It was TERRIBLE!

[iamkj]

So my first batch ever, and I'm bottling my second bottle. It was a reused Stella bottle. Apparently they don't work for bottling at least with my capper. The thing exploded all over the place. Glass went everywhere and all my bottles were next to it. At least a couple of them surely got glass in them. I thought I would have to throw them all out. My wife recommended pouring them through a coffee filter when I was ready to drink them. What do you think? It's better than throwing them all out. Pros/cons to using a coffee filter?

Is there a better way perhaps? Remember this is after they have carbonated so no worries about adding oxygen. I am trying to think of a way to quickly filter them.

 

[HighGrav]

I would advise against consuming anything that has broken glass in it. The coffee filter may work, but is it worth the risk of having a jagged piece of glass working through your GI tract?

As for the bottle bombs, here are the most common causes.

1) The fermentation was not complete when the beer was bottled. To prevent, take gravity readings several days in a row before bottling and make sure it is the same reading.

2) Too much priming sugar was used or it was not distributed properly. To prevent, precisely measure the priming sugar and when adding it to the bottling bucket, make sure to give it a stir.

3) Some contamination got in the beer and caused excess gas pressure to build up. To prevent, make sure to carefully wash and sanitize everything, especially the bottles and caps.

To keep the rest of them from blowing, you could put them in the fridge to stop the yeast activity. Be careful handling the bottles. I wore safety glasses and gloves to move my bombs to the fridge. Once cold, consume ASAP.

 

[mcbaumannerb]

I don't think it was a bomb - just the capper broke the bottle and it exploded everywhere. Most bottles I re-use work fine, but every now and again you find one that doesn't cooperate - rather than force it just skip it (you may try to pour the beer into another bottle, but I'd mark it somehow since the risk of oxidation will be much greater.

As for avoiding having multiple bottles at risk, that's just a matter of looking at how you set-up for your bottling. I have a vinator and tree (highly recommend if you don't have one) on one side of my bucket. I fill about a dozen bottles and place them to the right. Then I move them behind me to cap one at a time so if one does break there is no risk to the others.

 

[iamkj]

It was when I was capping it. Aren't there filters that could remove glass? I hate to chunk the whole batch for maybe a tiny piece or two.

 

[Chattan]

Back in college I brought a bottle of wine to a theater. When I opened the bottle the top broke and glass went into the bottle. Being a poor college student, I did not waste any wine. I have always wondered if I have glass in my GI track.

My suggestion, scrap the beer with the glass chips in them and you won't have to worry about it!

 

[mcbaumannerb]

Just about anything you would use to filter the beer as you pour it would probably end up giving you a full glass of foam. You could try it (it really is up to you to determine your comfort level with the risk of swallowing glass) but if it was only a few bottles, I'd just scrap them. If you do try it, I'd use a filter screen made for wine aerators, a small mesh colander or a paint filter (from HD or Lowes) A coffee filter would probably not give a good result in the glass.

 

[mtyquinn]

Bummer man. I would give up on the glass brew. Not worth the risk. Brew more beer. Slainte.

 

[Kirkwooder]

Life is all about knowing what risks to take! Drink broken glass contaminated beer or brew a new batch! Life or death.

But seriously, the glass will sink and be matted in the trub from the conditioning. I would get rid of any you are sure are contaminated and carefully pour over the rest into a clear glass. But I am a risk taker!! !

 

[HighGrav]

I guess I need to go back to reading comprehension class

I have had the same thing with capper breaking bottles. I just toss those bottles and beer. Not worth the risk.

 

[Kirkwooder]

Life is all about knowing what risks to take! Drink broken glass contaminated beer or brew a new batch! Life or death.

But seriously, the glass will sink and be matted in the trub from the conditioning. I would get rid of any you are sure are contaminated and carefully pour over the rest into a clear glass. But I am a risk taker!! !

Or you could carefully pour the contaminated beer back into your bottling bucket and rebottle with an in line filter in the filler tube! This way you only risk oxidized beer!

 

[scottyg354]

I cap each bottle right after I fill it. That way I don't have to worry about projectiles getting in my beer.:rockin:

 

[cclloyd]

I'm assuming you were bottling from a keg? If not, how was the beer already carbonated? I must have missed something......

 

[iamkj]

Guys to clarify. Glass went everywhere and there is no way to know which bottles. It's all or nothing. I would like to pour them through a filter. I'm a little discouraged because it seems most think this is not worth it. My first batch of beer down the drain.

 

[iamkj]

I'm assuming you were bottling from a keg? If not, how was the beer already carbonated? I must have missed something......

When I pour it prior to drinking it will be already carbonated. Sorry if I wasn't clear

 

[the_trout]

If it were me... I would strain and save the 6 beers I felt were least likley to be hit and dump the rest. I would risk it on my first beer ever just to get a taste. I would not however serve this beer to anyone other than myself under any conditions. Its one thing to put my health at risk it another thing to risk someone elses. Id also get another kit ordered today.

On your process... The bottles will break on rare occasions and you need to modify your set up so that you dont put your whole batch at risk. The way I do it is to fill a 6pk and hand it off to a friend/swmbo to cap or vise versa. The capping is done on the table, the filling is done at the dishwasher. Also, if a bottle give me any trouble at all I toss it out. Never try and force a cap on if its not feeling right.

On a personal note... That really f'n sucks!

 

[Proboscidea]

That sucks. I'm so sorry. What a discouraging way to start your live as a home brewer.

I've had bad luck with Stella Artois bottles myself. I use a Red Baron capper, and because the Stella bottles don't have the standard kind of lip, the capper either slides up the neck perilously while I'm squeezing it, or it makes the bottle make this horrible glass cracking sound.

A different capper may be able to handle Stella bottles. Or just chuck 'em. Other bottles are so much nicer to work with.

I've had the same experience with Corona bottles, BTW. Less severe, but perilous cracking sound and sliding with the capper. I've been doing this long enough now that I have the luxury to just discard Stella and Corona bottles in the batches that friends donate to me.

The good news is you now have another 6 weeks to stockpile the right kind of bottles as your second batch ferments.

 

[half_whit]

Ouch man. That really stinks. I too tried a Stella bottle once and it didnt break the bottle, but I was not able to effectively cap it. In my (limited) experience, I have not been able to cap most foreign bottles. I also tried capping some 33 Export bottles (vietnam) and had the same issue. If I had to guess, I would say it has to do with measurement systems. As a general rule now, I stick to brown bottles from American breweries. I'm sure those are not the only bottles that work, but they always do and it's not like they're hard to find.

I would recommend against the coffee filter idea. I tried that back when I did my first batch because I had only done single stage and I wanted to filter out yeast that hadn't settled. The entire bottle of beer turned to foam. Womp womp

I feel like glass doesn't give a beer good mouth-feel. I know a guy who eats light bulbs for circus freak shows. Then again, he's been doing it for a long time and knows what he's doing (and is probably used to bloody poo's by now).

 

[microbusbrewery]

One recommendation for you...next time after you fill the bottle, immediately place a cap on the bottle. You don't have to crimp it on right then...in fact I'd recommend waiting until all bottles have been filled, then crimp them all. The little bit of CO2 coming out of suspension from the fill will help purge O2 out of the bottle and it'll keep things from falling into the full bottles.