Hi friends, As a forward: I have actually not brewed my first batch of beer yet, so if I say something that seems off, please correct me. I ordered a brewers best small batch 1 gallon kit like this. I also ordered several stout porter extract kits, like this. I didn't think about it at the time, but the reviews for all the porters I ordered mentioned having overflow problems / blown airlocks / and just generally recommend using a blow off tube. So, what is the best way for me to go about doing this? I don't want to ferment in the carboy as it is a 1 gal, and the bucket is 2 gal, which should mean less loss due to blow off. I called the manufacturer, and they said the lid on the bucket has a grommet hold for an air lock. I'm not sure how large that would be, should I consider enlarging it, and using a bigger tube? Should I use some type of nipple between the grommet and tube, like copper or nickle? Or should I get a bigger bucket and use the normal airlock while keeping the room cooler, and maybe not using as much yeast?
Buy an extra airlock, racking cane, or bottling wand. Cut a plastic "nipple" from these parts and attach a hose. Put the other end into a cup of sanitizer. Fin. Edit: If you take care to control fermentation temp, you should have minimal blowoff from a 1gl batch in a 2gl bucket.
the diameter would be sufficient? ok, works for me. For temp, what should I aim for? The online instructions mention 60-70. So, should I aim for 60? And would I run the risk of anything bad if temps dipped below 60?
If I understand correctly, you're going to ferment a one gallon batch in a 2 gallon bucket. Assuming your fermentation temperatures don't get out of control, that's more than enough headspace. i.e. an airlock is good enough. Hookstrat said minimal blowoff...I'll say 0. Mid-60s should be good for fermenting this beer. I wouldn't go below 60. There's no reason to, fermentation would take longer, and you run the risk of the yeast going dormant (though I'm not real familiar with the strain you're using).
Agreed with VikeMan... blow-off should not be a problem, and I'd go for 68-ish. Temperature always trumps blow-off - it's a vital part of your "recipe" so don't alter your beer to save a few ounces. And with that said, a little blow-off is not a bad thing, but it's a lot cleaner and easier if you've got room and you don't have to clean out an airlock. As to always using the right amount of yeast, more yeast will not make it foam any more. Too little yeast will most likely cause problems.
Ya I thought the same thing guys (fermenting in 2 gal bucket). Then after reading all the reviews and for the 2 other porter stouts I ordered, everyone kept talking about the over flow. One person ended up using a 3 gallon bucket. If it was just one or two persons talking about it that would be one thing. But with almost every review talking about very aggressive fermentation, and suggesting a blow off tube. I just figured I couldn't go wrong heading their advise. No harm in it right?
There's no harm in using a blowoff tube. The issue people have had with blowoff with this kit may be at least partially caused by pitching 5.5 grams of yeast (half of an 11 gram packet of yeast per the recipe). For one gallon of 1.065 OG wort, I'd say about 2 grams would be more appropriate.
And I thought the same thing too! But I don't know what I'm doing. [edit] I just called Northern Brewing and talked to their brew master Todd. He said I could pitch 2.5 - 3 grams of yeast if I wanted to, and it really shouldn't make much of a difference as far as the aggressiveness of fermentation goes if I did that, or pitched the 5 grams. He said it really has more to do with the strain of yeast you use, and not the mass you pitch. Doing the fermentation in a 2 gallon bucket was recommended, and a blow off tube was suggested and may or may not be necessary. So that's probably what I'll do. I just happened to be going south this afternoon to go to a brewery with friends (Southern Star in Conroe if anyone is interested in the area), and there is a brew supply store not too far from there so I can get some tubing and an extra airlock to use as a nipple as suggested in the first comment.
The reviewers who said they had blow-off issues may have been trying to ferment at a temp that was too warm. Those yeasties really love that higher temp and react accordingly with a big display. If you have a three piece air lock you can use it on your bucket, and if the krausen bubbles appear to be getting into the airlock then you can remove the inverted cup-piece and attach a length of tubing that same diameter to the center shaft (have the tubing on hand just in case), and put the other end into a container of water, sanitizer, etc. It also would not hurt to cut off the little cross-hairs on the tip of the airlock shaft that extends down into the bucket. (If your airlock has those cross-hairs.) That helps to eliminate a potential clog point in the flow mechanism.
Yeast strain can certainly have an impact on fermentation vigor. But I can assure you (with apologies to Brewmaster Todd) that so can pitch rate.
It looks like a three piece air lock is what comes with my kit. I'll get another one just to use as an adapter and remove the cross as you recommend mothergoose.
It's your choice whether you get a second one, but you can modify the one that comes with the kit and leave it at that, thus you don't need to change it out with another one if you want to attach the air lock tubing.
I always just stick a length of vinyl tubing into the grommet of my bucket or the bung of my Better Bottle. I can't remember what the OD on the tubing is. 5/16"? It should be about the same size as what will fit your racking cane. The tubing goes from the fermenter to a half full growler of water. Is it air tight? Not usually. It's to prevent anything from getting in the fermenter for a few weeks. After that, I'm racking to a keg or a bottling bucket for packaging.
So, the kit that came in the mail is missing LCD thermometer, lab thermometer, instructions, hydrometer, air lock, and test jar. They have not replied back to my email and the brew supply shop has not been answering the phone yesterday today. I guess I'll have to amazon prime this stuff and file a claim with amazon concerning the purchase. Really lame.
Well, your brew day has been delayed, but don't get too uptight. Patience is something that you need in this hobby. (If the instructions don't show up, you can read/print them online.)
Your right I should be patient. It's just aggravating because I have a weird schedule for the next few weeks. Then when the semester starts up, I have no idea how much time I will have. I would like to thank everyone for their input so far though.
