New Brewer, Big Mouth Bubbler lid fix, and first brew.

[Jesse D]

I'm new to brewing, I have my first batch in the BMB fermenter (Dead Ringer IPA) and will be starting my 2nd Batch tomorrow (Bourbon Barrel Porter), I have 2 primary's and 1 secondary at the moment, so I will be ordering another secondary as well. The reason for this post has to do with the universal lid for the Big Mouth Bubbler. All the reviews that I read showed great reviews, but lots of lid issues. I searched and found some fixes that I knew would not work, and some that just seemed like it would be a massive pain. While brewing, I found my solution. Very inexpensive, and the lid will NEVER pop off. I have attached a few pics of my setup in-case it can help someone else with the same concern. I used a very small ratchet strap, and it works great. Fermentation has been fantastic the first 36 hours. My goal is to get good enough to step away from the extract kits, and get into all-grain brewing.

 

[Jtk78]

Welcome to the hobby, and nice use of the ratchet strap. Chimed in to say save your money and don't buy a carboy for secondary. Most of the kit instructions still say to transfer to a secondary, but the belief around here and most other brewers I've talked to is it is unnecessary, and does more harm than good due to the beer becoming oxidized. Some will do it if they are adding fruit or something, but with the bmb, you could add it right in there. If you need to free up a primary, buy a another primary.

 

[RM-MN]

Quick! Make a mead and put it in your current secondary carboy. Forget to order a new one until the day before Christmas so it won't ship immediately. That way your only carboy will be tied up with mead until the current beer is finished, bottled, and drunk.

Moving your beer to secondary doesn't do what you think it will, doesn't do what it is supposed to do, and done carelessly it can cause you to lose an entire batch of beer to infection. Leaving the beer in the primary does everything the beer needs. Give it the right conditions (aerate the wort, ferment it cool, give it time to settle out) and you beer in the primary will be better than what you can get by moving it to secondary.

Now, take the money you were planning to spend on the carboy and instead buy another 2 primary fermenters. You'll find that brewing is a fun process and having more than one in the fermenter will keep the anxiety low so you don't bottle beer too soon.

 

[balrog]

+1 to what @RM-MN says.
Also, keeping lids tight on primary when CO2 is being generated by the proverbial bucket-load, is only a matter for those who for some reason need to see the airlock used. Heck, some big guys open ferment in square tanks, and some talk of simply covering buckets loosely with foil to keep kamikaze critters and airborne drifting baddies out.

Personally, I love the BMB and have no lid issues, and after a few years of not being able to see into my ferm bucket, I like seeing when things are clear, which along with SG measurements, lets me know when things are really finished.

But again, @RM-MN is right--save your "secondary money" and buy stuff you're really going to want like temp controlled ferm chambers, kegging equipment, and some nice laser engraved personalized cool-named brewery signs.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Welcome to the hobby! I have a BMB as well that I tend not to use because of the lid. However, I like your ratchet strap idea. I may have to give that a shot.

Just to piggy back on what everyone else is saying, unless you're adding fruit or wood or something along those lines, no need for a secondary.

 

[Jesse D]

Welcome to the hobby! I have a BMB as well that I tend not to use because of the lid. However, I like your ratchet strap idea. I may have to give that a shot.

Just to piggy back on what everyone else is saying, unless you're adding fruit or wood or something along those lines, no need for a secondary.

Thanks, I needed the strap.. I woke up this morning with tons of pressure and blowoff to yesterday's Bourbon Barrel

.

 

[flars]

What method are you using to control the fermentation temperature? All fermentations produce heat. Hot fermentations in higher OG worts can produce excessive krausen and off flavors.

 

[Jesse D]

What method are you using to control the fermentation temperature? All fermentations produce heat. Hot fermentations in higher OG worts can produce excessive krausen and off flavors.

Wet cool towels when it hit 72deg, it's down to 68 now.

 

[SEndorf]

Quick! Make a mead and put it in your current secondary carboy. Forget to order a new one until the day before Christmas so it won't ship immediately. That way your only carboy will be tied up with mead until the current beer is finished, bottled, and drunk.

Moving your beer to secondary doesn't do what you think it will, doesn't do what it is supposed to do, and done carelessly it can cause you to lose an entire batch of beer to infection. Leaving the beer in the primary does everything the beer needs. Give it the right conditions (aerate the wort, ferment it cool, give it time to settle out) and you beer in the primary will be better than what you can get by moving it to secondary.

Now, take the money you were planning to spend on the carboy and instead buy another 2 primary fermenters. You'll find that brewing is a fun process and having more than one in the fermenter will keep the anxiety low so you don't bottle beer too soon.

No truer words were spoken, like a true Minnesotan....
I have the same setup with Big Mouth Bubbler fermenters. I'm old, and gave up the glass 2 years ago.
Lagers and weaker fermenting yeast are fine with the airlocks.
However many ale yeasts are explosions requiring blow-off tubes. For these I keep the lids down with bungee cords hooked to the carriers rather than ratchet straps.

 

[BrokenDog]

I've noticed with my BMB that as the two contact surfaces are dry, it has never popped off. If I have the whole thing coated in star san on the other hand it's never stayed in place for more than a few hours.

 

[JR_Brewer]

The fix to the BMB problem is to flip the gasket upside down. You can find the fix on the Q&A section of the product page on NB.

This doesn't sound like it will work, but it works like a charm.

 

[jalc6927]

I found two used spiedel fermenters that work great

I use my BMB when I do a secondary; IPA and fruit beers

 

[Ogroat]

The photographs of the wort boiling in the pot make me anxious -looks like a small amount of inattention could cause a huge mess!

 

[Jesse D]

The photographs of the wort boiling in the pot make me anxious -looks like a small amount of inattention could cause a huge mess!

Me too! I was watching, it did not stay that full, 8 gallon pot, 2.5 gallons and it did this.... a quick stir made it go down.