Swing top bottles - dangerous?

[Bobtheblob]

Just opened a 1 litre swing top glass bottle containing my Youngs Saison. The top popped off with a sound like a champagne cork and the whole mechanism detached and flew across the room., could have taken my eye out. I'll wear eye protection for the next bottles!
This is the first time I've used litre sized swing top glass bottles (bought off Amazon). I've bottled half my batch in these and the other half in pint sized pet bottles. I've already opened all the pet bottles and they were fine, not overly carbonated as I'd batch primed before bottling. Just a satisfying fizz when unscrewing those.
The beer is great but I think I'll be sticking to pet bottles after this.

Edit - just realised I've posted this in the wrong forum. Mods can you move it please?

 

[DavidDetroit]

Having the big ones refrigerated for a while will help. The litre is the problem and not the flip-top.
With the larger size, you get twice the oomph but the same opening. I'm reluctant to use anything larger than 500ml swing-tops.

 

[Dexter101]

Not going to be much help other than interested as have just bottled 2 batches in swing top bottles for the first time!

 

[Drunkula]

Swing top bottles are full time sexy. I didn't even know there were such bad boys out there. Rrrraaawww.

p.s. you can squeeze together the claspy pincer bits before putting it back on to make it more claspy. That's science, that is.

 

[Ghillie]

Not so much dangerous, just *****.

A capper is pennies, caps are pennies and glass bottles are free.

 

[Oneflewover]

Not so much dangerous, just *****.

A capper is pennies, caps are pennies and glass bottles are free.

Respectfully disagree. I've been using the same swing top bottles for over 3 years now without issue and I expect to be using them for a good time yet

 

[The Baron]

just make sure the swing tops are pressure rated for carbonated drinks as plenty around of the larger size are not

 

[chrisb8]

Respectfully disagree. I've been using the same swing top bottles for over 3 years now without issue and I expect to be using them for a good time yet

I agree. I have just found recently that a batch of Christmas beer done as gifts and sealed with a cheap capper are all poorly sealed and no good for giving away now. My swingtops on the other hand are always fine, quick and easy to seal.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Not so much dangerous, just *****.

I think that is the first time i have ever read that and ive been here a while is it the litre size that is the problem as many members use 500ml ones with no problems?

 

[DavidDetroit]

3 years

I got most of mine from a friend who started brewing in the 80's.

 

[DavidDetroit]

I'm the biggest fan of Grolsch bottles you'll find. I'm distinguishing "Grolsch" from plain "flip-top" since I don't buy the new ones from the brew store for the most part. They stay sealed. Never had one disengage on me.

I would only use really thick glass like Belgian 750s if I were to go larger and then I'd also be investing in that floor corker from Portugal.

 

[Bobtheblob]

I think it's because of the larger size bottles too. So eye protection folks!

 

[MyQul]

I remember a forumite posted about 2-3 years ago (cant remeber who) had a similar experience with a swing top. Hit him in the face iirc narrowly missing his eye

 

[Chippy_Tea]

 

[Ghillie]

I think that is the first time i have ever read that and ive been here a while is it the litre size that is the problem as many members use 500ml ones with no problems?

I picked up some beers from a local brewer and he used swing tops. Two fell flat in the van and they both leaked everywhere.

Can't wholeheartedly say they're ***** from one bad experience, but I know for sure I wouldn't have had that issue with a crown cap.

 

[parpot]

I use them all the time apart for kegging and have never had a problem, 500ml though

 

[dad_of_jon]

I agree. I have just found recently that a batch of Christmas beer done as gifts and sealed with a cheap capper are all poorly sealed and no good for giving away now. My swingtops on the other hand are always fine, quick and easy to seal.

Hi Chris, the pertinent words there are 'Cheap Capper' The italian metal model with red handles or a bench capper should solve that issue for ya

 

[DavidDetroit]

Two or three times (maybe more) I bought a six pack of crown-capped beer and some of the caps came off too easily and the beer was flat. Luckily, the beers stayed upright or they could have leaked. These experiences do not mean that capping beer is an inferior method. It means an error has occurred.
There's nothing wrong with swing-topped or capped beer. Human error can occur in the manufacturing process or elsewhere. The two methods, when properly done from start to finish, work. Swearing off one or the other because of an isolated experience that is the result of human error is not logical.

 

[phildo79]

This happened to me a couple of times whilst using Grolsch bottles. The problem was that the beer was over carbonated and I was popping them like champagne bottles on NYE instead of keeping my hand over the top of the lid and unclasping the mechanism in a dignified way. I have since learned my lesson.

 

[Cwrw666]

I've got loads of Grolsch bottles from the '80s plus a bunch of 660ml ones and a few litre ones. Don't really use any of them anymore as I prefer caps and enjoy capping bottles. But, the Grolsch always worked fine but the bigger ones never really held pressure very well. Don't know why as the tops seemed to clamp the rubber ring down tight enough.
Never had any tops come flying off either, even when I had real gushers. I remeber one brew that was so bad I had to hold the glass on one side of the sink and the bottle on the other, pop the top and the beer shot out, arced over the sink and landed in the glass. Happy days.