If it was going to blow up...when?

Does it ever happen that the wort blows off the lid of the fermenting bucket and makes a mess? When and why?

And, if the bottles of beer were going to explode, when might that happen? Within days of bottling?

Yes the fermentation process can cause the lid to blow off...it happens quite frequently to people, actually. The best way to avoid having that happen is to use a blow off tube. This will allow the excess CO2 and krausen to escape through the tube, rather than blow the lid off. This period usually occurs during the first 3 days or so when fermentation is at its highest, although this will vary with yeast and temperature. This goes the same with bottles, it depends on the temperature and how much sugar you used. It is also important to make sure that fermentation is completely finished before bottling by checking your gravities, making sure your beer is stable before bottling.

Doesn't the airlock let enough gas escape to prevent the lid from blowing off? And when the lid blows off is it a mess? The lid blows off my sourdough starter all the time but the only evidence is a popping noise from the tupperware, and then the lid is loose

Guide to making a blow off tube: http://tinyurl.com/7oq2fb7

MissionBrewer said:

Doesn't the airlock let enough gas escape to prevent the lid from blowing off?

Click to expand...

The airlock can become clogged with krausen and not let air escape, creating a buildup of pressure.

MissionBrewer said:

And when the lid blows off is it a mess?

Click to expand...

Oh my, yes.

bernerbrau said:

The airlock can become clogged with krausen and not let air escape, creating a buildup of pressure.



Oh my, yes.

Click to expand...

Exactly this. Do yourself a favor and rig yourself a blowoff so you never have to deal with the mess.

Nice!! Thanks for the advise. Obviously the yeasts in the wort are a bit more vigorous than the yeasts in my sourdough starter

Anecdote: I bottled a witbier and it was fine, perfectly carbed, tasted great no problems. Then 2 months later the latent infection took hold and overcarbed the bottles, and one blew up. So it's a little difficult to put an exact timeframe on when you might have a problem.

MissionBrewer said:

Doesn't the airlock let enough gas escape to prevent the lid from blowing off? And when the lid blows off is it a mess? The lid blows off my sourdough starter all the time but the only evidence is a popping noise from the tupperware, and then the lid is loose

Click to expand...

1. No.
2. Yes.

My guest room smells of raspberries and krauesen. I was fermenting a 5 gal batch of porter in a 6.5 gal bucket with an airlock. I thought the headroom would be enough. The lid didn't come all the way off, but it was a mess. The raspberry smell is because the only vodka I had on hand for the airlock was some raspberry-flavored stuff someone had left here after a party a couple years ago (it's undrinkable, but I can't bring myself to dump it out, there's so much of it!). I switched to a blow-off tube for the next couple days, then switched back to my (cleaned, sanitized) airlock.

Good thing I was planning to rent a carpet cleaner soon. I hope the dark ring comes out of the carpet!