At my wits end and need the Borg

[Brewbirds]

Okay I am about fed up and have pulled most of my hair out.

Bombed 002.JPG (51.43 KiB) Viewed 766 times

Bombed 002.JPG (51.43 KiB) Viewed 766 times

I am having a rash of bottle bombs, they are taking out to many neighboring bottles and I am tired of cleaning up the mess.

Four different beers have had a bomb.
FG was not off on any of them.
All carbed with a single mini sugar cube.
None were above 2.5 CO2 vols.
Each was in a different LBK ( numbered 1-5 in entered in notes)
Bottled for (1st) three days, (2nd) 6 weeks, (3rd) 7 days and (4th) 14 days
None had off flavor at or after bottling.
There are batches in between that are fine.
The temps are stable.
There was no single ingredient common to all of them except yeast nutrient and whirlfloc tabs (T10) in boil. All were in Sierra Nevada bottles.
I use Star San, bottle tree and vinator, soak the caps, dip the lips and spray the outside of the bottles.
I am fanatic about sterilizing; I sterilize the brew kettles, the stove top, oven handle and knobs, I wipe off all ingredient packages with a Star San soaked paper towel and I keep a tub of no rinse for re soaking any spoons etc during the brew day.
I do not pour the hydro sample back in.

What are we missing, here? I can't think of anything else.

Suggestions, questions, advise???

[BeerRust]

A big mop?.....I have no idea, but maybe keeping them in a box so that it at least keeps the mess contained.

[T8rSalad]

Reminds me of when we used to stand dominoes up on end close together and topple the first one and watch the rest go a-tumblin' down...

Possibly weak bottles from being over-stressed from bottling in them over and over...only real possible problem I can make of it. That would piss me off also. I use PET bottles for 90% of my bottling so I have yet to have a bottle bomb.

Sorry to hear about it and hope the beer gods can rectify your situation soon.

[russki]

Have you tried the unexploded bottles from the same batches? Any gushers or overcarbonation? Are you using a wing or bench capper? What were the OG/FG for these batches? What yeast?

[Gymrat]

Quit using those LBKs. You cannot see in those well enough to be certain they are cleaned as thoroughly as they need to be. Also using a couple of holes to vent the lid not only allows CO2 to escape but CAN allow contaminants in under certain circumstances.

[Inkleg]

The trick I use to contain any problems is to line a beer case box with a garbage bag. Put beer in 6 pack carriers and into the lined box. Any bombs are contained and easier to clean.

Sorry about your problem and loss. I am literally just heading out the door, so I'll dwell on all your comments and see if anything else comes to mind.

[FrozenInTime]

removed

[mashani]

Hmm... are your Sierra Nevada bottles better then ours? SNPA around here comes in thin walled bottles that although capped with a pry off cap have screw top like threads on them. I'd never consider using them for glass, the Sam Adams bottles around here are much better.

Normally I agree with Gymrat, but re: the LBKs as far as bugs getting in through the vents, it's really not going to happen unless you squeeze the keg and let go - pressing the co2 out and sucking air in. Beer infecting bugs do not crawl up they only fall down. As long as you just lift the kegs from the bottom if you move them it's unlikely. You can open ferment in a bucket with a clean t-shirt over the top and not get infected beer.

His point about sanitation is valid, but if you clean them, then do a PBW / Oxi clean soak, then rinse them again and repeat if you see anything at all when holding them up to the light, dry them completely while upside down (drying is a form of sanitation too for some bugs) and then cap them and sanative them thoroughly before you brew again you should be fine. My bigger concern would be your spigots, you do take them off and clean them separately between batches correct? I've been using the LBKs for close to 3 years with a 3-4 LBK rotation going on, and I've never had gushers except for one single bottle, which was I'm sure a bottle infection not a batch infection. My infected batches have all been very specific to my airborne house brett that I have in the summer, and I'd have gotten them in a bucket too. I'm sure it's getting infected by that while it's cooling and the AC is running an blowing the stuff around my house, as it's the only time I get it.

EDIT: BTW, I *never* put my tools or anything else into the LBKs besides wort or sanitizer or hops/sacks. Even the smallest scratch in plastic can harbor bugs, so I make sure they do not get scratched. I sanitize everything else in a separate container. If you have ever put a spoon or your can opener or something else in your LBK, it could have a scratch. That would show up as batches from one LBK vs the other maybe being weird like Russki and FIT suggested.

[Bluejaye]

What are we missing, here? I can't think of anything else. Suggestions, questions, advise???

Gheez, based on the info, I can't imagine what the problem is, really. About the only thing I wonder is where did you get the bottles? Are they commercial grade, or were they re-used store bought (i.e. had beer in them originally) bottles that might be a weaker quality? That would be my only guess, and that if it is the later, some 6-pack was particularily weak.

[Tabasco]

where did you get the bottles?

Yah, where? If they're Sammies, I got no clue what the problem is. If they're from some obscure craft, try others ... like Sammies ....

I had a couple bottles explode once, and the rest of the batch was fine. I figured, "shit bottles". They weren't Sammies, and I have so many bottles, I don't know where they came from.

[Rebel_B]

I think it is the bottles at fault. The only time I have had exploding glass bottles was from one batch of bottles I purchased. Hunted down and recycled each one of those bottles that had not already exploded; no problem since.

[Brewbirds]

Have you tried the unexploded bottles from the same batches? Any gushers or overcarbonation? Are you using a wing or bench capper? What were the OG/FG for these batches? What yeast?

Batch 1: This batch was all gushers and only a few days old, no off taste in sample. OG 1.051 FG 1.010 Bottled 8/5/13

Batch 2: We had already been drinking some from fridge when one still in closet went off no off taste slightly over carbed. OG 1.050 FG 1.011 Bottled 7/12/13

Batch 3: I put these in the bomb container as a precaution after #2 went off in case one got damaged and so far only one went off I have frozen bottle in with them now. Suited up and uncapped one it was undercarbed but no off flavors. OG 1.068 FG 1.014 Bottled 8/24/13

Batch 4: We had already tasted one of these after chilling it was an SNPA clone and was great no off flavors one went off and took about 8 others with it. Carb was normal. OG 1.051 FG 1.010

The Sierra Nevada bottles are as thick as the LHBS kind. I don't put anything in the LBK. I sanitize in a separate tub. I spray the top and lid of the LBK when dry hopping and on bottling day so no bugs are around the vents.

All were using US-05 yeast

The LBKs are thoroughly washed (use no less than 5 min as a minimum in my process) I hold them to the light and examine. Obviously I dismantle the spigots.

And I use a wing capper as shown below

Case Crate & Wing Capper.JPG (108.75 KiB) Viewed 697 times

[Beer-lord]

Back in my early brewing days I only used the same bottles 4 times and threw them out. Of course, back then the cappers were somewhat cheap and I was told they caused hairline cracks in bottles after capping them 3-4 times. Might not be the case but then again, could be.
Take a close look at the bottles as you wash them and see if you can see any hairline cracks near the top. No guarantee if you don't but if you do, trash them.

Sorry about your loss!

[Brewbirds]

Back in my early brewing days I only used the same bottles 4 times and threw them out. Of course, back then the cappers were somewhat cheap and I was told they caused hairline cracks in bottles after capping them 3-4 times. Might not be the case but then again, could be.
Take a close look at the bottles as you wash them and see if you can see any hairline cracks near the top. No guarantee if you don't but if you do, trash them.

Sorry about your loss!

These are pretty new, I have a ton of bottles and cycle through different styles and cap colors instead of labels so I'll go through all cap colors with the SN bottles then all cap colors with the LHBS style bottles ans so on until I get back to the SNs again so they haven't been used much.

Also I examine all the bottles under a strong light (florescent doesn't work btw) as I take them off the bottle tree to re box them and again in reverse when they come out of the box on bottling day.

Oh and I pre-boil my top off water as well and store it is sterilized vodka bottles. If it is infection it must be air borne but I can't figure out when I'm getting it.

This is beyond frustrating. I don't want to end up boxing and bagging a case of beer because I can't find the source of an infection, that is a sign of defeat.

[haerbob3]

BB's I am going to go with 2 issues here.

1. The capper You guys know you are into this hobby If you make wine too I would go with a combo bench capper/corker. A wing capper maybe causing microscopic cracks in the bottles. So invest in a bench capper. Microscopic cracking is a reason I also advise people against heating their bottles in the oven to sanitize them.

2. I highly suspect a LBK contamination. Any little scratch is enough. Try soaking the LBK's in a bleach or peroxide solution, rinse and repeat 3 or 4 times. Pay extra close attention to your spigots and bottling wand. Take this apart and soak all the parts in strong sanitizing solution.