Blow off tube/Fermcaps with Mead

[Jsta Porter]

Hello,

Just made my first mead. Did a search for this and came up empty.

Do I need a blow off tube? Recipe had 5 gal batch size, 15 pounds of sage honey and used 2 packets of Lalvin 71B-1122.

If blow off is an issue, can I use Fermcap, like I do with beer?

Many thanks!!

 

[llazy_llama]

If it's a brew you aren't intimately familiar with, I say use the blowoff tube for at least the first 3 days of fermentation. If you're brewing 5 gallons of mead in a 5 gallon carboy, the answer should be pretty obvious. If it's a 6 gallon container, it's a roll of the dice. Bigger than 6, and you'd most likely be alright.

I don't mess around with Fermcap, so I can't help you there.

 

[Tusch]

I rarely have any need for a blow off at all, just keep an eye on it as it picks up and if it starts bubbling up stick a blowoff on it for a few days.

 

[dagamore]

I have yet to have a mead build up enough to need a blow off tube if you gave it even close to enough room, say and inch or 2 down from the shoulder of the carboy (or 2 inches down from the top of a fermy bucket) you should be fine. Most Meads unlike beers dont make monster krusten and dont seem to ferm quite as rapidly as the beers do. You should be fine.

 

[summersolstice]

Mead is generally pretty mild mannered when it comes to really aggressive fermentation. One exception is blueberries. Blueberries not only ferment well but they sometimes clog the airlock and quite a few people have had to deal with the resultant disaster.

 

[Jsta Porter]

Great, Many thanks for the responses. I do appreciate it.