The Clampsta

Recipes 

Hi all, I've just joined the forum

I've made one 40 pint load of lager from a kit so far and am going to start off another tonite.

The first one turned out quite nice (although took longer than the instructions said it should). One question I really wanted to ask is about the fermentation container I am using to brew. It is a 45+ pint plastic bottle with a large screw-cap. This screw-cap has a hole in the top of about an inch or two's diameter. Should I block this hole up and make it air-tight with cling-film or do I just leave it open?

Thank you very much for any advice

El Pistolero

Recipes 

Find a cork (with a hole for an airlock) to fit the hole in your lid.

__________________
[/I] Up Next - Hobgoblin
After That - Czech Pilsner
Primary - Humboldt Hop Rod (4/24)
Primary - NOT Wheat AG SNCA (5/5)
Secondary -
Conditioning - SNCA Clone (3/3),

The Clampsta

Recipes 

Thanks O Pistolero

Sorry to ask a silly question but what's an airlock? Is it just like a small pipe with a tap to turn to let excess gases out every now and then? How often should I de-pressurise it, or not at all?

El Pistolero

Recipes 

Go here, and scroll down to "Fermentation Locks" to see a picture. It's just a gizmo to let the CO2 out without letting any air back in.

Also, give John Palmer's Online Book a read...it'll help with all the equipment and terminology.

__________________
[/I] Up Next - Hobgoblin
After That - Czech Pilsner
Primary - Humboldt Hop Rod (4/24)
Primary - NOT Wheat AG SNCA (5/5)
Secondary -
Conditioning - SNCA Clone (3/3),

The Clampsta

Recipes 

OK, that's really helpful cheers

Lost

Recipes 

Definately give the Palmer book a read... I don't think I can stress that enough.

You could just fill a cup with some santizing solution and run a hose from the hole in the cap into the solution.. this is called a blowoff tube and it works quite well especially for very active fermentations. For what it's worth though I use airlocks 99% of the time.

Regardless, you absolutely need to keep that beer sealed off from the outside air.. you're really risking infection if you don't.