3068 and Mr. Beer Fermenter (Lack of headspace)

[shauntraxler]

I know a lot of you probably ran from the hills just reading the title...but bare with me.

Tonight, I am brewing a Weizen-bock with Weihenstephan 3068 yeast. My problem lies within the small amount of headspace in the Mr. Beer 2.5ga fermentor-cask P.O.S.

The yeast calls for 33% headspace. I won't have anything close to that, and I can't hook a blowoff up due to Mr. Beer not even using an Air Lock. I read all the horror stories about 3068 erupting airlocks and crapping all over people's ceilings. I can't have that.

What do I do?! I need help and I need it fast.

 

[EdWort]

Get ready for some serious blowoff. 3068 blows off massively.

Please, we need pics of this. Seriously.

Even if you had an airlock, it would be stuck on the ceiling by morning.

Sorry, but Mr. Beer & Weizen and 3068 should not be even in the same room. I'm not trying to be a smartazz either.

You are in for a big mess. Seriously.

 

[shauntraxler]

Get ready for some serious blowoff. 3068 blows off massively.

Please, we need pics of this. Seriously.

Even if you had an airlock, it would be stuck on the ceiling by morning.

Sorry, but Mr. Beer & Weizen and 3068 should not be even in the same room. I'm not trying to be a smartazz either.

You are in for a big mess. Seriously.

HAHAHAHA. That was AWESOME. (Total Tommy Boy reference there.)

Yeah, I know that now. However, I've just been using the Mr. Beer fermenter because I lack anything else... I just bought a new 6.5ga bucket with a lid and spigot but it had my PB stout in it (secondary)....

So I got to thinking, I just hooked up my 3/8" hose to the spigot and re-racked the PB stout back into the Mr. Beer fermenter to finish in that... So then I had my 6.5ga bottling bucket/secondary free for the 3068 mayhem... So I apologize, no photo ops tonight...or tomorrow for that matter.. It should be safe and sound...

Thanks for the reply though.

 

[gtlaw10]

well ed i just pitched 3068 into a mrbeer for primary so i'll take a picture or two if/when it starts to blowoff for your viewing amusement.

 

[Malticulous]

Keep it cool and it will be fine. I don't recall 3068 ever blowing off but I never let it get over 68. About 20% head space has worked.

 

[gtlaw10]

Keep it cool and it will be fine. I don't recall 3068 ever blowing off but I never let it get over 68. About 20% head space has worked.

heh - yea it's at 62/3F with ~10% headspace. i've been taking pictures since active ferm began 2.5 hours ago...headspace is nearly gone
i'm gonna be awake for another 2 hours so i will document on the hour and then when i get up on the hour til it's finished 'blowing.'

 

[gtlaw10]

also my apologies to the OP for thread jacking...

 

[dotsoncs]

I pitched 3068 this last Saturday evening into an AG Hefeweizen. Sunday morning there was a good 3 inches of krausen which - while nice and active - seemed manageable. I went off the buddies place to watch the playoff games and get a frantic call from the wife; the foam had climbed into the blow-off tube. Instead of the typical rhythmic bubbling that you normally hear, the gas would build up behind the foam and release an enormous belch. What a fun yeast!

Long story short, everything was fine and it calmed down the next day. I'll get a larger blow-off the next time I tangle with this German powerhouse. The pic is from day 3 after the foam receded from the head of the bottle. Fermentation temp has been steady @62-63F. It's now on airlock and still bubbling at about 1 per/5 secs.

Hope that helps!

 

[gtlaw10]

well it's morning and there was no blowoff. the headspace is gone, but no blowoff.
how disappointing.

 

[EdWort]

I pitched 3068 this last Saturday evening into an AG Hefeweizen. Sunday morning there was a good 3 inches of krausen which - while nice and active - seemed manageable. I went off the buddies place to watch the playoff games and get a frantic call from the wife; the foam had climbed into the blow-off tube. Instead of the typical rhythmic bubbling that you normally hear, the gas would build up behind the foam and release an enormous belch. What a fun yeast! !

There ya go. A well aerated wort will generate even more.

 

[Malticulous]

My last one barely blow off a little bit. 5.5 gallons with a gallon head space, femented lower sixties, pitched 9 million cells/ml in into wort that was less than air saturated. Those figurse are just guesses. I don't have a hemocytometer or a dissolved oxygen meter. The entent was to keep the O2 lower than most of my brews for increased esters. My dunkel was the same but with 1/3rd as much yeast. No blow off there.

 

[bschot]

I've used Weihenstephaner twice and have not had any issues. I ferment at 68 and when I open the bucket, the krausen line will be about 2 inches from the top. But no blow off, knock on wood.