krausen is good for the skin

[SoxyinMO]

At least that's what I kept telling myself as I wiped it off my face this morning. I've read with dread and sympathy the tales here about beer that has, explosively, escaped its mortal carboy, and yet did not take someone's very good advice to use a blow-off tube for anything with an SG over 1060.

Yep. I went down into the basement this morning to get something and halfway down the stairs I smelled it. "That's not something we want to be smelling, Soxy," I told myself. And I was right! My beautiful, beautiful Barley Wine.

Needless to say I should have been a little more circumspect while removing what was left of the airlock for cleaning.

From here on I'm taking your advice BEFORE I experience the problem:rolleyes:

[Lamprey]

Think of it like the Sox slump after the all star break this year - the barley wine will turn out great in the end! :D

[HogieWan]

What size was your carboy?

[SoxyinMO]

It was a 6 gallon carboy, which has been fine for the past year, it even held strong through the Honey Brown Ale which I did worry about with all that honey.

Thanks for the analogy, Lamprey! It helps!

[HogieWan]

I've never heard of that happening. I would think that the airlock would let out enough pressure. Good thing I read this forum.

[BluesHarp]

Trust me...it won't...:D

[P-Train]

I've done the same thing. Let it off for juuuuust a second to switch out the airlock and before I knew it I was cleaning it up off the ceiling and walls.

And noooooow you know.

[Bruno_78]

Been there!

[SoxyinMO]

HogieWan said :
I've never heard of that happening. I would think that the airlock would let out enough pressure. Good thing I read this forum.

Weeeeeelllll, I KNEW because I'd read about it here, but we have been very lucky this year. It was in the back of my mind when I noticed that the barley wine was above the five gallon line drawn on the carboy, and yet I did nothing. That'll teach me!

Trust the force, Soxy; believe in the force HogieWan.

(Sorry, got Star Wars on DVD for Christmas

;) )

[HogieWan]

So is there any sign that you're in trouble?

[HogieWan]

Is this a problem if ou use a plastic primary?

[YamahaXS]

you gain 12,000 XPs and +1 to wisdom.

:D

[Scumbag]

Originally posted by HogieWan
Is this a problem if ou use a plastic primary?

It will be a problem no matter what material your primary is made out of. It is a matter of the krausen cloging or resricting the CO2 loss through the holes in your airlock. A blow off tube helps prevent this by letting excess junk escape so it doesn't crust over and block the 'lock.

Having some extra headspace in your primary will also help. I use 7.5 gallon carboys for primaries and 5 gals for secondaries (and 2 3 gals for nifty split batch experiments!!)

Lately I use a blow off tube now no matter what my OG. I started using the new Wyeat 'smackpacks'. They pitch such a high quanity of yeast I've filled the headspace on a 7.5 and needed a blow off on a 1.05 OG American Wheat!

[SoxyinMO]

HogieWan asked :
So is there any sign that you're in trouble?

So far so good. I transfered about 2 gallons into one of our 5 gallon carboys, which we usually use for a secondary. They are both bubbling madly, and tomorrow I will transfer it all back into the 6 gal.


Scumbag said :
Lately I use a blow off tube now no matter what my OG. I started using the new Wyeat 'smackpacks'. They pitch such a high quanity of yeast I've filled the headspace on a 7.5 and needed a blow off on a 1.05 OG American Wheat

This has made me a bit shy of Wyeast, I have to admit. We have 2 one-gallon bottles for experimention. It's fun, isn't it?

[danno]

question to all you experiencing blowoffs: what temps were you seeing for fermentation? (and keep in mind, an active fermentation can be several degrees warmer than the surrounding area...)

[SoxyinMO]

The great blow-off happened in the basement. The carboy was up on an old hollow-wooden door. That sounds funny. We put an old closet door flat on the floor and place the carboys on that to keep them off the cement.

The tempurature in the basement was about 62 degrees F. when the blow-off occured.

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by SoxyinMO
We have 2 one-gallon bottles for experimention. It's fun, isn't it? You're brewing 1 gallon batches? Hmmmm... this could make me a brewer all over again... my main issue is that I would never have the time to drink 5 gallons of my own brew, no matter how tasty it is, and I'd get bored of it before I was done. Can you confirm what I've inferred from your post, and expound on just what you do?

[BrewDog]

Fret-

Do you still have your old Mr. Beer "Keg"? It holds 2 gals. You can still primary in that, then rack to a 1 gal glass jug for 2ndary.

[Otis_The_Drunk]

Originally posted by BrewDog
Fret-

Do you still have your old Mr. Beer "Keg"? It holds 2 gals. You can still primary in that, then rack to a 1 gal glass jug for 2ndary.


Now that is the best use for one of them things I've seen yet.

[Scumbag]

This has made me a bit shy of Wyeast, I have to admit. We have 2 one-gallon bottles for experimention. It's fun, isn't it?

I still like the Wyeast.... it seems like I get a lot less slow starts then I have with similar White Labs products. Maybe it's just me...

Experiments are fun. I still brew 5 gallon batches but then split them in the secondary to try out different aging techniques. My most recent experiment was put 1/2 of a batch of old ale on a bed of oak chips... both were tasty but the oak was tastier!


question to all you experiencing blowoffs: what temps were you seeing for fermentation? (and keep in mind, an active fermentation can be several degrees warmer than the surrounding area...)

Good point Danno. Sometimes my fermentation temps are a little high. The times I've need the blow off were in the summer when my basement temps are at their highest. Those fermentation temps were 66-68 degrees (based upon temp strips on the carboys).

I just used the Wyeast Irish Ale smack pack on a stout (OG~1.055) and, although the fermentation began quickly and was very vigorous, I didn't get excessive kraussen buildup. Winter temps in my basement/carboys are more like 63 degrees.

[SoxyinMO]

Fret asked :

You're brewing 1 gallon batches? Hmmmm... this could make me a brewer all over again... my main issue is that I would never have the time to drink 5 gallons of my own brew, no matter how tasty it is, and I'd get bored of it before I was done. Can you confirm what I've inferred from your post, and expound on just what you do?

Hey Fret, what I do is make up a five gallon batch of a beer and when I slip it into the secondary, I put three gallons into a five-gallon carboy, and divide the other two gallons between two one-gallon jars (one of these an old wine bottle, the other bought from my LHBS for this purpose).

The last I did was a lager that the LHBS calls California Common, a light, crisp, hoppy lager. I put some Raspberry extract into one gallon, a few chiles into another, and added 1 Tablespoon Ahtamnum Hops Pellets, and 1 Tablespoon Tettnanger Pellets to the remaining three gallons.

That gave me eight bottles of Raspberry and eight of Chile, and about 30 bottles of "Hopped-up California Common."

It was great!