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gresc · 10-06-2007, 02:38 AM

13 days into a St. Arnold's Xmas Clone and I just noticed my blow off tube came off, probably 36 hrs ago. It's a fairly high alchohol brew so I'm thinking not much would grow in it. But, I'm also thinking there's not enough CO2 pressue to keep air from getting in.

So, my question is... What exactly could this do to my beer, if anything ?

**TexLaw** · 10-06-2007, 02:47 AM

I agree that, most likely, nothing happened to your brew. You may have picked up a little oxidation, but not much is going to diffuse through the little hole where the tube was.

However, I must ask why did you still have a blowoff tube connected after 13 days? Unless it's all dirty, it's no big deal one way or another, but I've just never heard of it.

By the way, that's one heck of a beer. I hope it works out great!

TL

gresc · 10-06-2007, 02:57 AM

Thanks I hope it turns out ok;

As far as the blow-off tube; I never gave it much thought. My first few brews I used an airlock and alas it would blow it off, so I used a blow-off tube.

What do folks do after the fermentation mellows out ? Do you remove the blow off tube and replace with an airlock. Now that I'm thinking of it what do you do with your seconday ? I also use a blow off tube for my secondary which is making me chuckle as it's occuring to me how absurd that is - lol

McKBrew · 10-06-2007, 03:27 AM

Once the blow-off or potential for one is over, I always pop on a regular airlock. Secondary is just for clearing, so a regular airlock works fine here too. Another option is to get a bigger fermenter (6.5 gal) with more headspace, but depending on what you use for a starter, a blow-off could still happen.

gresc · 10-06-2007, 03:32 AM

ok cool, I'll do that from now on; I just thought that removing the blow off tube and replacing with an airlock might risk introducing oxygen but I suppose that's very unlikely.