Did I screw up my brew??

[jskinner10]

Okay, so I just got done brewing an IPA extract recipe and when I transferred the ~3.5 gallons of wort to the carboy I had an insane amount of foam build up. The foam was so much that I couldn't top it up to the 5 gallon mark. There had been a considerable amount of star san foam still in the carboy before I poured the wort in so I thought maybe it was from that. So, in my moment of confusion, I continued to fill the carboy with water, pushing the foam out of the top. Also, I accidentally filled it to about 5 1/4 gallons. So I poured out that extra bit to give room for the expected krausen. The recipe gave an estimated target OG of 1.072; I however got and OG of 1.062. I realize the beer probably isn't ruined but how badly did I screw up?

 

[PIGMAN]

How big is the carboy?

 

[HOMEBREWZ]

well a good fermenter to have for 5 gallon batches is a 6.5 gallon or even better a 7.5,so if you have a 6.5 gallon then id have to say its best to fill a little more then 5 gallons because when its done fermenting theres gunnah be alot of yeast plus sediment so when you add a little extra it actually ends up being the right amount, i wouldnt want ALOT of star san in there but a little is fine or maybe more then a little is alright just try to liet most drip out but its supposed to still be a bit wet the change in ur OG might be because of pouring some out or somthing in the boil but the est OG they have on those are always 100% accurate

 

[Rivenin]

i'd be careful of filling it up more 'cuz your OG will drop too. the OG readings on hydrometers aren't really correct with extract brewing because the water and wort don't mix all that well right away.
you'll be perfectly fine!

 

[unionrdr]

I try to let the excess foam run out myself. A little is ok,I just don't want a glob the size of my head floating around in there.

 

[wolfman_48442]

It will be lower alcohol, and you might get a little more watery 'taste' (it wont have as much malty richness), but in an IPA, that's not a huge deal. If you hit all your temperature marks and have good sanitation, it'll still be a tasty brew!
Just remember to keep notes so you can review, both good and bad, and keep improving.

 

[phenry]

I've had foam pour out of my 6.5 gallon bucket while aerating my wort. Just wipe it up with a sanitized paper towel.

Also, if you fill up with an extra quart of top off water, who cares? This whole homebrew thing is just a giant approximation, chances are you'll still end up with beer. And that's never a bad thing, is it?

 

[jskinner10]

Thanks for the help everyone. The carboy is 6 gal. It still has foam filling up that extra gallon of air space. I think maybe I put too much starsan solution in it when I was sanitizing. I also did a late DME addition (first time doing this). Could that have affected the way it foamed up?

 

[unionrdr]

I think late additions can do that with a healthy yeast pitch that's good & strong. Plus,I tend to pour wort & top off water very vigorously. Then stir like mad for 5 minutes. I wind up wit 3-4 inches of foam.
Then the yeast starter goes to town on that,& I got about 2.5" of krausen in there now with my EB. Good thing my pales are 7G or so.I've needed blow offs on the three brews before this one by lunch time the next day. So fewer cells pitched can be a good thing to keep the temps down.

 

[jskinner10]

Yeah, I made a yeast starter for this brew (first yeast starter I've done). At least that aspect of the brew went well. I definitely poured the wort in vigorously. Should I just have waited for the foam to drop on its own before topping off? I have a feeling the main culprit was using too much sanitizer solution in the carboy. Next time I think I'll add maybe half a gallon or so and just slosh it around really well. Just hoping this screw up will have a minimal effect on the beer.

 

[unionrdr]

They say star-san breaks down into a yeast nutrient. But I still prefer to leave a minimal amount of star-san foam in there. But I also use pales with plenty of head space for krausen build up.

 

[jskinner10]

Would it be a bad idea to boil up a mini batch of concentrated wort, say half a gallon, cool it, then pitch it in to bring the gravity up a bit? That would take care of a possibly watery beer right? I realize that would risk contamination and aeration but I could always siphon it in.

 

[phenry]

I wouldn't mess with it, I'm sure your beer is going to be fine. Foam isn't a problem at all. It'll eventually fall. If you need to, you can affix a blow off tube, but like they say, RDWHAHB.

 

[unionrdr]

It also sounds like your FV doesn't have any head space to speak of. You need 6.5 to 7G FV for 5 or 6G brews. Mine are 7-7.5G.

 

[SLBrooks]

Well if your using an extract kit, then odds are your OG wont match up to the recipe OG from some of what i've read. It has something to do about sugar distribution, so as long as your in the same zip code it will turn out fine.

 

[statseeker]

I have this happen nearly constantly and havent had any problems with it. What I'll do to rinse off the neck of the carboy is after I pitch my yeast I'll spray a mixture of water, bleach, and vinegar (mixed in the right proportions according to the label) around the neck to clean it off. This is after the carboy is sealed and airlock is attached. No way any of the mix is getting into the carboy. Not only no issues, but very tasty brews. Relax. Your beer is fine.