Bottle Bombing....

[Paul_inYork]

How much sugar have people been priming the Cerveza kit with?

I use a bottling bucket so mix the sugar in at that point. Have generally used about 80-100g for about 20-23 litres in the past which has been fine for more ale type kits but probably want a bit more fizz with the Cerveza kit, so I was thinking about 150g sugar for 23 litres. Does that sound about right?

[irc]

I used 90g for 21L of Cerveza. Equivelent to 100g for 23L. After 12 days it is well carbonated. More fizz wouldn't do it any harm but as I use glass bottles I am a bit cautious about over priming. Certainly another 20 or 30g should be OK though.

It's my favourite lager so far.

[clogwog]

You shouldn't ever get bottle bombs if you follow a few simple rules:

1. Use some brewing software such as BeerSmith, or any of a number of free programs you can download, to do the calculations for you and give you a ballpark figure of what you can expect from your brew.
2. Allow the batch to ferment out fully. That means giving it 2 weeks at least in primary, even if your airlock stops bubbling etc etc.
3. Do a hydrometer test after that. If it's higher than your software predicts, follow the rules for a stalled fermentation.
3. If it's at or lower than the predicted range, do another one 2 days later.
4. If it's stable and gives you the same reading, then you're OK to bottle.
5. Use your brewing software to advise you on the amount of priming medium to use for the style of beer you brewed. I use BeerSmith, and prime at the lower end of the range it advises, and I still get plenty of carbonation.
6. Don't use an inexact measure such as a teaspoon. Use a proper priming measure from your HB shop to ensure you use the exact amount required.

My last bottle bomb was in 1973 (yes, 1973). I've always bottled, and this system works for me.

Of course, to really make sure you never blow a bottle, use corny kegs!

[Redimpz]

My diablo called for 90g in a 9l brew, i've moved it into the shed, most of it is in flip top grolsch bottles,should be ok, fingers crossed.

[Monkeybrew]

My diablo called for 90g in a 9l brew, i've moved it into the shed, most of it is in flip top grolsch bottles,should be ok, fingers crossed.

All of the Brewferm kits call for a relatively high amount of priming sugar, but it does give a great Belgian head. I've done about 7 of thier kits so far and haven't suffered any explosions.