Does Blow Off equal better beer?

[PistolaPete]

In the "Joy of Homebrewing" Papazian recomends a blow off tube when fermenting in a 5 gal carboy to remove exess hop resins and other chemicals that can result in a headache when a lot of hombrew is drank. Does anyone have input on whether the blow off method equals better beer?

 

[Getzinator]

You don't have to remove the krausen, but I did read the same book. You can achieve similar results by racking from your primary to your secondary around day 4-5 (assuming you're doing a basic brew that will finish primary in about that time).

Plus you're really only going to have blowoff if you're almost filling the entire volume of your carboy (usually only an issue in 3-5 gal carboys). Eg. I use a pail as a primary, so I have a bunch of headspace as it is, so a blowoff tube would be ineffective.

 

[PistolaPete]

I guess I should add that I do usually use a 5 gallon carboy for my primary and go straight from primary to bottle since I am only doing ales for now. (I am still trying to figure out if going to a secondary actually helps with a cleaner flavor or everyone just thinks it tastes better because of the extra clarity they see.)

 

[Revvy]

You have to remember JOH was written over 30 years ago, and views about yeast and yeast contact has changed since then. Getting the krausen off the beer and getting the beer off the yeast were reflections of the autolysis worries, and the idea that the yeast contributed to off flavors.

Well yeast 30 years ago and today are really two different animals. Yeast back then came in cakes, primarily from over seas, travelled in the cargo holds of ships, usually came under the lid of a tin of extract that sat on a store's shelves, sometimes in direct sunlight. Yeast was a lot less healthy then, and often DID autolyze and possible DID contribute to off flavors.

Todays yeast is much different. It's healthier, we use more of it today, and we understand more of it's role in brewing, not just in fermentation but that as part of it's life cycle, if left to it's own devices, it actually cleans up after itself- it cleans up those off flavors.

So today rather than removing the krauzen, and rushing the beer off the yeast we embrace the yeast. We realize that as a krauzen falls after fermentation, it pulls down with it, protiens and other things in solution. It acts sort of as a filter for the beer. Pulling cleaning and pulling down things, resulting in cleaner, clearer and better tasting beer.

We no longer fear the yeast. And feel the need to do things like remove the krausen or rush the beer off the yeast into a secondary right away. We find that letting the natural process happens, letting krausen fall and letting the yeast clean up the very byproducts of fermentation that lead to off flavors are beer actually benefits from the krausen and the yeast.

 

[PistolaPete]

Thanks for the info Revvy. So I gather you are saying a blow off isn't needed, and may actually be detrimental? And what are your thoughts on using secondaries vs primary only?

 

[Revvy]

No, a blowoff is needed if you're endagered of losing the lid on your fermenter. The removal of krausen which is what Papazain is really talking about is like I said, passe.

You're kidding about asking ME about long primaries -vs- secondaries, right? I'm the guy on here who's written the most on that subject. My info and expereinces is all over the place on here. Just look at any "long primary" thread and you'll see what I've written and my sources.

 

[PistolaPete]

I like your style Revvy! I like to keep things simple so I think from now on I will not worry about racking to a secondary or bothering with a blow off either. Is there any worry of an explosion during primary fermentation if brewing a 5 gallon batch and using a 6 gallon bucket or 6 gal carboy?

 

[fxdude]

All depends on the beer. The SG, the type of yeast, the amount of yeast pitched, the amount of O2 in the wort, fermenting temps, lots of factors in an active fermentation. I use a blowoff tube every time now just to be safe even in a 6 gal carboy. I got tired of cleaning out airlocks when I thought it would be fine.