Boom goes the dynamite

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ScooterPrime

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Hey all, I just started reading the forums and yesterday I attempted to get rolling on my brewing fun. I did pretty well with prep, boiling times, temps and ice and things were running smoothly until I went to put my airlock on the bucket cap. I knocked in the rubber stopper inside the pale however reading up here since I sanitized like a mad man I thought id still be ok. So I put some tape around the airlock and got a good seal into the hole on the top.

Things were looking good this morning before I left work however when I got home this evening I found the following:



The top of the bucket had popped off and floating on a cloud of sugar horror.
I know this batch is done for but I want to learn from my mistakes. The top was definitely sealed tight but would a makeshift airlock really do this?

Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
the air lock got clogged, built up pressure and went pop!

i always use a blowoff tube set up to avoid what i see in the picture.

hell i might let it finish and see if it comes out ok.
 
Wow, slow down there falla, that batch is not done for, clean up around it and if it is still fermenting that hard leave the lid on top loose. maybe put the bucket in a bathtub or container large enough to keep it from running all over.
How is your temp doing? if it is above 70 get some cold water in the previousley mention tub and maybe some ice and get it cooled off a bit, slow that fermentation down some.
Just don't give up on it yet unless something nasty fell in it.
 
^^^^

What he said.

This batch has a 99% chance of being just fine. You can probably clean up the floor, scoop some of the krausen out with a sanitized spoon and reattach the lid. It probably won't blow again if you can clean out the airlock.

It's taste just fine if you control the temps.
 
Personally, I think big blow offs are awesome! I'm jealous! As stated, clean up the mess and let it finish out!
 
Ditto. I would clean up and continue. Advise for a newer brewer. Never throw out a batch unless it has bottle conditioned for months and still tastes like $%^&. During active fermentation some people don't even cover. Open fermentation is a technique so I say, "Brew On".
 
Clean it up and recap it. Your beer should be fine. I've had this happen (carboy though) and the beer still turned out good.

I almost always use a blow off tube into sanitizer because of crazy fermentation like this.
 
Haha, that looks exactly like my first batch. Except there was beer on the walls, ceiling, guest bed, etc.

As previously mentioned, proceed as if nothing happened, bottle and drink that beer!
 
you should be fine with all that co2 pressure keeping out anything nasty. also invest in a blowoff tube or fermcap. never had a blowout yet using fermcap
 
Thanks everyone. I came home today and smell hoppy goodness and then saw that and you can imagine my reaction haha.

I cleaned up the mess around it and recapped it. The room stays pretty darn close to 70F. Picked that room because the least light gets in and the temperature doesnt change much.

I might have to look into doing a blow off tube the next time around just in case.

Glad I posted before figuring the batch was a bust. Also upgraded to a premium member too do to all the quick responses.

Here's hoping for the best!
 
Try and keep 1gal head-space in the fermentor. If you are doing 5 gal batch, use 6 or 6.5 gal bucket/carboy and do not fill above 5gal mark. Blowoff is needed for the first three days for sure, just use it everytime then no real worries. The easier CO2 can get out (read: large diameter tube/blowoff) the less pressure that builds and less violent the fermentation will be generally. :tank:
 
I actually just had that happen for the first time today when I came home from work. I had a feeling it was going to happen and when it did I freaked out a little bit but then realized that I just needed to clean everything up, sanitize and it would all be ok.
 
Sooner or later, this happens to all of us...it happens! Then we get blow off tubes. You can just put tubing straight on your bubbler tip or figure out something more fancy.
 
That picture would be a good one to save for every time the blow off tube discussion comes up.
I now have eight gallon buckets to help prevent that. I'm not sure that an eight gallon bucket would have been enough to prevent that though.
 
A blowoff like that is a right of passage !!!! Congrats on the brew and like everyone has said don't you dare dump that beer as with the co2 pushing out none of the bad guys can get in so let her finish out and drink up.
 
Yep welcome to the club!
Its a moajor haha moment to see it happen, until you have to clean it up.
 
That looks like a standard 3 piece airlock. You should be able to attached your siphon hose directly to the column inside that airlock and then run it into a container of sanitizer and water. Voila... blow off hose.
 
I cleaned up the mess around it and recapped it. The room stays pretty darn close to 70F. Picked that room because the least light gets in and the temperature doesnt change much.

Sounds like you're on the right track - but for future brews you really want to try to find a cooler room, if possible. Something closer to the low to mid 60's will keep your yeast a lot happier, and lead to a better finished product. Those yeast are likely to throw some fruity esters at those temperatures - fermentation creates heat, so if the room is pretty close to 70F, the fermenter itself is closer to 75-80, which is possibly one reason you had that big of a blow off!
 
:mug: I am glad you kept the brew!!! name it something explosive! :rockin:

anyways, my boom moment was on carpet and my ex was less then pleased
 
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