story time - let's share horror stories

[Jimbob]

So earlier this year I brewed a German Pilsner. I had racked the wort to a carboy and was letting it cool a bit before pitching. It was sitting a small chest freezer. I had my yeast in a 2000ml erlenmeyer flask and barely tapped the flask to the top of the carboy when pitching. It was seriously a light tap and the carboy collapsed.

[HighCountry]

So earlier this year I brewed a German Pilsner. I had racked the wort to a carboy and was letting it cool a bit before pitching. It was sitting a small chest freezer. I had my yeast in a 2000ml erlenmeyer flask and barely tapped the flask to the top of the carboy when pitching. It was seriously a light tap and the carboy collapsed.

Holy shit...how hot was the wort when you pitched it? Looks like the Australian method of pitching boiling wort to sanitize the carboy and then cool it. Only you have to gradually heat the carboy up first or else...well, this happens.

[Jimbob]

Holy shit...how hot was the wort when you pitched it? Looks like the Australian method of pitching boiling wort to sanitize the carboy and then cool it. Only you have to gradually heat the carboy up first or else...well, this happens.

The wort was actually around 60 when I racked it into the carboy and around 45 when I was pitching the yeast. It wasn't a hot liquid/cold glass thing. It was just hitting a sweet spot on the carboy. Kinda like that frat trick (more of a party foul if you ask me) when you blow out the bottom of a beer bottle by hitting the top of it with another one. I guess I hit the top just right and it created enough pressure to blow the top out

Here's some more pics

Broken Carboy


Sucking the wort out of the bottom of the freezer

[HighCountry]

The wort was actually around 60 when I racked it into the carboy and around 45 when I was pitching the yeast. It was just hitting a sweet spot on the carboy.

That's insane. I did not know that was possible. Maybe there were some cracks started that you hadn't noticed? I'm trying to convince myself that the sweet spot thing isn't possible, as I still have a few glass carboys left that I haven't (a) dropped or (b) pitched boiling wort into like a moron.

I've mostly switched to fermenting in converted Sankes, which are almost worth the hernias I get from throwing them around. That will be my next horror story post, no doubt. Intestinal Ball Sac Stout. Or something.

[Jimbob]

That's insane. I did not know that was possible. Maybe there were some cracks started that you hadn't noticed? I'm trying to convince myself that the sweet spot thing isn't possible, as I still have a few glass carboys left that I haven't (a) dropped or (b) pitched boiling wort into like a moron.

I've mostly switched to fermenting in converted Sankes, which are almost worth the hernias I get from throwing them around. That will be my next horror story post, no doubt. Intestinal Ball Sac Stout. Or something.

So I'm gonna get all geeky on your ass now. This wasn't really a sweet spot thing. It was more of a pressure thing. When I hit the top of the carboy it was on the hole in the top. I hit the opening of the carboy with the bottom of the flask which caused a pressure increase and blew out the glass...that's my theory at least. You can do this with a bottle with liquid in it and hit the top and it will blow out the bottom...NOT RECOMMENDED THOUGH IT'S VERY DANGEROUS. Some of my Army buddies use to do this to mess with people, one buddy ended up in the hospital with the bottom of a beer bottle stuck in the top of his foot.

[HighCountry]

I've seen the beer bottle trick cause the bottle to foam over, obviously, but never to explode...but I guess your carboy was a closed system at that point. I suppose you're using those sweet ass diamond erlenmeyer flasks...

[Jimbob]

I've seen the beer bottle trick cause the bottle to foam over, obviously, but never to explode...but I guess your carboy was a closed system at that point. I suppose you're using those sweet ass diamond erlenmeyer flasks...

Oh hell yeah, don't you. Didn't JZ say to only use diamond erlenmeyer flasks hand blown by one eyed strippers with bullet wounds that have given birth to hermaphrodite babies named Hodipias.

[HighCountry]

hand blown by one eyed strippers with bullet wounds

Now I definitely believe you were in the Army. And the Philippines.