As I was watching my beloved Lions get there first win in Washington ever This Sunday I heard a loud boom. I live in the country so on weekends it is like living next to a shooting range. Sounded like a shot gun blast. When my dog did not instantly come to the back door freeking out I knew what it was. My Belgian Dark Strong OG 1.092 blew the lid off my fermenter. Fortunately for me I always put a towel under along with one wraped around the top. My lid blows but does not blow off and spray my walls. This is the third time this has happened but the first time I heard it. If I would have been working in my basement I may have shit myself!
Next time you brew a high gravity beer maybe you should use some Fermcap. I made a BSDA last spring and I bought some Fermcap (first time I purchased it) for this batch; I was concerned about a lid blow. That batch fermented just fine and no problems with 'excess' krausen. Cheers!
By chance are you using the small airlock that fits thru the lid, and did it get clogged, which is what caused the pressure to build? For high gravity beers where you can expect a good amount of foam, I suggest that you switch to a large (6.5 gal) carboy with a blow-off tube in a pan of water to avoid this in the future.
I use a 6.5 gal fermenter with the airlock in the top. This post is more about hearing the Fermenter blow. I am aware of the usages of a blowoff tube. Take care.
When my RIS of about the same OG blew last year, I didn't hear it, but my wife sure did. Evidently, she was sitting in the chair that was just above where it was in the basement, and I am still not sure if I am entirely forgiven for the scare she got that morning.
By the way, which yeast are you using? I have found the Scottish Ale yeast (1728) to be very prone to explosive fermentation, but I used their Belgian Strong ale (1388) at a similar OG and it was much more restrained. I was thinking about eventually brewing a strong dark with Abbey or Abbey II (1214/1762).
I used 3787 to make my BSDA and I am very pleased with the resulting beer. If you are looking for a BSDA with restrained Belgiany characteristics then 1762 may be a more appropriate choice; I used 1762 to brew a Belgian Porter and that beer tasted like a ‘regular’ Porter (no noticeable Belgiany character). Cheers!
Antifoam and a 5/16"? OD piece of vinyl tube is what I use. I run the tube into a 1/2 filled growler of starsan. No blow offs yet.
