Well, it happened to me finally!

had a "blow out" batch of whiskey barrel stout started yesterday. after several mediocre batches of all grain, I wanted to get a batch of "good" beer in the mix and used extract so I can have a good beer while I continue experimenting on getting my all-grains better. (my next step is playing with water chemistry and using RO water to save money)

anyway, added a ton of extra extract to the mix, and got an OG of 1.095 (but had a pound of lactose too).

anyway, fermentation has gone WILD!!! pitched the yeast last night at about 9pm. checked it this morning at 8 am, and it had blown the top of the airlock off, and was spitting krausen out all over the floor. it's now sitting in the tub.

I removed the airlock and rubber stopper for now, I assume that while it's activly pushing bubbles out, I don't have anything to worry about, but once it settles down, what should I do? wipe down the mouth of the carboy with sanitizer, re-sanitize the stopper and air lock?

how much precious beer am I going to lose by all those bubbles flowing out the top? (one thing i've learned, this certainly is a "wasteful" process, leaving all the "trub" in the bottom of the brewkettle, leaving all the trub in the bottom of the carboy, etc. I've tried "saving" it before by using a coffee filter, but it was futile!)

You need a blow off tube for sure.

+1 on the blow off tube.

You can make a blowoff return system. It involves tubing, a catch basin and a tube returning the blowoff to the fermenter.

With this extra extract batch are you using a recipe or just winging it? Adding extra extract won't necessarily make a good beer, merely one with a higher alcohol content.

As to the loss of beer to the trub. Don't worry about it, just account for the loss.

well, a little bit of experimentation, while loosely following a recipe. so yes, it might not be a great beer, but I also plan on letting this one age for 3-4 months before bottling (let it age 4-5 weeks on the yeast, then transfer to secondary with oak and scotch for the whiskey barrel flavor)

pictures of a blow-off tube/return system? sounds like I need a rubber stopper with 2 holes in it? might be too late for this batch, but I can make one incase it happens again. (by the time I get one built, this one could be past the initial crazy fermentation stage and settled down)

unionrdr said:

Adding more extract also adds a bit more color,mouth feel,& flavor. Not just ABV,which is ok. Adding extract is def better than just adding sugar,which dries it out to whatever extent.

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True, but my point was that without calculations or a recipe it might have unwanted results as far as taste.

Burton Union blow off return system:Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Projects and Equipment - Build a Burton Union System: Projects

unionrdr said:

Adding more extract also adds a bit more color,mouth feel,& flavor. Not just ABV,which is ok. Adding extract is def better than just adding sugar,which dries it out to whatever extent. But I also add more hops as well to help balance things out.

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Hmm...didn't think about that. I basically doubled everything but the DME. kit had a pound of light DME, and 6 lbs of LME, with a target of 5.5-6% alcohol. I added another 6 lbs of LME, exactly doubling the LME that came with the kit, then added the lb of lactose for some creaminess.

I'll soak the oak chips in my favorite scotch for awhile then rack to secondary, and ultimately let this thing age for 3-3 1/2 months before bottling and another few weeks to carb up. target date for this brew is 27 April 2012.

should I dry hop some when going to secondary, or leave well enough alone and let it roll? or boil some hops to make a "hop tea" to impart more bitterness?

Guess I am winging it a little bit!:rockin:

kh54s10 said:

Burton Union blow off return system:Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Projects and Equipment - Build a Burton Union System: Projects

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That's pretty cool!