NewrBrwr
Member
...this forum saved my butt!!!
Yesterday was my first solo brew. First brew I had an experienced friend show me the ropes. My brewing went great, you learn new things every time like don't touch the wort chiller coils at the top after you place it in the boiling wort even only 15 seconds after placing it in there. Apparently that copper has a great heat transfer rate.
Pitched my white labs yeast starter that I had made a day and a half before and I had agitated the heck out of the wort before and after adding the yeast. It all went into the basement where the temp averages 70 degrees.
Now the fun begins. I have a 5 gallon carboy with just a little head space in it. About 10 hours after pitching I go downstairs and it had erupted! Beer in airlock, foam everywhere...I got on this forum and thanks to this forum I knew that I could rig the airlock with some tubing to create a blow off tube. I knew the airlock could clog at the bottom where those little holes are but I had to risk it as Lowe's wasn't open then. It was working great until my wife comes home at 700 am (shes a nurse who works nights) and said your beer is all over the place down there. I hustle down there and sure enough, airlock and stopper on floor, airlock clogged, and foam still coming out of the carboy. From reading on here I'm sure the beer is fine as I've heard with a ferment at that intense level it should take care of any bacteria etc.
So I run to Lowe's to get some 1" tubing, thanks again to you all for that tip too, and sanitize it and plug it right into the carboy neck and wrap it in Saran Wrap and its OK once again. I told my wife this was a good thing--not the mess--but the reason for it, and she just shook her head!
So I was planning on getting a second glass carboy for secondary anyway and I guess I'll be getting a 6.5 gallon to prevent this and use the 5 gal for secondary, but I will still use a blow off anyway on the primary just to be safe...thanks again for this forum and keep those hands off the hot wort chiller! :cross:
Brian
Yesterday was my first solo brew. First brew I had an experienced friend show me the ropes. My brewing went great, you learn new things every time like don't touch the wort chiller coils at the top after you place it in the boiling wort even only 15 seconds after placing it in there. Apparently that copper has a great heat transfer rate.
Pitched my white labs yeast starter that I had made a day and a half before and I had agitated the heck out of the wort before and after adding the yeast. It all went into the basement where the temp averages 70 degrees.
Now the fun begins. I have a 5 gallon carboy with just a little head space in it. About 10 hours after pitching I go downstairs and it had erupted! Beer in airlock, foam everywhere...I got on this forum and thanks to this forum I knew that I could rig the airlock with some tubing to create a blow off tube. I knew the airlock could clog at the bottom where those little holes are but I had to risk it as Lowe's wasn't open then. It was working great until my wife comes home at 700 am (shes a nurse who works nights) and said your beer is all over the place down there. I hustle down there and sure enough, airlock and stopper on floor, airlock clogged, and foam still coming out of the carboy. From reading on here I'm sure the beer is fine as I've heard with a ferment at that intense level it should take care of any bacteria etc.
So I run to Lowe's to get some 1" tubing, thanks again to you all for that tip too, and sanitize it and plug it right into the carboy neck and wrap it in Saran Wrap and its OK once again. I told my wife this was a good thing--not the mess--but the reason for it, and she just shook her head!
So I was planning on getting a second glass carboy for secondary anyway and I guess I'll be getting a 6.5 gallon to prevent this and use the 5 gal for secondary, but I will still use a blow off anyway on the primary just to be safe...thanks again for this forum and keep those hands off the hot wort chiller! :cross:
Brian
