Overflowing Carboy

Hey everyone, I started brewing in December and have already turned out 2 batches of beer that were suprisingly good (pale ale and red ale). I started a 5 gallon batch of Oatmeal Stout on Monday night and this morning I awoke to find that my 6 gallon carboy with a 3 piece air lock had overflowed all over the floor. The air lock was not blown off but it was full of beer. I think I lost about 1/8 gallon of beer. The beer also smells hoppier than i thought it would. Does anyone know what may have caused this and what the final outcome may be? Thanks in advance for the help.

I had this happen to a wheat beer, which I know is very common. I am new to this, but I think it is just a very actively fermenting beer. You shouldn't have any maleffects due to the overflow. You should look into a blow off tube, which will allow the overflow to leave the caraboy, and once the fermentation has slowed you can put your air lock on. I am sure the guys with more experience can offer some more insight.

I have not heard of this happening with a stout though. Don't worry now just wait to see how it all turns out...that's my $0.02

You just had a really active fermentation and it resulted in a blowoff. The blowoff is a good thing as it means that he yeastie beasties are really happy. The mess on the other hand not so good. You are lucky that your airlock didn't clog and get beer all over your walls and ceiling.

You should be ok, but next time rig a blowoff tube. A quick search on the forum and you will be able to find a wealth of information.

Thanks guys I figured that was what the deal was but I wasn't sure. We'll see in about 5 weeks how this turns out. I'll pick up some tubing for a blow off tube after work today.