AirBronto

Recipes 

I was just wondering what you guys think is the appropriate size of a fermenter to the size of the batch for the blow off method. Last time I had a 5 gallon batch of beer and used a 5 gallon carboy and I seemed to lose a decent amount of beer in the process. Do you of you guys always use the blow off method. Is there a time when you should not? I think it also scrubbed the mint flavor out of my chocolate mint beer. Should i have extracted the mint from the alcohol in the secondary. Also does the blow off methods scrub all of the hop oils out of the beer, or is it removed just from the co2 escaping or not at all? Is that why you dry hop. And does dry hopping add just aroma or does it add aroma and flavor. Thanks a lot guys

philrose

Recipes 

you should be dry hopping late in fermentation rather than when the thing is spewing foam/co2 at any rate.

I use the one size up for carboys, 6.5 gallons and works well for me, 5 gal will leave practically no headspace.

__________________
In process-
Kegged- Last bit of Sparkling Mead
Planning- Witbier

@philthebrewer

AirBronto

Recipes 

I used a six for my 5 gal batch before but almost nothing came out that time. Although i dont think that batch went very well including the fermentation.

mclane2003

Recipes 

I use a 6 gallon for my 5 gallon batches. Sometimes I have to hook up a blow off tube. Seems to work well.

AirBronto

Recipes 

The thing i am trying to get answered is if you want it to blow over every time and what that does to the beer.

metaltim

Recipes 

a blow off is really only necessary if you run the risk of clogging an airlock. some beers make a lot of mess, some don't. just use a blow off if you don't really know.. you can't go wrong. but if you use a blow off, and the tube ends up clean when fermentation is over, it probably wasn't necessary and an airlock would have sufficed.

AirBronto

Recipes 

In the complete joy of home brewing he talks about how the blow off method is used to get rid of stuff that you don't want in the flavor of your beer. So is this not true or not.

Old John

Recipes 

I have 5 gallon carboys. I use one-stage fermentation. Fill the carboy up to 4 or 5 inches from the top. I put the Blow-off tube on when I yeast.
I always lose a couple quarts of beer, into the bucket. Beer stays in the carboy, about 10 days, then I bottle. It's a simple one-stage process.
I always have mellow beer.

__________________
'Til Later...Happy Brewin',
Old John

philrose

Recipes 

Personally, I like that stuff. Its the super active yeast and some break material for the most part.

As long as your racking is good its a non factor.

__________________
In process-
Kegged- Last bit of Sparkling Mead
Planning- Witbier

@philthebrewer

AirBronto

Recipes 

Yea it seems like some people just use it to get floating grain and stuff and other want to purge their beer of hard character. I think i wont worry about it any more. Thanks alot guys.