Blowoff quiz

[DJCalico]

Ok... I got 2 recipe kits and one blowoff tube yesterday and a 6.5g and a 5g carboy.

I would really like to do both kits at the same time (a honey wheat and a porter).

Question: which recipe would be advisable to put in the 6 with an airlock and which to put in the 5g with the blowoff? i.e. which of the two recipes, under optimal conditions, would typically be a more aggressive initial ferment?

 

[bradsul]

5G is really too small to use as a primary fermenter, I would really think about holding off on one kit until you free up the 6.5G. If you really don't want to do that, the blow-off will have to go on the 5G and I would put the porter in there. Wheat's tend to develop very active ferments with a lot of krausen. If you can keep the temperature on the porter down (~65F) that will help keep it calmer but you'll still get a lot of blow-off.

But seriously, go get another 6.5G or just wait on the second kit, you will be much happier.

 

[DJCalico]

good advice.... thank you.

I MADE myself be patient with my first batch and let them age a bit once they were in the bottle... but now that I have restrained myself in that regards, I'm dying to get both of the new recipes started lol.

 

[Revvy]

Or just get a fermenter bucket, they're cheap...then you'll have plenty of primaries to fill.
(You can never have enough beer fermenting.)

 

[IrregularPulse]

Do the porter, Transfer to the 5 Gallons after it's done fermenting and then start the wheat in the 6.5. The wheat will be ready long before the porter anyway.

 

[ArcaneXor]

I'd suggest using a foam control agent - you'll end up with a minute amount of silicone-based compounds in your beer, but won't ever have to worry about blowoff setups again.

 

[EdWort]

I'd suggest using a foam control agent - you'll end up with a minute amount of silicone-based compounds in your beer,

That just sounds so wrong. Complete violation of the Reinheitsgebote.

I find that 7.9 gallon bucket fermenters from Austin Home Brew give you plenty of room for kreuzen and there is no need for a blowoff tube or silicone based compounds in my beer.

Just my two cents though. If it works for you and you are happy with your beer, that's what counts!

 

[mmb]

Bucket primaries really are the way to go and they are so cheap and easy to store that it doesn't make sense to have just one. It also frees up the carboys for bulk aging beers that need time to develop properly.

 

[Couevas]

Do the porter, Transfer to the 5 Gallons after it's done fermenting and then start the wheat in the 6.5. The wheat will be ready long before the porter anyway.

I agree with Pulse here.
The wheat is a beer meant to be drank "green." It will be ready far before the porter is. Start the porter, in a week or so (when fermentation is complete), transfer to the 5 gallon and start the wheat. Use the blowoff on both primaries and just an airlock for the secondary on the porter. When primary is done on the wheat, it is ready to carb and drink and your porter can continue conditioning in the 5 gallon carboy.