This is why I joined this forum

[cefleet]

This happened about 8 weeks ago.

I tried to make mead with no research or guidance. If I had just even glanced over the forums this would not have happened because I made the most warned about mistake.

Notice the 8 in HOLE in the cabinet. That happened because the bottle exploded. I found glass actually stuck in the ceiling, and 15 ft away.

So I highly suggest new people, like me, reading through the forums before you do this.
And be thankful there is such a great community here.

 

[TAKeyser]

is that just a black cap and not an airlock on the carboy? So far I've been lucky with no exploding or dropped carboys, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

 

[akueck]

Wow, that is an impressive explosion. Good thing it was mostly contained by that box and no one sounds injured.

Welcome to GotMead!

 

[cefleet]

Yes that was a black screw on cap, and it actually was a wine jug (those 3 liter ones). This was about a month after I started it. I didn't take any readings because I figured it wasn't needed (mistake 1). I saw no bubbles in my homemade airlock so I figured the yeast was dead. (mistake 2). So I racked it from the plastic bottle and into this thing.

I tasted it and it wasn't to my liking so I figured I'd just add some honey to sweeten it up what harm could it do? you know because the yeast was dead , I didnt take any readings and put the cap on it for it to age some (mistake 3,4 & 5).

A few days later I opened it up to taste it and I noticed that it almost fizzed over. So I left it open for a couple of hours to "let the fizz out" and then promptly put the screw cap back on.(mistake 6).

3 days later I came home smelling a whole lot of yeast and came home to find that scene.

And nobody was injured, thank goodness, except the fact that got a small cut in my foot cleaning it up.

So needless to say I started researching before I tried again. I may mess up a mead but I swear I am never going to something like this again that could endanger my 2 small girls. I'm kinda glad it happened on my first batch.

 

[TAKeyser]

someone once said we learn as much from our mistakes as we do from our successes. Like I said I haven't had an exploding carboy yet, but I have had mistakes.

 

[Chevette Girl]

I tasted it and it wasn't to my liking so I figured I'd just add some honey to sweeten it up what harm could it do? you know because the yeast was dead , I didnt take any readings and put the cap on it for it to age some (mistake 3,4 & 5).

Well, those are very similar mistakes to my first wine experience, although I was lucky emough to have used a cork, so it only blew wild grape juice all over my appartment kitchen ceiling (didn't find the cork till we moved out).

But hey, at least you got to learn a valuable lesson (or 6 ) with no significant injury.

 

[skunkboy]

Yeah, my first beer I fermented too warm with an s-lock, and so I came one one day to find the kitchen covered in stout and the cap to the s-lock missing. Some day I am going to have to repaint the ceiling... ;-)