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tdiowa

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I checked for past posts and did not really get the answers I was looking for so I thought I would ask my fellow homebrewers for answers to my questions.....

I had a very successful Brew Day on Sunday. I brewed a mini mash amber Ale with a White Labs English Ale Yeast.

So, here is my question to the board is. I made a starter on Saturday and let it sit until Sunday and dumped it into my 6.5 Conical Fermentor and then aerated the wort. A little action was noted on Monday but Tuesday night when I came home I had bubbles galore in my airlock. This morning when I went to check on my fermentor the top had blown off the fermentor and the airlock was on the floor. Luckily little wort was spilled just messy down the sides of the fermentor. I cleaned everything up and sanitized the lid and the airlock and put everything back together.

My question to the board is, Will the wort still be good? I notice a 2 - 3 inch layer of foam sitting on top of the wort. Should I dump it or wait and see? If I wait should I put another Yeast packet in it?

I have never had that happen before. This was the first time I had ever used a starter. In the past I have always had a lag of 3-4 days before fermemting took off when not using a starter. Is this normal when using a starter? If I do a starter again I will definitely use a blow-off tube.

Inquiring minds would like your opinion....

TD
 
This happens to everyone (though not yet to me, knock wood). The general consensus is that while it can be a bit messy your beer should be fine. The 2-3 inch layer of foam is the krausen and it will have protected your beer from outside particles. Now that it's fermented for a while the increasing alcohol content and heavy yeast activity will ensure that nothing else takes over in the wort. In short, you did the right thing in cleaning and sanitizing. Now you can leave your beer alone.
 
tdiowa said:
Will the wort still be good?
Most likely, yes.

I notice a 2 - 3 inch layer of foam sitting on top of the wort. Should I dump it or wait and see?
Wait and see.

If I wait should I put another Yeast packet in it?
No need to, considering you obviously have huge activity.

Is this normal when using a starter?
It's normal of a healthy, vigorous fermentation. That means you did well.

If I do a starter again I will definitely use a blow-off tube.
Use it every time regardless.
 
"My question to the board is, Will the wort still be good?"

<EAC> Absolutely not, i'd say it's ruined. You need to immediately send it to either myself or another HBT member for further analysis. </EAC>
 
some breweries use open fermentation with no problems. the co2 layer and krausen will protect the wort from any bacteria. everything should be fine
 
I've done it before and mine turned out fine.

For future reference, an easy way to make a blow off hose for a bucket is to take the rubber grommit off the bucket, force it around your racking hose and fit the grommit back in the bucket. You could still have problems if you have hop leafs or fruit in the primary, though, because those can still cover the entire hole.
 
feedthebear said:
I've done it before and mine turned out fine.

For future reference, an easy way to make a blow off hose for a bucket is to take the rubber grommit off the bucket, force it around your racking hose and fit the grommit back in the bucket. You could still have problems if you have hop leafs or fruit in the primary, though, because those can still cover the entire hole.


Our first batch https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=39653

Same thing happened. We just tried the first bottles (2 weeks in the bottle) and it's wonderful! SWMBO absolutely loves it!

DWRHAHB, now I can finally say that, since I have one to taste, and we were so worried after the explosion!

Scroll down a few posts to see the link to the pictures of the explosion's aftermath.
 
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