Kaboom!!

Last night I brewed my fourth batch of beer. I used 6.6 lbs extract. Experimented with some leftover hops from the fridge. And made a yeast starter from the lager I had racked earlier.This is my first attempt at a starter. I mixed in some corn syrup about an hour before pithing. Probably had less than 1 quart of starter total. This morning I awoke to find to the lid to my primary blown half off. Kinda cool but a bit messy. I snapped the lid back on refilled the air lock and logged on to homebrewtalk. Now what?? I do not see any action in the airlock yet. Again this hobby causes me to worry. Is my beer gonna be ok? What is this thing called a blow-off tube?

Pendries

I would venture to guess that you will be ok. THe yeast build up a layer of CO2 on top of the fermenting beer that will help to protect it. Pitching onto a full batch of leftover yeast can be explosive, and may not require a starter. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

A blow off tube is a siphon tube that comes out of the hole that the airlock fits in. The other end of the tube sits in a bucket of water. The point is to let more pressure out than the airlock can handle, so use as large diameter hose as your bucket will permit

good luck

-magno

My readin is that you only need about one cup of the old sludge for yeast, no starter, and I don't think you need much oxygen either.

Double check that the lid is sealed, it may be cruddy, or you just didn't get a good snap to it on the shelf/wherever.

Did you pull the bubbler for cleaning? I use the 3 piecs bubbler. There is a 'cross' in the bottom end that I cut out to prevent clogging, it is the most likely spot to plug. Is yours clear?

You can use the inner part of a three piece to plug in a piece of vinyl hose as a blow-off tube- trim out the restrictive cross, and runn the other end of the hose into a jug of water to catch the stuff. Then, after the krausen falls, remove hose and re-assemble bubbler. I've only had 2 blowoffs, one due to adding fruit in the secondary, the other when fermentiong in 90 degree garage.

What is this thing called a blow-off tube?

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Blowups happen. Your beer will be ok. I've often said you're not really a homebrewer until you've mopped the ceiling.

budbo said:

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damn.

leaving the carboys in the boxes is brilliant!!!

madrean said:

damn.

leaving the carboys in the boxes is brilliant!!!

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I second that!

And Pendries- welcome to the "mop the ceiling club".

Thanks for all the replies. I need to learn to relax. Maybe I'll have another beer. I still do not have any action in the airlock its been about 9 hours. Could the majority of the fermentation be done? I'll leave it in the primary for a week either way.Is there an advantage to fermenting fast?Slow?. Thanks again for the support.

Pendries

It might be done, but I would think 24 hours would be an awfully quick ferment. Does the airlock show positive pressure even though it's not bubbling?

My advice is to ignore it and drink more beer. If you really want to check something you could make sure there are no leaks letting the pressure out.

About a year ago I had a bad batch of yeast that didn't take off, so I got some slurry from a friend at a microbrewery. The next day at work it blew the lid and shot yeast all over the room. The carpet in the guest bedroom is still stained.

The airlock does not look to have positive pressure. I had used lager yeast but left my primary for this batch at room temperature. I now moved it to the basement (about 60 degrees). I will leave it for a week regardless of activity.Everything I read says not to worry, so I shall not.Thanks again

Pendries

pendries said:

The airlock does not look to have positive pressure. I had used lager yeast but left my primary for this batch at room temperature. I now moved it to the basement (about 60 degrees). I will leave it for a week regardless of activity.Everything I read says not to worry, so I shall not.Thanks again

Pendries

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60F may be too cool for the yeast to work properly.
The proper temp is yeast dependant.
My favorite range (Ale) is 65 - 70F

alemonkey said:

Mongo's Mongrel Pale Ale

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Weird, that was the name of my first brew (mongrel Pale Ale)...

Coincidentally that beer did ferment in about 24-36 hours so that might be what has happened here. Although 60F should be ok for a lager and it would usually slow down the fermentation not speed it up as lagers aren't usually quick fermentations.

SkewedAle said:

Weird, that was the name of my first brew (mongrel Pale Ale)...

Coincidentally that beer did ferment in about 24-36 hours so that might be what has happened here. Although 60F should be ok for a lager and it would usually slow down the fermentation not speed it up as lagers aren't usually quick fermentations.

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You are right!!
I totally missed the lager..

SkewedAle said:

Weird, that was the name of my first brew (mongrel Pale Ale)...

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I should have made a Belgian with Candi sugar...

"Mongo like candy!"

I was all excited. I thought this thread was about me.

And to get on topic. Yeah, keeping the carboys in boxes is the easiest way to block light. Simple, cheap, effective.

I agree! Leaving the carboy's inside the boxes is brilliant! There is still the possibility of an explosion though. Small hoses can get plugged. For super high gravity ( or super fast fermenting like a Belgian Trippel), I use a 1-1/4" outside Diameter hose that just fits in the neck of my carboy tight. Slip the other end in a bucket of water, and you will never, repeat never, wash "stuff" off the celing.