Aggressive Primary Fermentation - advice

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by SJL, Nov 3, 2015.

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  1. SJL

    SJL Initiate (0) Dec 1, 2010 New Jersey

    Hey guys,

    I need your advice please. Yesterday I brewed the Northern Brewer Brunch Stout extract recipe and it went well. I missed my O.G. of 1.068 slightly and came in at about 1.066. Anyway I pitched my starter (first time making one) into my batch, ran my blow off and went to bed. Woke up this morning with some kraussen in the blow off tube and the airlock. Didn't have time to deal with it at 4:50am this morning before I headed out to work, so planned on cleaning things up tonight when I got home. Needless to say I got home at about 7:30pm and this thing is going nuts. Looks like a blizzard in the fermentor and my airlock has now overflown onto the Big Mouth Bubbler lid and there is now kraussen in the blow off vessel. So, my question is this. What do I do? I want to clean and replace the airlock, but I don't want to risk contamination by doing so. Also, what about the blow off vessel that now has kraussen mixed in with the Star San? I can easily clean up the outside of the vessels, but need your advice as to what to do with the airlock and the liquid in the blow off vessel. It's been about 30 hours since I pitched my starter and she's still going strong.

    Thanks in advance and I hope to hear from someone tonight so I can take care of this!


    SJL
     
  2. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    Clean and replace the air lock. You can use a piece of sanitized aluminum foil in the mean time. Your beer has mixed with the Star San, but most of it has been pushed one way--out of the fermenter. It's the price of doing business sometimes. An oz of Star San in your beer won't hurt anyway. Can I ask how big your fermenter is and how much wort was collected? Ideally, you want about 20-30% extra head space for fermentation. That doesn't always happen.

    Next time you think you'll have trouble, don't be afraid to put the whole fermenter in a contractor trash bag. It's much easier to haul that over to a bath tub than tracking all of that mess through the house. Also, Google "blow off tube."
     
  3. scottakelly

    scottakelly Maven (1,487) May 9, 2007 Ohio

    One of the reasosns I like fermenting in buckets, no blow off necessary.
     
    OldSock likes this.
  4. SJL

    SJL Initiate (0) Dec 1, 2010 New Jersey

    Fermentor is a 6.5 gallon siphonless Big Mouth Bubbler. About 5 1/2 gallons went in after I added the starter.

    So after I took a deep breath and applied some common sense last night, I ended up doing as you suggested anyway. Cleaned up the lids of the vessels and cleaned and re-sanitized the airlock. Didn't cover the port of the lid while I cleaned the airlock, but it was only a few minutes. I am using the dual port big mouth bubbler lid so the opening is very small. Understood there was some exposure for a small period of time, but I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best. Beer smells great BTW...

    Thanks for the help guys.


    SJL
     
  5. GormBrewhouse

    GormBrewhouse Pooh-Bah (2,111) Jun 24, 2015 Vermont
    Pooh-Bah

    When I brew a aggressive fermenting batch of beer I use 2 fermenters, thus, no mess and no lost beer.
     
    inchrisin likes this.
  6. utahbeerdude

    utahbeerdude Maven (1,374) May 2, 2006 Utah

    OP, let me get this straight -- you have a blow-off tube and an airlock attached to the fermenter? If so, then this is the real problem here. If using a blowoff tube, then there is no need for an airlock. And as you have (apparently) discovered, if the blow-ff tube is necessary (as in your case), then you also end up with krausen in the airlock, which is the situation a blowoff tube is designed to prevent.

    If I've misinterpreted you post, apologies.

    Cheers!
     
  7. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Almost no reason a normal 1.066 beer should blow-off...unless it's fermented too warm
     
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  8. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Wait, what?:confused:
     
  9. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I primary ferment in 7.9 gallon plastic buckets. I have never had to utilize a blow off tube since there is plenty of headspace in those buckets.

    Cheers!
     
  10. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    I do the same, but for REALLY big top-cropping beers (eg. 1.10) you'd have to be crazy to not use a blow-off, IMHO
     
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  11. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I do not brew beers quite that big but when I do brew 'bigger' beers like I recently brewed a 1.089 Robust Porter I simply placed some Fermcap drops in the primary for insurance and everything was A-OK.

    I suppose if I ever decided to brew something like a 1.10 beer maybe I would need to think about a blow off?

    Cheers!
     
  12. Hanglow

    Hanglow Pooh-Bah (2,051) Feb 18, 2012 Scotland
    Pooh-Bah

    escaping yeast is yeast and gravity dependent, I get blow offs with WLP023 and WLP530 for example when fermenting in a bucket, that's for 5%-8% beers . With so4 for example it wouldn't come close
     
  13. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    I've seen my brew buddy use Fermcap in the boil with some success, but for me, most of my beers are bitter enough already and if I can do without an extra ingredient...so much the better.
     
  14. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Definitely. And I'd add temperature, oxygenation, pitch rate, nutrients, and (of course) headspace to those factors.
     
  15. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Barry, I hear what you are saying.

    I rarely use Fermcap; I add it to the primary fermenter when I brew bigger beers (>1.080). FWIW, I personally do not perceive any impacts from Fermcap in the beers I have brewed using it.

    Cheers!

    Jack
     
  16. GormBrewhouse

    GormBrewhouse Pooh-Bah (2,111) Jun 24, 2015 Vermont
    Pooh-Bah

    Where did you buy 7.9 gallon buckets?
     
  17. minderbender

    minderbender Initiate (0) Jan 18, 2009 New York

  18. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Yes, I think originally the 7.9 gal buckets were meant for wine, but they work great, especially if you over shoot your volume a little. A word of caution though: the lids are harder to get off without a tool and the buckets break easier in cold temps.
     
    minderbender likes this.
  19. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I use the same buckets and need a blowoff tube...
     
  20. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    As has been discussed previously in this thread there are lots of variables here. It would appear that the variables in your homebrewing practices results in a need for a blow off tube. That is not the case for me.

    Cheers!
     
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