Fermenting question

[tai]

Beer bubbling up into airlock. Do I clean it out or leave it alone?
First ever batch...

 

[user 103393]

If you're getting kraussen up in the airlock, you may want to look at doing a blow off tube. While you can clear out the airlock and stick it back in there, it's easier for it to get clogged.

That being said - do not panic.

Are you fermenting in a bucket or carboy?

 

[tai]

Carboy and the aroma is pumpkin spice ale but the airlock is full of Kraussen and I am worried. First beer I have ever made so....

 

[tai]

BTW it's been 6 days and I will be siphoning into 2nd stage fermenter tomorrow.

 

[andycr]

You're not going to want to transfer it when it's still so active it has blowoff. In fact, many of the "new school" of thinking suggest avoiding secondary at all, myself among them.

However, as mentioned above, it's best to rig a blowoff tube to prevent the airlock clogging and possibly blowing off of the fermenter. A quick search for "how to rig a blowoff" should show you how.

Congratulations, you've got some happy yeast on your hands!

 

[tai]

The activity has all but stopped in the last 24 hrs. I was thinking maybe just avoid that transfer. Thank you so very much for the advice! Now gotta see what to do if I don't transfer it! So much to learn but loving it!

 

[user 103393]

BTW it's been 6 days and I will be siphoning into 2nd stage fermenter tomorrow.

My opinion - don't siphon. There's really no need - keep it in primary until you're ready to keg or bottle it. Reduces your chance of infecting or oxidizing your batch, and there's no harm in it.

If you're using a drilled bung and have a siphon, the hose might fit in the hole and can be put into a bucket of sanitizer making a blow-off tube. If you do that in place of the airlock, it'll keep it from getting clogged.

If you don't have that, I'd clean the airlock, sanitize it real well, and put it back in. You can always hit your LHBS for a blow-off tube tomorrow. There's a special tubing (1" in diameter, I think) that fits perfectly into a carboy neck. Run it into sanitizer and you have nothing to worry about.

In the famous words of Douglas Adams, Don't Panic!

 

[user 103393]

The activity has all but stopped in the last 24 hrs. I was thinking maybe just avoid that transfer. Thank you so very much for the advice! Now gotta see what to do if I don't transfer it! So much to learn but loving it!

If the kraussen has fallen, which is normal, clean up that airlock real good and put it back in there. Tomorrow will be one week right? Wait another week and start checking your gravity for doneness. And keep checking back here, a lot of great advice and knowledge here to help you through it.

 

[tai]

thanks and will do! Buying kits seemed so easy but now I think I needed more research! beer kits say to do one thing and brew equipment says another. Smells awesome tho!!

 

[metanoia]

thanks and will do! Buying kits seemed so easy but now I think I needed more research! beer kits say to do one thing and brew equipment says another. Smells awesome tho!!

One of the best protips you can ever learn is to just ignore the instructions that come with your kit. I don't know who writes them, but it's obviously not someone who's passionate about homebrewing.

Instead, purchase a copy of How to Brew or The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. Either of those will serve to be your Bible in home brewing, and they both provide much, much better instructions on making a batch of beer.

Cheers!

 

[tai]

Downloaded How To Brew by Palmer today! BTW Gingerbread Brown Ale sounds too good to be true!!

 

[metanoia]

Palmer has been my guide for my whole year of home brewing, and I love How to Brew. I borrowed Complete Joy of Homebrewing from the library today to skim over it. It seems a lot more technical and scientific, and I'd like to add it to my collection one day, but How to Brew is a lot more direct, without explaining every single molecule involved in beer making.

And I'm hoping that gingerbread brown tastes as good as it sounds. I'm winging it by trying to transform a pumpkin brown extract kit into a holiday offering. Added molasses with my initial malt extract pre-boil, plus some allspice and nutmeg at flameout. I'm eager to see how it tastes in a week, then depending on that I'll soak a vanilla bean and a cinnamon stick in vodka and add that to my bottling bucket before bottling. Can't wait to see how this experiment turns out!

 

[tai]

I hope that recipe works out and is a winner! Gets cold up there, Gingerbread brown ale sounds like it would keep y'all warm!