F***!!! First Blow off.

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Well, I have heard all of the stories and it finally happened to me.....

Had a very successful brew day this weekend, made 15 gallons of beer (3 separate 5 gallon batches) with a good friend, my brother, and father in law. Around midnight I woke up to go use the restroom and I couldn't help but to just take a peak at the beer to see how things were looking. **** mother ***** stupid ****** I had my first blow off. You can't just simply ignore this either and its not the way people want to spend the midnight hour of their evening while having to work the next day. I am telling you...it was on the door, walls, baseboards, the other beer, the **** ceiling, everywhere! Of course not a chance that might wife was about to help me clean this up either it was all me. Additionally, I had to scramble to try and find more hose to make a quick blow off, I ended up cutting the tube off of my siphon and placing it on the airlock which was fast and efficient. **End Rant**

For those who want to know the beer that blew off was an American Red Ale with a 1% alcohol booster in it.

 

[Psylocide]

It was probably from the 1% alcohol booster.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

It was probably from the 1% alcohol booster.

Our thoughts as well, I've never seen a beer get so violent while fermenting. it was pretty cool to watch for awhile.

 

[berheidebrau]

What gauge tubing are you using for blowoff? Are you fermenting in glass carboys? I had a crazy blowout once and then stopped using bubblers with stoppers altogether during primary and moved to a 1" tubing directly from carboy into a tiny bucket full of starsan and haven't had one since...

 

[glick]

I always use a blowoff tube. It's easy insurance!

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

What gauge tubing are you using for blowoff? Are you fermenting in glass carboys? I had a crazy blowout once and then stopped using bubblers with stoppers altogether during primary and moved to a 1" tubing directly from carboy into a tiny bucket full of starsan and haven't had one since...

I am using a 3/8th tube in a plastic carboy. Too many horror stories about glass carboys so I opted out.

 

[ChefRex]

No picture=dead thread
You MUST document your **** ups

 

[Elkobrewer]

Damm I have blown the fermatation lock off a few times but have never seen a gusher like that.

 

[Calder]

It is easy enough for us to say you should use a blow-off all the time, but until you actually have one, you don't believe it can happen to you ......... after all you take precautions, like keeping it cool, not over-pitching, leaving plenty of head-space. But then one day it happens!

I've cleaned beer off the ceiling, and had the airlock fly across the room leaving a trail of beer across the floor.

I use a blow-off every time too now. Once you start using one, it becomes almost the same effort as using an airlock. I'm dubious about how well siphon tubing does, and feel it could get clogged if you have a lot of trub in the beer. I use a 1.25 diameter tube for mine.

 

[CUrchin]

No picture=dead thread
You MUST document your **** ups

Agreed. Pictures or you were just having a bad dream.

 

[Devon]

I washed some strawberry mead off my closet ceiling once, that was enough for me to always use a blow-off for at least the first few days of fermentation. It's worth the peace of mind.

 

[sky4meplease]

I'm laying in bed watching the hockey game when I should be downstairs putting a blow off tube on my Dubbel right now. Ahh it should be fine [emoji378]

 

[Vandulus]

I feel your pain as I had a massive blow off when trying to ferment a 4.5 gallon batch in a 5 gallon carboy earlier this year. Cleaning up was a royal pain as the air lock blew out of the carboy and it sprayed everywhere. I'd suggest wider tubing if you can as sometimes the krausen can harden and block smaller diameter tubing. Before I got a SS Brew Bucket, I used a 1.5" diameter tubing for blow off just to be safe.

 

[sky4meplease]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1450883899.333929.jpg

Rock and roll!

 

[Bobbybob]

Sorry double post.

 

[Bobbybob]

What yeast were you using? I had a red do that to me when I used 028. I walked by it and barely tap the better bottle. It sprayed up thru the airlock and hit the ceiling. That is why I call that beer Vesuvius red ale, because it blows its top.

 

[sleepspeaking]

I'm only a handful of brews in, and I've never had a beer geyser. But on my first brew ChefRex saved me from a huge blow out. I had left NO room in the primary for the krausen to form, since then I just pour off a gallon or two until i feel comfortable with the headspace and haven't had any issues. So is the blow off tube necessary or just make sure to over shoot the headspace?

Oh I should have started with my condolences for the lost beer and sleep.

 

[bkboiler]

ya, I use a blowoff every time for ales since I ferment 2.75g batches in a 3g carboy, even fermcap-S isn't THAT good, but for lagers I don't need one.
We definitely need pics of this!

 

[Greg1Cruickshank]

I used to use 3/8 syphon tubing for blow off.

A few Barleywines later, all of which blew out, I now use 1 inch.

Anything smaller just gets clocked too easily during high krausan.

I too never thought I'd fall victim.

The more ya know...

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

what yeast were you using? I had a red do that to me when i used 028. I walked by it and barely tap the better bottle. It sprayed up thru the airlock and hit the ceiling. That is why i call that beer vesuvius red ale, because it blows its top.

us-05

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

No picture=dead thread
You MUST document your **** ups

By popular demand I have a picture. First note that I had a blow off on the batch I THOUGH was going to blow b/c I double pitched it. Boy was I wrong.

Never had an issue with the siphon tubing...but something to think about.

 

[sky4meplease]

It's beautiful.

 

[Calder]

I'm only a handful of brews in, and I've never had a beer geyser. But on my first brew ChefRex saved me from a huge blow out. I had left NO room in the primary for the krausen to form, since then I just pour off a gallon or two until i feel comfortable with the headspace and haven't had any issues. So is the blow off tube necessary or just make sure to over shoot the headspace?

First off, that just sounds like a waste of beer to me.

Keep thinking that way and you will end up with a mess. You will get too confident, slowly reducing the headspace in the fermenter and then one day you will use a Belgian yeast that goes crazy and then you will be cleaning up a mess.

 

[A2HB]

I fill my carboys to the tippy top, and usually have a ton of blowoff, but the tubing has never failed me *knock on wood*. Use a tube for the first week then switch to a proper airlock for weeks 2+ and you should be good to go

 

[orford]

I had a 1.120 RIS blow up in my bathroom the other night. Black tar all over the shower. Fortunately I had the foresight to put the fermenter in the shower with the curtain pulled.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[CUrchin]

Thanks for the pictures. It makes us all happy for some strange reason....

 

[Siberian]

I clogged an airlock once with bits of whole leaf hops that were still in the carboy after the boil.

It was three years ago. There are still hops stuck to the ceiling in my basement.

 

[sleepspeaking]

First off, that just sounds like a waste of beer to me.

Keep thinking that way and you will end up with a mess. You will get too confident, slowly reducing the headspace in the fermenter and then one day you will use a Belgian yeast that goes crazy and then you will be cleaning up a mess.

Sorry I wasn't clear. I pour off a gallon into 1g carboys.

View attachment 1450930986660.jpg

 

[sleepspeaking]

First off, that just sounds like a waste of beer to me.

Keep thinking that way and you will end up with a mess. You will get too confident, slowly reducing the headspace in the fermenter and then one day you will use a Belgian yeast that goes crazy and then you will be cleaning up a mess.

.

But you make a good point. It's hard to assume the amount of krausen that will form.

 

[sleepspeaking]

Case in point. I figured 4.75 gallons would be fine in this 7gal bucket. But tonight I checked it and looks like I barely avoided a big mess.

View attachment 1451437869873.jpg