Primary with sealed lid

This is my first brew.


My wife bought me a "Brew House" cream ale kit from the local store and it came with a primary bucket that is a sealed bucket with no airlock. I put it in the primary on Monday. Temp is 70 and the initial activity looked fine. Head built up on Tuesday and by Tuesday evening the lid was blown upwards. Today I noticed that the brew has gone from a nice rich brown to a cloudy brown. Is this normal? Should the bucket have had an airlock installed? Can I open the lid now and vent it and install one? Is my brew screwed? Help a noob out.

The bucket needs an airlock, or at least just place the lid on loosely. BrewHouse kits ferment violently. Cloudiness is due to the yeast being spread out in the beer, I think.

Can I open the lid and lay it on loosely? Or remove and install an airlock?

Mike

I would eventually install an airlock.

Eventually like now or soon like tomorrow?

Mike

Just laying it on loosely will be fine for now during the primary fermentation. The pressure of the CO2 would keep much if any O2 from getting in. Eventually you'll want an airlock, though.

Noob nerves asking here.

Can I remove it now and lay it on loosely and then install the airlock tomorrow? It is getting late here. Will it be ok til tomorrow?


Mike

Just leave the lid on loosely. There is enough co2 pushing out anything bad. Let it ferment out without taking the lid off. once the primary fermentation is done 3 or 4 days clamp the lid back on. don't take it off though. you just don't want anything falling in... dust or bacteria. after two weeks just continue on with the instructions.

good luck

Take the lid off now and just set it on the top!
You are lucky you didn't have an impressive explosion. It will be absolutely fine to leave the lid loose throughout fermentation. As long as the lid is stopping anything from falling into your beer, it's fine.

Yep, take the lid off now, and set it loosely on top. After this batch is out of there, drill a hole, add a grommet and air lock or blow off tube.

Be careful when taking the lid off, the pressure may cause it to come off violently.

Lid removed and layed on top. The directions call for me to move it to the secondary tomorrow. From some reading most people suggest 2 -3 weeks in primary for the "Brew House" kits. So should i drill a hole in the lid and add the blow off and let it sit or move to the carboy tomorrow?

Mike

You could move to the carboy tomorrow and then add your air lock to the lid. In the future, I'd recommend leaving in the primary for at least three to four weeks, then bottle or keg.