First brew, bucket bulging with blowoff tube

So my first brew day went smooth and I have the 5 gallons of Hefeweizen in the chest freezer now set at 18.8C/65F.

I take a look in there twice a day (it has only been in there 36 hours now) and the bucket lid is bulging up quite a bit. I removed the airlock base/blowoff tube to make sure nothing was clogged and it is clean as a whistle and I don't see any krausen coming up to the hole. (sanitized with star san spray bottle before putting back in) Is this major bulging normal or is this thing going to blow? Got my first deep breath of C02 while my head was down in there too which didn't feel good....first brewing lesson learned.

My other unrelated question is the temp. is 65F actually going to yield a lot higher fermentation temp? I'm shooting for the low range with this beer (which on the yeast packet says 65F) for more clove flavor than banana, but do I need to set the temp below the recommended fermentation range for the yeast to yield the actual lo temp of 65F? How much lower do I need to go to get that?

secure the temp probe to the bucket and insulate it with something to get accurate wort temp readings.

hefe yeast is supposed to be pretty aggressive btw

j1n said:

secure the temp probe to the bucket and insulate it with something to get accurate wort temp readings.

hefe yeast is supposed to be pretty aggressive btw

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It has been taped to the side of the bucket the entire time with a large packing bubble thing (the big ones with air in them) over the top of it taped. How off will this be from the temp of stuff inside should I lower the temp?

arnobg said:

It has been taped to the side of the bucket the entire time with a large packing bubble thing (the big ones with air in them) over the top of it taped. How off will this be from the temp of stuff inside should I lower the temp?

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ive used that before for insulation. i use a foam pad now but both work fine. i would say its pretty accurate. dont worry too much. i know its your first brew and you want everything to go right and that causes people to over think things. relax cause your already a step ahead of most people since you have a fermentation chamber with temp control. im fairly confident you will have a good beer when its all said and done. most people dont have a fermentation chamber for their first brew so i know you did your homework.

First brew, relax and enjoy the science of yeast eating.

For your next brew, cut the bottom off the air lock (that little "x" gets clogged) and you're good to go.

For a first brew you are way ahead of me - I went from bucket on the floor for a year, to a swamp cooler for a year, and then an actual temp controlled ferm chamber the last year and a half. Good on ya mate!

I tend to be a little meticulous with things...I guess one reason this hobby attracted me so much besides my love for craft beers. You're right I did a LOT of research and wanted to do it right from the start.

Is the major bulging of the lid with no krausen present normal?

arnobg said:

I tend to be a little meticulous with things...I guess one reason this hobby attracted me so much besides my love for craft beers. You're right I did a LOT of research and wanted to do it right from the start.

Is the major bulging of the lid with no krausen present normal?

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Yes, you are still OK, that is good news, now go have a beer and let the yeast do their business!

arnobg said:

It has been taped to the side of the bucket the entire time with a large packing bubble thing (the big ones with air in them) over the top of it taped. How off will this be from the temp of stuff inside should I lower the temp?

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People who have used a thermowell and a thermometer taped and insulated to the outside of the fermenter have reported a temperature difference of less than half a degree F. which is insignificant. Leave the temperature setting alone.

I'd be suspicious of a bulging lid with no krausen. I'd remove the airlock and use a sanitized probe to poke down into the opening where the airlock was just in case the krausen/hop debris was plugging it up. Beware that this may cause an eruption but that should be less messy than blowing the lid off. Bucket lids don't bulge without a reason.

Do cut or grind that star-shaped restrictor off the bottom of your airlock, to prevent potential clogging. I smooth the cut with very fine sandpaper (first 220, then 600 grit).

I've had buckets breathe like an animal, wondering whether the lid would blow off. They all held. However, most lids don't seal well on the rim and a lot of CO2 escapes there, in some cases you may never see a bubble in the airlock. 2 extremes, and anywhere in between.

You can take samples through that airlock grommet with a 2 foot piece of skinny 1/4" OD tubing. Just siphon some beer out. Start the siphon by sucking with a syringe, turkey baster, or even mouth, just don't let it flow back .

Keep good sanitation and your beer will turn out great!

IslandLizard said:

Do cut or grind that star-shaped restrictor off the bottom of your airlock, to prevent potential clogging. I smooth the cut with very fine sandpaper (first 220, then 600 grit).

I've had buckets breathe like an animal, wondering whether the lid would blow off. They all held. However, most lids don't seal well on the rim and a lot of CO2 escapes there, in some cases you may never see a bubble in the airlock. 2 extremes, and anywhere in between.

You can take samples through that airlock grommet with a 2 foot piece of skinny 1/4" OD tubing. Just siphon some beer out. Start the siphon by sucking with a syringe, turkey baster, or even mouth, just don't let it flow back .

Keep good sanitation and your beer will turn out great!

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My airlock doesn't have this piece you guys are talking about and it is a normal 3 piece airlock however, the top two pieces are removed and a blow off tube attached to the main piece.

Also I removed the airlock again and nothing is clogged and no krausen once again even close to the hole. I guess the pressure must be normal.

arnobg said:

My airlock doesn't have this piece you guys are talking about and it is a normal 3 piece airlock however, the top two pieces are removed and a blow off tube attached to the main piece.

Also I removed the airlock again and nothing is clogged and no krausen once again even close to the hole. I guess the pressure must be normal.

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It's not a piece, it's molded into the bottom end of the center tube. I've never seen them come without it from the store. You want a clear unrestricted passage.

I have a couple 3-piece airlocks that came without the pointy-tri-point thing on the bottom, but if memory serves then they were bought like 20 years ago. I much prefer the S-lock (double-bubbler) airlocks. They stand taller but less chance of backflow when only the bottom thirds are full, and no moving parts.

The bulging lid is odd in my book. If there's no real pressure inside the bucket then the lid should not bulge, and there should not be any pressure with a simple airlock/blow-off system in place. Does it really look like it's bulging or could the lid just be domed a little bit? Pictures are good

stpug said:

I have a couple 3-piece airlocks that came without the pointy-tri-point thing on the bottom, but if memory serves then they were bought like 20 years ago. I much prefer the S-lock (double-bubbler) airlocks. They stand taller but less chance of backflow when only the bottom thirds are full, and no moving parts.

The bulging lid is odd in my book. If there's no real pressure inside the bucket then the lid should not bulge, and there should not be any pressure with a simple airlock/blow-off system in place. Does it really look like it's bulging or could the lid just be domed a little bit? Pictures are good

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Although it sounds weird, I experienced the same thing a few times. Lid bulging while a 1/2" blow-off tube was attached to the center stem of the 3-piece airlock with star removed, going into a jar with Starsan. It would release in batches, like breathing out, blowing big bubbles. Continued for a few hours that way. One was WY1968 at 62°F in a Porter. Came out awesome!

I guess the back pressure of the Starsan was significant.

IslandLizard said:

Although it sounds weird, I experienced the same thing a few times. Lid bulging while a 1/2" blow-off tube was attached to the center stem of the 3-piece airlock with star removed, going into a jar with Starsan. It would release in batches, like breathing out, blowing big bubbles. Continued for a few hours that way. One was WY1968 at 62°F in a Porter. Came out awesome!

I guess the back pressure of the Starsan was significant.

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I know what you mean about the airlock tube but neither of my two have it and they are identical airlocks purchased from two different LHBS's.

And that is correct, it isn't a dome shaped lid and I can apply pressure to the lid and it will "push" bubbles out of my blow off tube gallon jug.

arnobg said:

I know what you mean about the airlock tube but neither of my two have it and they are identical airlocks purchased from two different LHBS's.

And that is correct, it isn't a dome shaped lid and I can apply pressure to the lid and it will "push" bubbles out of my blow off tube gallon jug.

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Glad to hear there's a chance that useless star may be on it's way out. Saves a lot of time and aggravation. Must be cheaper to fabricate too.