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  • Barrel explosion!!

    Hey all, just wanted to post and let people know about a dangerous experience that occurred. Barrel aging is new to many of us and nobody has really "written the book" on the subject ( I wish they would! ). We research and experiment and see what happens. We just had a JD barrel explode on us and luckily nobody was injured. I thought it prudent to share the experience. The barrel was filled with unfiltered beer and a hard, wooden bung was used. It was not doused with any wild yeast, just trying to impart some oak and whiskey flavor. I assumed the weakest point was the bung, if pressure was too high the bung would blow, right? No, the bottom blew, sounded like a bomb, and put a hole in the wall.

    Needless to say we are switching to soft bungs, never hard/wooden and never taking an aging barrel for granted. So if you are new to barrel aging, like many of us, consider the fact that these can develop high pressure and need relief.

  • #2
    That's why I use these on my barrels..http://www.gwkent.com/silicone-barre...tion-lock.html
    Cheers,
    Mike Roy
    Brewmaster
    Franklins Restaurant, Brewery & General Store
    5123 Baltimore Ave
    Hyattsville,MD 20781
    301-927-2740

    Franklinsbrewery.com
    @franklinsbrwry
    facebook.com/franklinsbrewery

    Comment


    • #3
      What he said ^ . Why were you hard bunging with the oak bungs?

      Comment


      • #4
        Yep, silicon bungs. We'll actually use airlocks too for a bit if the beer is fiesty.
        Russell Everett
        Co-Founder / Head Brewer
        Bainbridge Island Brewing
        Bainbridge Island, WA

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by MikeRoy View Post
          That's why I use these on my barrels..http://www.gwkent.com/silicone-barre...tion-lock.html
          We use the exact same bungs and have had no problems. Hell, sometimes with the pressure build up you hear the bungs whistling!
          ________
          Cheers,

          David Rodriguez
          Assistant Brewer/Head Cellerman
          Wynwood Brewing Company
          565 NW 24th St
          Miami, FL 33127

          www.wynwoodbrewing.com
          David@wynwoodbrewing.com
          Cell: (954) 471-6588

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          • #6
            I'd love to see some pictures of that barrel.

            Anybody have issues with those GW silicone breather bungs not really breathing? Seems everyone I pull has 2-5lbs of pressure behind it, sometimes throwing the bung a fair distance. I keep the center sections pulled up, not pushed down.

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            • #7
              Oh and I would also add: NEVER put a burning sulfur stick into a fresh whisky barrel. I haven't done it but I know someone who did. KABOOM.
              Russell Everett
              Co-Founder / Head Brewer
              Bainbridge Island Brewing
              Bainbridge Island, WA

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Inthelab View Post
                I'd love to see some pictures of that barrel.

                Anybody have issues with those GW silicone breather bungs not really breathing? Seems everyone I pull has 2-5lbs of pressure behind it, sometimes throwing the bung a fair distance. I keep the center sections pulled up, not pushed down.
                Same here, I would routinely vent them for a few days after filling the barrels until the pressure is low.
                ________
                Cheers,

                David Rodriguez
                Assistant Brewer/Head Cellerman
                Wynwood Brewing Company
                565 NW 24th St
                Miami, FL 33127

                www.wynwoodbrewing.com
                David@wynwoodbrewing.com
                Cell: (954) 471-6588

                Comment


                • #9
                  Thanks for the replies. We have since switched to those GW Kent silicone bungs. No pics of the barrel, just looked like someone kicked out the bottom, rather anticlimactic.

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                  • #10
                    I use rubber bungs. http://www.kegworks.com/buon-vino-ru...r--719-p177964 then I put is a 5/16" stainlesss barbed beer line splicer in the hole attach 2' of 5/16" tubing to it if there still is some fermentation happening, the tubing goes into a bucket. Once fermentation is stopped, fill the tube with iodine and "coil" it up, thus creating its own airlock. All told it's $2.25 and is more versatile than the silicone option.

                    But it would have never occured to me to slam a solid wooden bung in the hole. Yikes! Thanks for passing along the message, but next time, use your head!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I have used some of the silicone bungs in the past, but I also tell the person pounding in the bungs to use kid gloves. I had one last week that started to bulge out the ends. I had to relieve the pressure. There was a nice pop when I pulled the bung out. I have had one blow the end of the barrel out in the past. Sounded like a cannon.
                      Joel Halbleib
                      Partner / Zymurgist
                      Hive and Barrel Meadery
                      6302 Old La Grange Rd
                      Crestwood, KY
                      www.hiveandbarrel.com

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                      • #12
                        At my workplace we go through a lot of bourbon barrels. A LOT. We use wooden bungs and have never had one explode in storage. The difference may be that we do filter prior to filling and store cold. No yeast, very little CO2 off-gassing.

                        Transferring under pressure was a different story. As Joel says, like a cannon when a head blows off. We have since moved to pulling out with a diaphragm pump.

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