Cold crashing=back flow? | HomeBrewTalk.com - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Community.

Homebrew Talk

Help Support Homebrew Talk by donating:

  1. Dismiss Notice
  2. We have a new forum and it needs your help! Homebrewing Deals is a forum to post whatever deals and specials you find that other homebrewers might value! Includes coupon layering, Craigslist finds, eBay finds, Amazon specials, etc.
    Dismiss Notice

Cold crashing=back flow?

Discussion in 'Beginners Beer Brewing Forum' started by Phlyborn, Nov 6, 2015.

 

  1. #1
    Phlyborn

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Nov 6, 2015
    So I cold crashed for the first time this week and noticed my blowoff hose was full of beer and my blowoff container was lower today than last night. The container had star San and beer from the fermentation. Should I be concerned and if so what should be looking for?
     
  2. #2
    Psylocide

    Ippons for Days

    Posted Nov 6, 2015
    Yes... The cooling of the warm liquid in the fermenter creates a vacuum and sucks up the blow off liquid.

    Don't cold crash with a blowoff attached.
     
  3. #3
    Phlyborn

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Nov 7, 2015
    Yep, lesson learned. Now will it ruin the batch?
     
  4. #4
    Yooper

    Ale's What Cures You! Staff Member  

    Posted Nov 7, 2015
    Maybe. How much star-san solution got sucked in?
     
  5. #5
    Phlyborn

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Nov 7, 2015
    If I had to guess maybe a cup or two. But it was diluted going back in from the earlier overflow.
     
  6. #6
    Black Island Brewer

    An Ode to Beer

    Posted Nov 7, 2015
    I won a silver medal on an Apricot Cream Ale that sucked back 2 cups of StarSan. RDWHAHB.
     
  7. #7
    gromitdj

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Nov 7, 2015
    I also had a beer that sucked up a couple of cups of Star San into a 3 gallon batch. It turned out fine and was probably one of my better beers at that point.

    I still use a blowoff during cold crash but I switch my bottle to a White Labs vial with just enough Star San to submerge the end of the tube. If it's a small enough amount of Star San, it will break the vacuum before it gets sucked into the fermenter and return to the vial.
     
  8. #8
    Phlyborn

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Nov 7, 2015
    Thanks for the reassurances and feedback!
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page

Group Builder