Is losing a gallon of beer normal for liquid yeast?

I tried a liquid yeast with starter for the first time yesterday on a wheat beer. It has finally calmed down but I think I lost about a gallon in the process. I used a blowoff tube and only filled the 6 gallon carboy up to about 5, but man, what a mess. I have brewed 3 times before with dry yeast and have lost very little beer. Is this much loss normal for a liquid yeast?

thanks,

I think it's probably more of an issue that it was a wheat beer. I've had plenty of blowoff incidents with dry yeast.

I lost about a half gallon with a wheat beer I just made due to blowoff and it wasn't even THAT vigorous.. so I don't see why a 1gal loss wouldn't be unheard of.

Has it been this warm for you earlier brews? You may have had a runaway fermentation temperature.

Actually, I had it in a fermentation chamber, all of my brews have been and I have had little problem until now. It was set at 63 for the wheat and close to that for the rest of my beers. I guess at the least I need a bigger blow off collector since the growler doesn't seem to cut it.

I brewed a wheat last month (different recipe) with a dry yeast and that went well. The only thing I changed for this batch was my water (used a combination of my tap water with distilled water) and the liquid yeast.

I have not had any loss (due to blowoff) while using liquid yeast and a 5 gallon batch / 6 gallon carboy, but I haven't done any wheat beers yet.

I'm on my third wheat and I don't really have problems with losing liquid, but I have a 1/2" tube that goes 6' to a Pyrex full of sanitizer. The yeast have to be pretty motivated to make it all the way.

I did get a ton of yeast in my pyrex for my Pliny clone, but that was using T-05

Fermcap anyone?

I use a 7.9 gallon bucket for primary, and I've never had a blow off. When I used a 6.5 gallon carboy for primary, I had a blow off (wheat beer) about 4 years ago. That's the only one so far, though.

I've had at least half a dozen beers blow off, some were wheat beers, some weren't, some used liquid yeast, some used dry, some were temp controlled, some were not. They were all done in a bucket. Wheat beers seem more susceptible, as do warmer fermentations, but, the lesson to be learned here, ALWAYS rig a blow off tube! Oh, and as ChshreCat notes, once I started using fermentation control in the fermenter I haven't had a problem, but I still rig a tube, just in case.

What makes one batch blow off and another seemingly identical one not? My guess, it's probably related to either voodoo or witchcraft!

I also use a 7.9 gallon bucket for primary. I've only had a blow-off once and that was with BM's SWMBO Slayer recipe.