The Horror…
Fate delivered a cruel blow to me last night. There I was, peacefully wandering about my new, favorite MUD, when I was startled by the sound of a muffled bang. Being a law abiding, gun owner, I knew that there was no way any of my handguns had gone off (as it was way too quiet a bang and the only handgun out of my safe was unloaded with the action open) and that something else must have “blowed up”. It was then that the thought struck me: “Dear God, the beer!” Indeed, the three remaining 6-packs of my case of homebrewed Chocolate Mint Stout, sitting quietly (on the carpet) in the front of my room had decided that the time was ripe for revolution. Indeed, a single bottle had leapt out of it’s 6-pack holder and lay, bottomless, on top of it’s brethren at an angle unfit for storage of beer. I grabbed the wounded 6-pack and transferred it to the bathroom sink, with much dripping, and then brought the remaining bottles in as well. After cleaning up the rug and the bathroom floor, I set the remaining bottles, after a quick rinse, onto paper towels on the bathroom floor to recuperate from the trauma.
Not ten minutes later, I was again assaulted by a muffled explosion. Another bottle had comitted seppuku, but at least on my tile floor this time (except for the small amount that got out the open door onto the same stretch of carpet). The transfer of bottles into the shower followed and cleanup part deux commenced. But the damage was not to be contained, as another bottle blew in the shower (and achieved a pretty good spray up the walls). After a quick call to my brewing partner to confirm that his bottles were safe, I popped one of the survivors open in the sink. Holy foaming action, Batman! Looks like the combination of too much priming sugar and a sugar liquer (for chocolate flavor) caused the carbonation in the bottle to continue on unchecked until the pressure exceeded the limits of the bottle’s tensile strength. Sadly, this had also caused the beer to become very bitter. Considering how good the first six pack had been, it was quite a disappointment.
I checked my remaining beer in the fridge and it showed no problems, so it appears that keeping it chilled slowed the carbonation process. Of course, I had to open my last beer to prove this point. So I drank to the memory of the Chocolate Mint Stout that didn’t survive and poured the rest down the shower drain. This I vow: I shall brew this beer again…and we won’t use too much priming sugar this time!
