mic

Recipes 

I plan on using 6.5gal buckets as my primary fermenter doing 5gal BIAB batches. Depending on the brew...would a blow-off be absolutely needed with 1.5gal of head space? How much head space is typically needed?
Thanks in advance.

COLObrewer

Recipes 

This varies greatly from brew to brew from one time to another, there are numerous factors that affect fermentation, some of which are out of our control. Simply be prepared for it with a blowoff tube.

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Newer, better, more streamlined sig as per the forum police.

mcbaumannerb

Recipes 

Absolutely needed? Probably not unless you were doing really big beers or using a yeast that worked fast and furious. However, given how inexpensive tubing is, I wouldn't take the chance - just set-up a blow-off during the vigorous part of fermentation and then swap to an airlock after is you want (but I usually just leave the blow-off in place until I rack it out.)

homebrewdad

Recipes 

Totally depends on the brew. That being said, I use a 6.5 gallon glass carboy for a primary, and I brew 5 gallon batches. I end up needing a blowoff on just about every batch that I do.

The first time you paint your ceiling/walls/carpet/possessions with krausen, you'll decide that it's just safer to plan on a blowoff every time.

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Homebrew Dad - blogging about making my own beer and raising a lot of kids.
Check out the priming sugar calculator and the beer calorie calculator.

Fermenting: Yorkshire square brown ale
Bottled: Belgian golden strong ale, Yorkshire square brown ale, Leffe Blonde clone, imperial nut brown ale

dadshomebrewing

Recipes 

might not be absolutely needed, but i tell you (from experience) that Murphy is a home brewer.

if you don't have the blow-off tube, you will need it.

if you have it, you probably won't.

which problem do you want to have, some extra tubing, or a blowout?

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'Tis himself

In the fermenters: nada

In the bottle: Out of Camber Amber Ale / California Cream of 3 Crops / Wize Ole Dunkel

In the fridge(and the glass): Pilsner-Urquell(AG) / Brew Free or Die Pale Ale / Christmas Cranberry / Wizened Hefe / Mead (2) / Full Sail Pale Ale / No Quarter Porter / Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown Ale (on the South Side of Chicago)

On Deck:

dadshomebrewing

Recipes 

btw... the previous two posts are from different people... but clearly we have learned a similar lesson

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'Tis himself

In the fermenters: nada

In the bottle: Out of Camber Amber Ale / California Cream of 3 Crops / Wize Ole Dunkel

In the fridge(and the glass): Pilsner-Urquell(AG) / Brew Free or Die Pale Ale / Christmas Cranberry / Wizened Hefe / Mead (2) / Full Sail Pale Ale / No Quarter Porter / Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown Ale (on the South Side of Chicago)

On Deck:

homebrewdad

Recipes 

Yep, this is truth. And do not doubt that the blowout will occur while you are asleep, or at work, or otherwise unprepared to deal with the volcano of foam.

__________________
Homebrew Dad - blogging about making my own beer and raising a lot of kids.
Check out the priming sugar calculator and the beer calorie calculator.

Fermenting: Yorkshire square brown ale
Bottled: Belgian golden strong ale, Yorkshire square brown ale, Leffe Blonde clone, imperial nut brown ale

mic

Recipes 

Alright...that answers that question...Thanks!

dadshomebrewing

Recipes 

or in the worst of all worlds on the road for business, and not able to get home for a couple days, thereby completely annoying SWMBO

__________________
'Tis himself

In the fermenters: nada

In the bottle: Out of Camber Amber Ale / California Cream of 3 Crops / Wize Ole Dunkel

In the fridge(and the glass): Pilsner-Urquell(AG) / Brew Free or Die Pale Ale / Christmas Cranberry / Wizened Hefe / Mead (2) / Full Sail Pale Ale / No Quarter Porter / Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown Ale (on the South Side of Chicago)

On Deck:

bacchusmj

Recipes 

The only 3 times I didnt use a blowoff, I ended up having krausen all over my spare room. Now I use them on anything from a barleywine to a cream ale. Hell, I brewed a mild the other day and it got into the tube.

My local home brew doesnt even sell blowoff and they will tell you that you can just put a 1/4 tube on your airlock. I kindly called BS and went to home depot years ago. better safe than sorry in my opinion.