Consecration Russian River Clone question

[GJOCONNELL]

I made an all grain Consecration clone about 8 months ago. I did a gravity reading and tasting yesterday and the gravity is currently @ 1.001 and I am about to add the stave barrel chunks. However, I noticed that the frementer is sucking the star san from the airlock into the fermenter (a minimal amount got in). I have been re-filling the airlock and shooting some CO2 into the frementer to prevent oxidation as much as possible.

Anyway is it common to get suck back on the airlock? I guess the good thing is that I now know the seal is tight on the frementer (it is a SS brewtech 7 gallon bucket).

As for my question how do I prevent the suck back?

I whipped up some DME/water and have been soaking the stave barrel chunks in it for a couple days so I will be adding some frementables back in. I plan to leave the wood chunks in for a couple months. I whipped up the DME/water mix in a ratio that is consistent with a yeaster starter the idea was to 1. add some sugar back in 2. if any bugs are on the barrel chunks it could wake them up.

Any advice on how to deal with the suck back is appreciated.

 

[Dcpcooks]

You should only see suck back when the temps drop or you pull a sample.

Normally I would soak chips in vodka or bourbon. Probably not any bugs you actually want in the barrel chunks unless you know what was in the old barrel.

 

[Joe_K]

You should only see suck back when the temps drop or you pull a sample.

Normally I would soak chips in vodka or bourbon. Probably not any bugs you actually want in the barrel chunks unless you know what was in the old barrel.

If it's the morebeer.com kit it includes RR Consecration barrel chips.

 

[Dcpcooks]

If it's the morebeer.com kit it includes RR Consecration barrel chips.

I wasn't aware that they chopped up a barrel for the kit! That's pretty cool

 

[GJOCONNELL]

I wasn't aware that they chopped up a barrel for the kit! That's pretty cool

Yeah it is part of the reason the kits sell out so quickly.

I let the chunks soak in the equivalent of a yeast starter minus the yeast obviously. I let the DME/water boil for 20 minutes then chilled to 70 F. then put on the stir plate for a couple hours turned it off. Put a drilled stopper and airlock with star san and let it sit for a week shaking it a couple times over a course of the week. I only noticed a wee bit of airlock activity.

I pitched the chunks in over the week and hit the frementer with a blanket of CO2.....