Blowoff tube: gunk in bowl

I brewed a wheat beer about a week and a half ago. I had a REALLY active fermentation with krausen flowing through the blowout tube for several days. The bowl with my sanitized water turned as brown as the beer. I walked in today, and the room smelled strongly of beer and i realized there was filmy crap growing on the surface of the liquid in the blowoff tube's bowl. The end of the tube was still submerged a solid 2-3 inches below the surface.

I immediately poured out that crap and replaced the blowout tube with a sanitized airlock.

The blowoff tube had a lot of krausen still plugging it up, so it doesn't look like any of the gunk could have physically gotten sucked back up. I'm more worried about gunk particles traveling through the air in the tube...I searched the forum and couldn't easily find any threads that matched this problem. Sorry if it's been covered ad nauseum.

Odds that I ruined the batch? It's a time-sensitive question, because this is the last batch we are planning to use as guest favors for my wedding the first week in June. With that in mind: RDWHAHB, or start a new batch right-quick?

Thanks!

Don't worry. It will be fine. If it is done blowing off, just replace the blow off with a clean airlock and you are good.

Start another batch, not because you have to, you need to learn that a good pipeline is important. Buy another fermenter and go for it.

You are all good! I had this happen with an Imperial Stout I made and it ended up being one of the best beers I have ever brewed.

Blowoff tubes get nasty, but they're air tight; All that nastiness sitting in that tube is your beer

cowperc said:

With that in mind: RDWHAHB, or start a new batch right-quick?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

That happened to my last batch with Notty, the pitcher I had filled with starsan got really disgusting. I had to change it several times over the first couple days. I'm not sure if my carboy was too full or if that yeast was just a monster. I just kegged/bottled it though, and it smells and tastes amazing so far. I think you'll be just fine man... and congratulations, hope you have a great celebration!

I had that happen and it actually ended up fermenting and producing a large layer of yeast sludge in the blowoff bucket. As said above, it's all good, the stuff in the tube is your beer gunk, so all safe.

Out of curiosity, what kind of yeast did you use? I've always used US05 and it never went that crazy on me.