Whats the main cause of bottlr bombs? Over carbonation?

Yakima 728
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Yes, I believe so, from the combination of bottling before fermentation is complete and the priming on top of that.
 
Over carbonation and weak bottles. I've had one bottle bomb. While bottling that batch I dropped a bottle from about a foot high onto a tile floor. I inspected the bottle and it looked fine, so I filled it and capped it. Some weeks later I heard the crash in the cabinet where I keep the beer. Although this batch was carbonated a little higher than normal, it certainly wasn't over carbonated. I'm certain it was that same bottle I had previously dropped.

I have also broken another bottle with a wing capper. Same thing, I think stress of repeated use and abuse weakens the bottles. I have been rotating the same 150 or so bottles for over 30 batches and have only had two break, so it's not that big of a concern for me, as long as I am properly carbonating and not dropping them :)
 
I've also just experienced my first bottle bomb. I'm new here, hello everybody. So I was experimenting with making a summer shandy that I found the recipe to on this site. It was the one that uses True Lemon. I had a 5 gallon batch that I divided into thirds. Ditto for the priming sugar. So basically i was priming 3 separate batches. 1. One straight up without the True Lemon. 2. With a home-made Lemon extract no True Lemon. And 3. (The one that exploded) With 8 packs of True Lemon added. The package said no sugar but I'm guessing that perhaps that's not true and that's why it exploded? I knew I was doing something risky messing with True Lemon so it was taped up in a box and there was very little mess except for the liquid on my cellar floor. My cellar usually stays below 70 degrees (65 right now) all the time. It's possible it got close to 70 yesterday since it was warm. My hydrometer broke so I never took the gravity tests but it was inactive for 3 days and had been fermenting for 10 days. The other two batches look fine and appear to be carbonated perfectly. (Have been in the cellar for 2 weeks) Not all of the bottles exploded I have about 8 left. What should I do with them. Last night I put them in a cooler with ice, hoping to slow the yeast/sugar down. Should I keep them cool and try to drink them this weekend or is it too dangerous and maybe I should toss them... Comment on whatever you like and thanks!
 
Ramon, it may serve you well to carefully and gently pry off the caps of the remaining 8, give it a little time (few minutes?) and then recap with new sanitized caps. This is just a suggestion, not from experience. I'm sure someone else will have solid experience-based advice. It just seems that you would want to relieve that built up pressure. I wonder if carefully wrapping each one up in a thick towel (and wearing eye protection) wouldn't also be a good idea. 8 beers is not worth the potential of God-knows-what kind of horrible injury!
 
Ramon said:
I've also just experienced my first bottle bomb. I'm new here, hello everybody. So I was experimenting with making a summer shandy that I found the recipe to on this site. It was the one that uses True Lemon. I had a 5 gallon batch that I divided into thirds. Ditto for the priming sugar. So basically i was priming 3 separate batches. 1. One straight up without the True Lemon. 2. With a home-made Lemon extract no True Lemon. And 3. (The one that exploded) With 8 packs of True Lemon added. The package said no sugar but I'm guessing that perhaps that's not true and that's why it exploded? I knew I was doing something risky messing with True Lemon so it was taped up in a box and there was very little mess except for the liquid on my cellar floor. My cellar usually stays below 70 degrees (65 right now) all the time. It's possible it got close to 70 yesterday since it was warm. My hydrometer broke so I never took the gravity tests but it was inactive for 3 days and had been fermenting for 10 days. The other two batches look fine and appear to be carbonated perfectly. (Have been in the cellar for 2 weeks) Not all of the bottles exploded I have about 8 left. What should I do with them. Last night I put them in a cooler with ice, hoping to slow the yeast/sugar down. Should I keep them cool and try to drink them this weekend or is it too dangerous and maybe I should toss them... Comment on whatever you like and thanks!
Click to expand...

That was my recipe. The Trulemon is just crystalized juice with no added sugar. when you split the batch,did you split the size of the priming solution as well? Also,the batch where you had no hydrometer to test for FG no airlock activity for 3 days. Not good,as rapid airlock activity slows or stops when initial fermentation is done. It'll then slowly,uneventfully creep down to FG. So the beer was likely not done fermenting yet. This is the most common cause of bottle bombs. Get another hydrometer & be patient next time. Be completely sure it's done fermenting before proceeding to priming & bottling.
 
Too much priming sugar, incomplete fermentation, and sometimes infection can cause bottle bombs.
 
unionrdr said:
That was my recipe. The Trulemon is just crystalized juice with no added sugar. when you split the batch,did you split the size of the priming solution as well? Also,the batch where you had no hydrometer to test for FG no airlock activity for 3 days. Not good,as rapid airlock activity slows or stops when initial fermentation is done. It'll then slowly,uneventfully creep down to FG. So the beer was likely not done fermenting yet. This is the most common cause of bottle bombs. Get another hydrometer & be patient next time. Be completely sure it's done fermenting before proceeding to priming & bottling.
Click to expand...

Wow you guys are awesome, thanks for the feedback. Yes I divided the priming sugar in thirds as well. I did a double-check on the label of the True Lemon and it says evaporated cane juice. I googled that and found out it was another fancy word for sugar. I carefully open one up just now. Standing behind the cooler and it only gave a little fizz. But when I poured it, it filled the entire cup with foam. The other batch was only mildly carbonated. So I'm suspecting it's the True Lemon. BTW once the foam died down the one with True Lemon was freakin' awesome! Maybe next time I should skip the priming sugar? And yes I need to replace hydrometer as well.
 
Malty_Dog said:
Ramon, it may serve you well to carefully and gently pry off the caps of the remaining 8, give it a little time (few minutes?) and then recap with new sanitized caps. This is just a suggestion, not from experience. I'm sure someone else will have solid experience-based advice. It just seems that you would want to relieve that built up pressure. I wonder if carefully wrapping each one up in a thick towel (and wearing eye protection) wouldn't also be a good idea. 8 beers is not worth the potential of God-knows-what kind of horrible injury!
Click to expand...

Great idea! Anybody try this? Carefully of course?
 
On a personal note, I am actually just a tad concerned about my saison, which I carbed at 3.25 vol CO2. I put one in the fridge at 1 week (for 24 hrs) and it actually came out pretty great - big white creamy head. But that was only a week. Jamil's recipe said to carb at 3.0 - 3.5 volumes so I figured I'd be fine. It ended up being about 4 oz corn sugar for 3 gallons. Guess its a waiting game. I won't go so high next time.
 
Ramon said:
Great idea! Anybody try this? Carefully of course?
Click to expand...

Yes I have done this. Worked perfect. Just pulled the caps, waited 10 min & recapped with new caps. This is effective if all the bottles are overcarbed (if bottled before FG or too much priming sugar added).

There is another cause for bottle bombs: priming sugar not fully mixed in. This is possibly the case when some bottles are overcarbed or exploding and others are flat (some might even be perfect). I know the conventional process is to put the priming solution in the bottom of your bottling bucket and allow the gentle swirl of the beer as it siphons in to do the mixing, but I've found that's not enough. I use a big sanitized spoon to stir gently and add the priming solution 1/3 at a time as the bucket fills. Haven't had a bomb since :)
 
Ramon said:
Wow you guys are awesome, thanks for the feedback. Yes I divided the priming sugar in thirds as well. I did a double-check on the label of the True Lemon and it says evaporated cane juice. I googled that and found out it was another fancy word for sugar. I carefully open one up just now. Standing behind the cooler and it only gave a little fizz. But when I poured it, it filled the entire cup with foam. The other batch was only mildly carbonated. So I'm suspecting it's the True Lemon. BTW once the foam died down the one with True Lemon was freakin' awesome! Maybe next time I should skip the priming sugar? And yes I need to replace hydrometer as well.
Click to expand...

I'm new to homebrewing myself, but based on my understanding of the process thus far, I'd advise against just skipping the priming sugar.

When we add priming sugar we add a measured amount of fermentable sugar to our brew, just enough to create the level of carbonation we desire. We use hydrometers to ensure that we are adding this measured amount of sugar to a fully fermented brew, so there aren't any unfermented sugars we don't know about, or haven't specifically measured, lurking in the brew with the potential to create additional carbonation and bottle bombs.

By skipping the priming sugar, you are still adding the fermentable sugar from the True Lemon in an amount that has not been carefully measured to avoid overcarbonation and that's a risk I wouldn't take.

What I'd do is ferment the True Lemon in primary or secondary fully, as evidenced by hydrometer readings, then add my measured amount of priming sugar and bottle.

Cheers!
 
Infection would be a big one but never had an explosion. Last batch was a hefewiesen and one was over carbed after 2 weeks. Not much trub on a 2 week hefewiesen after holding it to a candle there was a speck of mold I missed. Hope it was the only one. Clean and dry bottles after use!
 
Mozart said:
I'm new to homebrewing myself, but based on my understanding of the process thus far, I'd advise against just skipping the priming sugar.

When we add priming sugar we add a measured amount of fermentable sugar to our brew, just enough to create the level of carbonation we desire. We use hydrometers to ensure that we are adding this measured amount of sugar to a fully fermented brew, so there aren't any unfermented sugars we don't know about, or haven't specifically measured, lurking in the brew with the potential to create additional carbonation and bottle bombs.

By skipping the priming sugar, you are still adding the fermentable sugar from the True Lemon in an amount that has not been carefully measured to avoid overcarbonation and that's a risk I wouldn't take.

What I'd do is ferment the True Lemon in primary or secondary fully, as evidenced by hydrometer readings, then add my measured amount of priming sugar and bottle.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Trulemon is not like koolaid or country time. It's in the baking needs isle & is just crystalized juice. That was my recipe & I added it to the priming solution. It won't cause overpriming,& didn't in the batch I made that recipe for.
 
unionrdr said:
Trulemon is not like koolaid or country time. It's in the baking needs isle & is just crystalized juice. That was my recipe & I added it to the priming solution. It won't cause overpriming,& didn't in the batch I made that recipe for.
Click to expand...

Understood. Perhaps the OP was adding something other than True Lemon, for the OP stated that evaporated cane sugar was among the ingredients.
 
I'll go get the box. hold on a tick. **Ok,on the front of the box it says"Made from lemons,0 calories,0g sugars,unsweetened. Crystallized lemon". But on the back it says "Ingedients: crystallized lemon citric acid,lemon oil,lemon juice,ascorbic acid (VitaminC),organic evaporated cane juice". Since the cane juice is the last thing on the list,& it's the juice from the cane,maybe the juice isn't the same as the sugar from the solid part? Not much in there,& it didn't cause any problems with enough dextrose in priming solutiion for 2.5 volumes of co2 in the shandy I made.
Also,the oils & juice are said to be cold pressed. They are also on facebook & twitter.
 
unionrdr said:
I'll go get the box. hold on a tick
Click to expand...

Sounds good.

I may know what happened.

Ingredients in True Lemon: Crystallized Lemon [citric acid, lemon oil, lemon juice, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)].

http://www.truelemon.com/true-lemon.html

Ingredients in True Lemonade (which has the same True Lemon logo on the box): Crystallized Lemon [Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Lactic Acid, Tartaric Acid, Lemon Oil, Lemon Juice, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)], Sugar, Natural Lemon Flavor, Rebiana (Stevia)*, and Color Added.
*100% Natural Sweetener from the Stevia plant

http://www.truelemon.com/true-lemonade.html

Guess it pays to read those labes to be sure!

Cheers!
 
Ah,yup. Trulemon & trulemonade are def not the same thing. the former is a recipe ingredient,the latter is a drink mix. Here's a pic of the box;
http://[URL=http://s563.photobucket.com/user/unionrdr/media/lemoncrstl.jpg.html] [/URL]
They have Trulime & Truorange too,but Giant Eagle doesn't have those darn it. This is a slightly older pic of it. They changed the box designe,but the ingredients are the same.
 
unionrdr said:
Ah,yup. Trulemon & trulemonade are def not the same thing. the former is a recipe ingredient,the latter is a drink mix.
Click to expand...

I imagine the evaporated cane juice likely contains some amount of sugar, but I don't know how to tell, or if it's a significant enough amount to worry about. An interesting note about labeling:

The FDA allows food manufacturers to round to zero any ingredient that accounts for less than 0.5 grams per serving. So while a product may claim to be "gluten-free" or "alcohol-free," it can legally contain up to 0.5 grams per serving. While this may seem like an insignificant amount, over time this small fraction can add up.


http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/11/02/food-nutrition-labels-six-catches-you-need-to-know.htm

When I was looking at the ingredients for True Lemon (not the lemonade) I took note of the 0g of sugar -- yet this is per serving, and the serving size is 1g! So according to the above, it could theoretically be nearly 50% sugar by weight in grams and not be inconsistent with its labeling.

I haven't read the recipe to know how many of the 1g packets were used and if you've had no problems the OP's overcarbonation might be due to something else, but I thought it an interesting note on labeling.

Cheers!
 
Mozart said:
I imagine the evaporated cane juice likely contains some amount of sugar, but I don't know how to tell, or if it's a significant enough amount to worry about.
Click to expand...

Just to follow-up, largely because I'm new to homebrewing and it gave me a little practice researching a few things!

We know that the True Lemon is at most 50% sugar. This is the theoretical maximum based on the label as identified in the previous posts.

According to the recipe:

bottled with 2C boiled/cooled water with 4.7oz dextrose,& 12 packets of Trulemon crystal.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/sheries-summer-shandy-289981/

12 packets, again based on each packet containing a 1g serving will have at most 6g of sugar, and probably less. This is compared to 4.7 oz., or about 133g of dextrose as the priming agent if my math is correct.

Therefore I think it can be safely concluded that the addition of the True Lemon crystals, per the recipie, do not pose an overcarbonation risk in and of themselves as the maximum amount of sugar they can contain is negligible.

The recipe's author, having successfully created this recipe, knows this to be the case I'm sure, but it gave me the opportunity to do a little homebrew research and learn something along the way. :)

Cheers!
 
Ok,there can't be 6g of sugar per packet,since each packet is .8g,less than one gram. & up to 50% sugar is reaching quite a bit,since ingredients are listed in order of prominence. The cane juice being tha last ingredient on the list,would have the least percentage of the total ingredients by weight.
 
unionrdr said:
Ok,there can't be 6g of sugar per packet,since each packet is .8g,less than one gram. & up to 50% sugar is reaching quite a bit,since ingredients are listed in order of prominence. The cane juice being tha last ingredient on the list,would have the least percentage of the total ingredients by weight.
Click to expand...

If I didn't make it as clear as I could, I apologize, but what I meant was 6g total for the 12 packets combined, not 6g per packet.

So, 6g of sugar at most, total, from all the packets put together, vs. 133g of dextrose. We're in absolute agreement that there's no way the True Lemon contributes to overcarbonation in that recipe in any meaningful way.

Cheers!
 
Ok,I see, Yeah,not enough sugar to worry about. Besides the fact that it's the cold-pressed juice from sugar cane,& not the sugar which is made from the pith. So it might not be as sweet volume-wise as the sugar itself. Demerara sugar,for example,is made from that pith.
 
NurseJackie said:
Yes I have done this. Worked perfect. Just pulled the caps, waited 10 min & recapped with new caps. This is effective if all the bottles are overcarbed (if bottled before FG or too much priming sugar added).

There is another cause for bottle bombs: priming sugar not fully mixed in. This is possibly the case when some bottles are overcarbed or exploding and others are flat (some might even be perfect). I know the conventional process is to put the priming solution in the bottom of your bottling bucket and allow the gentle swirl of the beer as it siphons in to do the mixing, but I've found that's not enough. I use a big sanitized spoon to stir gently and add the priming solution 1/3 at a time as the bucket fills. Haven't had a bomb since :)
Click to expand...

Thanks ill give it a try! And I also stir mine with a large spoon. I'll try the 1/3 approach next time!
 
unionrdr said:
Ok,I see, Yeah,not enough sugar to worry about. Besides the fact that it's the cold-pressed juice from sugar cane,& not the sugar which is made from the pith. So it might not be as sweet volume-wise as the sugar itself. Demerara sugar,for example,is made from that pith.
Click to expand...

I used the TrueLemon not the Lemonade. 8 packs of it with my priming sugar for 1/3 of a 5 gallon batch. The other 2/3 of my 5 gallon batch is perfect. It could possibly be a mixing issue since not all of the bottles exploded. But the one i tried today was way over carbonated. I'm about to pop (no pun intended) another bottle in a few and I'll report back. I wish labels would be more honest!
 
Ok second bottle is also over carbonated as well. Tastes great though!

I know you guys said it could be that it wasn't fully fermented but if that was the case why are the other bottles from the batch perfect? (If not under-carbonated just yet.) I did do the True Lemon bottling last not sure if that matters?

Some mentioned infection. Again that would be odd that the infection was isolated to just the True Lemon batch, why not the others?

You guys are right though. Even if I added 8 grams from 8 packs (over exaggerating) of True Lemon packets that's really not all that much sugar.

I'm stumped!
 
I boiled the 2C of water for the priming solution. I added the Trulemon & priming sugar wjile still boiling hot & stirred till the water cleared again. This would've negated any infection from the Trulemon/priming solution.
 
unionrdr said:
I boiled the 2C of water for the priming solution. I added the Trulemon & priming sugar wjile still boiling hot & stirred till the water cleared again. This would've negated any infection from the Trulemon/priming solution.
Click to expand...

Ahh I hadn't thought of infection from the TrueLemon, that could be it!!! I didn't boil it, just dumped it right on in...
 

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