6.5 Gallon Carboy Volcano

This topic might have already been discussed, but I am not even sure what to search for.

I brewed an oatmeal chocolate stout with Wyeast yesterday. When I came home tonight, the krausen worked its way up through the airlock and onto the floor. My airlock pieces were on the floor. Yikes!

I did not loose much wort < 1/2 cup. The airlock was sterilized with star-san yesterday and it was filled with vodka. This was a 5 gallon batch in a 6.5 gallon carboy.

First questin is why did it overflow? Second and more important, what is the chance that my batch is ruined?

Overflowed because of very active yeast.

Put a blow off hose on it if it looks like it is still overflowing. If not clean the airlock and put it back one.. Make sure to sterilize everything again though.

RDWHAHB

My first brew was an oatmeal stout. I had the same problem. The guys at the LHBS told me every stout they've ever brewed has done exactly that. Don't worry, I brewed mine 3 weeks ago and it tastes amazing. Bottled it last weekend. You have a good fermentation going on. I would suggest a blowoff tube though. Search "blowoff tube homebrew" on YouTube and you should find plenty on instructions if you don't already understand the concept.

Thanks. It looks like it stopped. I cleaned and sterilized the airlock, added more vodka and re-installed. Keeping my fingers crossed. Time to go drink a couple.

don' worry...worse things have happened, and worse things will. search around for the thread on here where the cat fell into the post-boil wort...

RDWHAHB.

The probability of infection/oxidation is so very slim. You did everything right.

Your beer should be fine. Search for information on blow off tubes. I start EVERY fermentation with a blow off tube on the fermenter.

I have had several of my 23 batches so far blow. Some were similar recipes using the same yeast. One would blow and another wouldn't. It is best to be safe and it is easier to clean a catch jar that to clean the krausen off the ceiling.

Let this be your only blowoff.


Use a blowoff tube on every beer, every time, from now on. Just buy 3 1/2 feet of 1 inch ID tubing and shove it in your carboy neck. Stick the other end into a jug/pail/container of water. You are now golden.

Pez

Thanks, sounds like the tube is a good idea and I got off pretty easy. At least it was not on the ceiling! Another lesson learned the hard way.

Pezman1 said:

Let this be your only blowoff.


Use a blowoff tube on every beer, every time, from now on. Just buy 3 1/2 feet of 1 inch ID tubing and shove it in your carboy neck. Stick the other end into a jug/pail/container of water. You are now golden.

Pez

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Use sanitized water (Starsan) in case you get an atmospheric change and a reverse siphon drawing the catch vessel liquid back int the fermenter.

kh54s10 said:

Use sanitized water (Starsan) in case you get an atmospheric change and a reverse siphon drawing the catch vessel liquid back int the fermenter.

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With a one inch ID tube this is incredibly unlikely. Maybe if you cold crash?, but I doubt it. On the other hand, Starsan won't hurt anything, just makes a hell of a lot of bubbles/foam during high Krausen.

Pez.

I just primary in an 8 gal bucket...plenty of room.