der_Missionar
Well-Known Member
So, Before Thanksgiving, I decided to brew a Northern Brewer 5 Gallon batch of Dry Irish stout...
The next day, I came down for breakfast and the dog was barking wildly. We have a number of deer, so I assumed it was just a deer... After many minutes of incessant barking, I finally went to see what the pooch was doing...
I came down to the basement to find my dog barking wildly at my 5 Gallon brew bucket, which was significantly bulging at the lid... I was quite shocked that the lid would bulge this much!
The krausen had briefly bubbled into the air lock, and had dried in the small holes, and had sealed the cover onto the airlock. Then fermentation picked up more, and with the holes covered, it started quickly gaining pressure!
With laser like reflexes, I gently flicked the cap popped off the end of the airlock. Even though it came off with seemingly no effort, this little bit of seal from the krausen was enough to allow significant pressure to build in the bucket!
After I popped off the little cap on the airlock, the brew foamed through the top for about 2 hours, as the pressure inside slowly subsided. It didn't foam quickly, the actual amount of beer lost was less than 1/8 bottle, I'm sure. Mostly air. I believe the increased pressure increased the foaming....
I'm sure the beer is fine, but my lid is, however, permanently bulging.
The beer temperature was sitting at the high end of the yeast recommendation... In order to calm down the yeasties, I placed the bucket in my garage and cooled it down to the very lowest Yeast recommended temperature.
If it weren't for my pooch (I should have gotten a picture of her barking at the brew) my brand new furnace would have been covered in Stout, not to mention my new washing machine, all our food, as well as the floor boards... I'm not sure that smell would have ever left the house. It would have been the end of my hobby for sure!
Lesson learned... Perhaps it's best not to use the cap on the S shaped airlocks for the first few days... And... Perhaps this is why so many others use a blow-off tube instead? And... Gotta watch the initial temperature, lower is better!??!
I've included a photo of the (usually lazy) hero as well...
The next day, I came down for breakfast and the dog was barking wildly. We have a number of deer, so I assumed it was just a deer... After many minutes of incessant barking, I finally went to see what the pooch was doing...
I came down to the basement to find my dog barking wildly at my 5 Gallon brew bucket, which was significantly bulging at the lid... I was quite shocked that the lid would bulge this much!
The krausen had briefly bubbled into the air lock, and had dried in the small holes, and had sealed the cover onto the airlock. Then fermentation picked up more, and with the holes covered, it started quickly gaining pressure!
With laser like reflexes, I gently flicked the cap popped off the end of the airlock. Even though it came off with seemingly no effort, this little bit of seal from the krausen was enough to allow significant pressure to build in the bucket!
After I popped off the little cap on the airlock, the brew foamed through the top for about 2 hours, as the pressure inside slowly subsided. It didn't foam quickly, the actual amount of beer lost was less than 1/8 bottle, I'm sure. Mostly air. I believe the increased pressure increased the foaming....
I'm sure the beer is fine, but my lid is, however, permanently bulging.
The beer temperature was sitting at the high end of the yeast recommendation... In order to calm down the yeasties, I placed the bucket in my garage and cooled it down to the very lowest Yeast recommended temperature.
If it weren't for my pooch (I should have gotten a picture of her barking at the brew) my brand new furnace would have been covered in Stout, not to mention my new washing machine, all our food, as well as the floor boards... I'm not sure that smell would have ever left the house. It would have been the end of my hobby for sure!
Lesson learned... Perhaps it's best not to use the cap on the S shaped airlocks for the first few days... And... Perhaps this is why so many others use a blow-off tube instead? And... Gotta watch the initial temperature, lower is better!??!
I've included a photo of the (usually lazy) hero as well...
