Bucket Fermenter Blow Out

[wrbeach]

So I'm currently a little over 24 hours post-yeast-pitch on a Coffee Stout brew using Lalbrew Nottingham - English Ale Dry Yeast when I came home to find my fermenter busted open and leaking beer. This is a relatively high gravity beer with an OG of 1.060, so I expected a fairly vigorous primary fermentation but I've never experienced anything close to this in my ~12 brews I've done thus far.

After I found it, I cleaned everything up and rigged up a make-shift blow-off tube to try and keep up with the off-gassing. After sealing it back up and keeping an eye on it for about an hour, the blow off tube appeared to be working well, but the lid had fully domed out due to the pressure and krausen started to leak from the seal. At that point, I elected to remove the lid entirely (which caused another mini blow out) and have now resorted to just having the lid resting on top of the bucket (not air tight at all) and wrapping the whole thing in a trash bag to control any more overflowing krausen.

Based on some research, I think I'm ok to leave the lid off during this stage of fermentation but this will be a first for me. Is there any guidance for how long I'll be able to leave the lid off/have the beer exposed to air? Additionally, does anyone have any experience with something similar happening? Is this just a byproduct of a high gravity brew with active yeast? Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening in the future?

 

[RM-MN]

How vigorous of a fermentation you get is a factor of OG, the amount of yeast pitched, and temperature. I try to control the temperature in the lower limits of it preferred range and that seems to work well as the yeast are slowed by the cool temperature.

 

[hotbeer]

I think everyone at some point in their brewing will get a very active krausen and have a blow out. After I had mine, I quit using airlocks which won't allow enough gas to escape once the foam and crud plug them up.

With a blowoff tube of 5/8" ID or larger, most shouldn't have a issue. Especially if they route the tube straight up for 6 to 10" before turning down to the bubbler jar. That way the crud can roll back down the inside of the tube. And not fill up the bubbler jar.

Mine is 7/8" ID. I haven't had a blow out since I switched to that from a airlock. If one prefers, they can use a blow off tube till the krausen is over and then switch to a airlock.

While you can do a open fermentation and leave the lid off. Realize that the breweries that do or did this also had the entire room and most of the rest of the brewery spotlessly clean from floor to ceiling and sanitized.

So put the lid back on.

 

[Broken Crow]

^^ Agreed 100%! Those buckets take a standard sized lid..get yourself a spare lid and install a bulkhead in it (https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/truebulkheadbarb.htm) and keep a few bricks or so nearby to set on top of it for future brews you expect to be that vigorous.