Blowoffs

[abracadabra]

I may be showing my ignorance here. Wouldn't be the first time. But

Why {edit} (do so many people) seem so afraid of a blowoff? As long as you have a blowoff tube I don't see the big deal.

My LHBS owner acts like it'll set the house on fire !

Furthermore it seems to me that if your blowoff tube was connected to say a 1 gal. bottle with distilled water it would be a great way to collect yeast.

Or am I missing something?

 

[chillHayze]

Nope they are no biggie. The yeast in the krausen are like superyeast so collecting them in such a manner you are describing would be a good idea.

 

[Brewing Clamper]

They're only a big deal when you don't have a blow off tube. Then you got to clean sh!t up from all over the place. I imagine yeast slurry covered carpet is pretty stinky.

 

[TheJadedDog]

I think it's blow-outs that people feel are a problem not blow-offs. I know a lot of new brewers get worried that a blow-out could result in contamination, and if you don't have a blow-off to switch to, well, they can last a while and make a really big mess.

 

[paranode]

I think it's blow-outs that people feel are a problem not blow-offs. I know a lot of new brewers get worried that a blow-out could result in contamination, and if you don't have a blow-off to switch to, well, they can last a while and make a really big mess.

Yeah that was my problem, kept getting up in the airlock and I didn't have a blowoff tube rigged up. Next time I'll be prepared.

 

[kornkob]

Blow off/blow out--- really the same thing. A blow off tube setup is jsut a way to deal with a blow out.

The reason people 'panic' about is is 2 fold.

a) homebrewers, especially 'social' homebrewers, tend to find a handful of things to obsess over. Sanitiation is the leading obsession, followed by frugality and alum/stainless pots. Blow offs is just something to obsess over.

b) there is a realistic risk, depending on your brew environment, of damaging your house, clothing, property and/or relationship if a fermenter spews the krausen all over the closet, hallway, living room, garage, laundry room or wherever it is resting.

It's not so much that a blow off is a big deal. It's more that it can be a big deal. Since almost nothing in homebrewing is really a big deal, those few things that are slightly more important tend to seem like huge dramatic events.

 

[abracadabra]

Blow off/blow out--- really the same thing. A blow off tube setup is jsut a way to deal with a blow out.

The reason people 'panic' about is is 2 fold.

a) homebrewers, especially 'social' homebrewers, tend to find a handful of things to obsess over. Sanitiation is the leading obsession, followed by frugality and alum/stainless pots. Blow offs is just something to obsess over.

.

Bingo ! I think you hit the nail on the head.

I mean yes if a person is clueless and wishes to remain that way then yeah a completely sealed primary is a hazard if you are standing over it when it blows
And a big mess otherwise.

But certain people seem to being trying to make this a BFD when it's not.

And if you don't want to be bothered reading up on the hobby you've got no business doing it in the first place.

Thanks Guys I hope we've helped some folks.

 

[pirate504]

lol

if my wort doesn't blow off now I'm kinda disappointed, like what did I forget, the yeast again?

the very first two batch I made I didn't have any blow off, yes there was fermenting going on, but what I know know is that a) I wasn't adding enough water to compensate for boil off b) I wasn't aerating my wort nearly enough to start the yeast fast enough.

Just get yourself about 4' of 1 1/8 (?) o.d. tubing big enough to fit snug inside the spout of the carboy and stick it in a gallon jug of some kind about a 1/4 full of water. to be really safe I then place the jug inside an old stock pot.

I have had my gal jug bubble over with foam once or twice already so its not a bad idea to have that sitting in a pot

 

[abracadabra]

I have seen a picture of a container to catch the blowoff material where the stopper has 2 holes 1 for the incoming blowoff tube the other hole has an airlock.
Rather than using several inches of water as an airlock freeing up more space in you blowoff container to hold the blowoff material. Can't find the picture right now and my description doesn't do it justice.