So. . . after a blow off what do you do

[ShepFL]

for the lost beer? My Christmas ale lost about a 1/2 - 3/4 gallon. Do you top it off or chalk it up to experience and enjoy the balance?

 

[drainbamage]

I'd leave it be. Topping it off now, you'd dilute your wort or run the risk of oxidation or contamination.

 

[kh54s10]

I have blown off a lot of foam in some of my brews... Lost maybe 2 bottles max on the worst one?????

 

[grainbill]

the angel's share

 

[ShepFL]

the angel's share

Understood about the angle's share but what about the devil's cut. Stingy I guess. Hate loosing beer, especially home brew!

Thanks to all who have replied. Just going to go with it. Next time it will have blow off tube, suspected I needed it but took a chance

 

[RM-MN]

Shed a tear for the lost beer and then change your practice to avoid it in the future. Those really explosive ferments are usually from fermenting a bit warm. That warm ferment also will give you some interesting flavors like banana and bubble gum and hot alcohol. I like to keep my fermenter in the low 60's for the first week and the airlock only bubbles a couple times per second. Once the yeast settle down, you can let it warm up without any off flavors developing.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Clean off the ceiling, and floor, and walls, and sanitize/put the lid back on. Then clean the airlock and sanitize and reinstall it.

Havent had a spectacular blowoff yet though, so that is just what I would/will do if/when it happens.

 

[kh54s10]

Clean off the ceiling, and floor, and walls, and sanitize/put the lid back on. Then clean the airlock and sanitize and reinstall it.

Havent had a spectacular blowoff yet though, so that is just what I would/will do if/when it happens.

If you set up a blow off tube the krausen goes into a catch vessel instead of all over the room. Use one and it will save you a lot of clean up and angst about "did my beer get infected?"

 

[fmr_army]

I had a massive blowoff this weekend. I chose to put a positive spin on the experience:
1) Clearly I had not underpitched my yeast.
2) Clearly I had oxygenated my wort properly.
3) Thankfully it was in my unfinished basement on sealed cement.
4) Thankfully my wife rarely goes into the basement.
5) Thankfully I only lost a couple of quarts.

Lessons learned:
1) Kids have good ears when they want to. Mine may have heard some choice words when I discovered the mess.
2) Warm water is really good at cleaning the nasty, sticky yeast/sugar gunk up. But it will probably take a lot.
3) Blowoff tubes are better than airlocks, and I'm going to get rid of the little X-thingy in my airlock bases.
4) I will probably start putting my fermentation vessels into some sort of drop pan or tub to catch overflow.

 

[Nico93]

I just make a ris, the first night I lost one gallon, after I put the blow off tube in a sanitized glass bottle and I save 1/4 gallon...
The next time I'm going to put the blow off tube in a bigger container and save all my beer

 

[ShepFL]

Shed a tear for the lost beer and then change your practice to avoid it in the future. Those really explosive ferments are usually from fermenting a bit warm. That warm ferment also will give you some interesting flavors like banana and bubble gum and hot alcohol. I like to keep my fermenter in the low 60's for the first week and the airlock only bubbles a couple times per second. Once the yeast settle down, you can let it warm up without any off flavors developing.

Agreed on to warm. Knew this in advance but a long day of brewing. Three 5 gallon batches abd got lazy at the end. Top it off it is August in Florida.

 

[RM-MN]

Agreed on to warm. Knew this in advance but a long day of brewing. Three 5 gallon batches abd got lazy at the end. Top it off it is August in Florida.

It's August in Minnesota too. This morning the temperature was 36 F.