brewmadness

Recipes 

Ok, so I've read a lot of posts and seen lots of pictures of overflowing fermentors, blow off tubes and stories of beer all over the ceiling. I've only done 4 different brews, but have had nothing close to blowing off the airlock or requiring a blow off tube. Not saying I want to clean up a mess, but what gives? I haven't had more than what I would call a mild fermentation. I have only used dry yeast, does that make a difference?

SD-SLIM

Recipes 

In general dry yeast are notorious for rapid fermentation's that explode for the first few days and then calm down to almost nothing....whenever I use dry yeast, I forgo using a airlock or blowoff tube for the first 24 hours, instead I sanitize a pice of aluminum foil and "lightly wrap" it around the top of my carboy...then after 24 hours I put on an airlock.

COLObrewer

Recipes 

There are factors too numerous to track when it comes to fermentation, some of these factors are completely out of our control. Don't worry, when you least expect it, you will have a blowoff.

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beergolf

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You never know. I always use a blow off tube for the first week or so. I use buckets so I usually have plenty of headroom, but have had 2 blow offs that the tube saved. Both were with Belgian yeasts, But have had some pretty violent fermentations with other yeasts.

It is better to be safe than having to mop the ceiling.

rycov

Recipes 

i think my first was around batch 7 or 8. it doesn't always happen, just sometimes.

th767

Recipes 

I get it consistently with Wyeast 3068 Activator, but not really anything else that I use. I highly recommend a blow off with this strain, as it popped an air lock one night in the middle of the night. Needless to say, me and my dog jumped 10 feet into the air along with the towel covering my carboy

Revvy

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THis is the winning answer. You can't really predict what beer or what yeast is going to have a blowoff or when, so there's no point in dwelling on it.

I had one violent fermentation in 5 years of brewing, and then 2 in a row, and then another one 2 batches later. All different beers, different yeasts, different grainbills, and fermented in two different places.

It doesn't do any harm to your beer, and there's really nothing you can do about it except be prepared.

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Stankonia

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I was kind of wondering about this too..

My first 2 batches had what I consider violent fermentation..I could see trub moving through the blow off tube and hear bubbles from the other side of the room, while getting 2 bubbles every second...both times I used 1056 liquid yeast.

The batch I brewed last night and pitched US-05 (non-rehydrated) and it's fermenting quietly. Not a big Krausen, bubbles every 2 seconds, I'm kind of worried if it's going to be a poor fermentation? Should I give it more time or pitch some more yeast?

robdamanii

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I've got one going right now. I'd swear there was a guy scuba diving in my closet, such is the gas coming out of the fermenter into the blowoff tube/bucket.

Simple Cooper's Ale yeast in a 1.082 OG brew. Blew the lid/airlock off the fermenter this afternoon before I put the blowoff tube on it.

rycov

Recipes 

give it more time. and take hydrometer readings before taking any action.