stubbie by mistake, or 2 in a longneck. Exploding bottles are more likely caused by not letting the wort ferment out fully I think. I keg now so only bottle a few here and there after the keg/s are full so bulk priming doesn't suit, I still use the carb drops or the little scoop doodad.

 

[brotom7]

More than 30 batches now and always used carb drops without a single bomb.
Had a lager that became over carbed and pretty obvious I didn't let it ferment out properly, it was my first lager and fermenting at low temperature in the fridge I got impatient and bottled too early.
Using the Coopers long neck PET's there were a couple that swollowed up a bit but that's all.

They work for me so I'll stick with them.

 

[manticle]

Randomly exploding glass is pretty scary.

As are brown spatters on your door.

 

[planner]

Does everyone who uses Coopers carb drops have bottle bombs?

Only ever used coopers drops (admittedly I've only done 20 batches) but never had any issues with bottle bombs, or even gushers. I'm happy with the results so far and can see no reason to change. I mostly use twist top CUB bottles and stubbies, but slowly building up stocks of coopers tallies and stubbies.

Planner