Never have an issue with aggressive fermentation/blow off. Is this normal?

It seems like everyone around here talks about having yeast blowing all over the place with out-of-control fermentation. I never have this. I get nice steady fermentations that produce a couple inches of krausen and attenuate just fine. Usually my fermentation temperature is 65-70F however it is not controlled. I have done around 10 brews (partial mash and extract) using OG > 1.080 and/or yeasts that people say go crazy. I use a 6.5 gallon carboy or 6.5 gallon bucket for batches of beers that are usually 5-6 gallons. I do not oxygenate that much. I usually only agitate by shaking to oxygenate but I haven't had any problems with weird flavors (except for a dunkel...but I think i just don't like the yeast strain). I have also made starters, pitched yeast (dry or liquid) into the wort without a starter or pitching directly onto a yeast cake and have not noticed an insane difference.

Maybe I'm jinxing myself posting this but I've never had a messy fermentation. How normal is having nice/controlled fermentation?

Jinx. There is no rhyme or reason to needing a blow-off. I've had the same recipes give different results as far as the 'violence' of the fermentation. No biggie, yours will come.

I've had only 3 "agressive fermentations" as you call it, in at least the last 5 years of brewing......Like Hammy said, there is no rhyme or reason.

I've brewed 5 batches and 3 of them have been super aggressive. The NB Hefe and my modified Yooper 60 min DFH clone both blew off a beer or two into my blowoff container and the NB rye PA had some blowoff as well.

Revvy said:

I've had only 3 "agressive fermentations" as you call it, in at least the last 5 years of brewing......Like Hammy said, there is no rhyme or reason.

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infection ....

i think the wild blow off happens mainly with people who's fermenters barely fit the batch and those who are fermenting too hot. Although there are certain yeast strains that go nuts (Belgians from my experience mostly)

Only time I've ever needed a blow-off tube was with a copper ale clone using 1007. Those yeasties are ferocious little bugs.

Making a tripel with 3787 might change your good luck

If you feel left out, I'll give you a call next time I have to clean my ceiling.

Of my last 5 batches the first three had small krausens and the last two blew. The first of the 2 blew a lot and the last just a little.

You never know so I always start with a blowoff tube rigged.

Throw your next batch onto a full yeast cake from the batch previous... That is the only time I've run into explosive fermentation. But a blow off tube and 80 lbs of plate weights were enough to keep things contained. I think most of the examples on here are due to significant over pitching (read full yeast cake), secondary with fruit when the primary wasn't near being done, and high temperature. I'd suggest trying the yeast cake at least once. It was way more fun to watch than anything on TV.

kh54s10 said:

You never know so I always start with a blowoff tube rigged.

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I've just started brewing, but am of the same opinion. Especially since I don't yet have a fermentation chamber. The three batches I've brewed so far have ranged in volume from 4.8-5.5 gallons, all in a 6.5-gallon Better Bottle.

My first batch of beer was just fine, but it was an extract kit from Dry Dock and I used Nottingham.

My second batch was an all-grain BIAB blonde ale that used Wyeast 2575 Kolsch II and that batch went crazy! Luckily I caught it just before the krausen went into the airlock and promptly swapped to a blowoff tube. I was on the higher half of fermentation temps so I'm sure that was part of it. I used Fermcap in both the boil, and added it to the fermentor, but it was relentless and continued coming out of the blowoff tube for a couple of days.

Earlier this week, I brewed my 3rd batch, which was BrandonO's Graff. This time, I started with the blowoff tube, and ended up needing it. Not much spilled out, but it still would've overtaken an airlock. This was with Safale US-05 not going over 74F (I know that's a bit high) fermentation temperature at it's peak.

This very well could be a naive/beginner's point-of-view, but at this point, I consider the use of a blowoff tube to be good insurance and it's not like it creates a lot of extra work, or a huge potential for introducing infection, as I'm anal about using my spray bottle of Starsan, swapping from blowoff tube to airlock quickly, etc.

SledgeH said:

Throw your next batch onto a full yeast cake from the batch previous... That is the only time I've run into explosive fermentation. But a blow off tube and 80 lbs of plate weights were enough to keep things contained. I think most of the examples on here are due to significant over pitching (read full yeast cake), secondary with fruit when the primary wasn't near being done, and high temperature. I'd suggest trying the yeast cake at least once. It was way more fun to watch than anything on TV.

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Haha, good stuff! Thanks for the laugh. Did it start to rumble and sound like a volcano was about to erupt?

I've pitched a 1.08 OG wort on top of a yeast cake and didn't have any issues. I definitely don't mind not having to clean up yeast from the ceiling. I'm mostly worried that since I haven't had a problem, I'll let my guard down and then have a huge mess. It also seems like every time I read a review on a yeast somebody says that it's crazy and they had it blow all over the place. Thanks for all of the different comments on your experiences.

I once made a 2000ml flask yeast starter for an ipa (1.06?) and had blowoff. My bucket of sanitizing solution looked as if i put an aerator in it. You know like one of those stones that you see producing bubbles in fish tanks..

+1 on the "more fun to watch than any tv show".

JoeLindley said:

Making a tripel with 3787 might change your good luck

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Yeah, pretty much making anything with 3787 will do it. I did a 1.048 gravity Patersbier with 3787, temp controlled at 67°F, and had blow off even with 1.5 gallons of headspace. I repitched the yeast into a 1.098 quad (also temp controlled at 67°F), and the blowoff overflowed the growler that my blowoff tube was in, which had less than 1" of starsan in it to begin with. That yeast is a monster.

Yeast strain, wort gravity, fermentation temperature, and oxygenation all affect the vigor for sure. Yeast nutrients might contribute as well although I won't swear to it. And obviously the amount of headspace in your fermentor will determine whether or not you need a blowoff tube.

More like a gunshot. It plugged up the airlock and shot it into the ceiling of my basement. The blowoff tube was just my racking tubing which wasn't large enough to handle the amount of pressure, hence the plate weights to keep the lid from blowing off the bucket. It's amazing how much those can bulge and buckle before they blow off. Then it just sounded like I had a small motor boat in the basement from the blow off. The tubing diameter was one of the big reasons I lost so much beer. Easily the fastest start to finish fermentation I've ever had. I can't say I wouldn't try it again.

I've been washing my yeast for about 5 batches now. Then making 1.5 litre starter about 24 hours before I brew. Majority of my beers are in the 1.060-1.075 range. Using oxygen for 1 minute, then shaking 6.5 carboy for a minute. I make 5.5 gallon batches. My last 4 ferments NEED a blow off tube. 1 inch blowoff tube into star san. Yeast and gunk caked all the way up to top off carboy. So far tasted really great

Out of about 20 batches or so, I've only had 1 blowoff, and that was with a hefe using wlp 380. I only just started making starters for my last 5 or so batches including a tripel using 3787, and it did get a nice krausen, but still no where near blowoff. All of this is with 5.5 gallons in a 6.5 gallon carboy.

You cannot prdict blow off. I have had low gravity brews blow off like crazy and high gravity brews just chug along. I always start with a blow of tube. After over 80 brews I think I have had six or seven blow offf. Better safe than mop the ceiling.

Try brewing wheat beers. Those are the ones that blow up on me all the time. Also, try oxygenating. That will have a definite impact on yeast activity.

Or, appreciate the fact that you don't have dried beer all over your walls. My fermentation chamber / fridge is a mess, but it lets me know who was once there.