Hefe Kit in Hand, First Batch on Saturday

So I blew off work and headed to LHBS to pick up a fermenter and a hefeweizen DME/Specialty kit. I ended up with a slightly different kit (they were out) but I still got the WLP300 yeast tube.

The only bit a regret I am having is that the shop attendant convinced me that I wouldn't need a blow off tube if I used fermcap. Is my regret warranted or just paranoia?

jc

I always use a blow-off tube no matter the beer. However, I just brewed a hefe using WLP 300 and I did not get any explosive fermentation.

One other pieve of advice: Depending on how much banana flavor youwant to come throug on this beer you will want to control fermentation temp. The lower the fermentation temp the more muted the banana. I rigged up a swamp cooler out of one of my bottle storage bins filld with water about 3 to 4 inches up the fermentor and would drop frozen water bottles in to keep the temp between 64 and 66 degrees. I usually added once in the morning and once in the evening.

I always use a blow off tube for at least the first week to avoid cleaning up a mess , see image below.

Do you have a siphon? And a rubber stopper that holds your airlock into a glass or plastic carboy? OR even just a fermentation bucket? Just stick the siphon in the hole. I only ask because when i started brewing i had 2 siphons laying around and this is the advice i got! My last hef took off pretty quick and i had krausen flowing through the top of my airlock. I always suggest better safe than sorry!

NWAleDad said:

I always use a blow off tube for at least the first week to avoid cleaning up a mess , see image below.

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That does look like it would suck to clean up. But at least the beer is still good :rockin:

If I'm fermenting in a bucket that has a small pre-drilled hole (probably 3/8" or 1/2") in the lid, can I still use a blow-off tube? i.e. does it become less effective since the tubing would have to be so narrow?

Yeah, beer was great! It is about guiding the mess in a controllable manner. As long as you keep it from getting all over the surrounding area, goal achieved!

just stick some tubing in the hole..heh.

or take the top off of your airlock and stick the tubing down the top part of the airlock.

NWAleDad said:

or take the top off of your airlock and stick the tubing down the top part of the airlock.[/FONT][/COLOR]

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Good call; I had seen this previously suggested, I don't know why it slipped my mind (probably trying to read and remember everything on this site).

I got a brass fitting at the hardware store that fits my blowoff tube and the airlock hole in the fermenter lid.

I use the air lock and slide 3/8th inch tubing over the neck in the airlock. Then the other end of the tubing to a bucket with sanitizer. Works great in a pinch.

Got all brewed up. Found some tubing that fits the airlock hole's grommet, and I used Fermcap-S -- so hoping for no blowoff at all. I forgot to take an OG reading, which reinforces the fact that I need to use a checklist next time.



Thanks all who helped me get this first one under my belt. I have some questions but I am late for a social event and SWMBO will not be happy if it gets any later.

Cheers, all!!

Steady, never-ending stream of bubbles out of the tube, man that yeast is quite vigorous! Switched to a heavier weight to keep the tube submerged. Really glad I went with the blowoff tube now.

Bottling day has come and gone, very excited to be this far into it: