First batch screw up

[mygar]

So almost done with my first 1 gal extract and all was going well until... after filling fermenter with wort... realized i mistakenly under measured by a quart! So I quickly grabbed some water (tap water... another mistake) and got it to boil.
In meantime my yeast was ready to pitch as I rehydrated it and didn't want the little buggers to start dying off. So i pitched it. Now I am waiting my boiled water to cool down so I can top off the carboy

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Don't top it off yet. When fermentation starts, it will develop a layer of foam, called krauzen. If you top it off, the krauzen will make a big mess outside of your fermenter.

 

[mygar]

When do I top off? It has been about 20 min since pitched. I'm 3/4 gallon in carboy right now. My carboy is about 1.25 gal

 

[homebeerbrewer]

A mild example. I've had much worse, and had to repaint the ceiling.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Wait until fermentation finishes. Or better yet, just go with what you have.

 

[mygar]

Ok but am not clear why I should not top off to the starting volume I should have had. in the first place? At one gallon in carboy i should have enough head space.

 

[estricklin]

With a half gallon of headspace you'll probably be ok by topping off now, it's your call. You need to top off anyway, it doesn't matter if you do it now or later.

Welcome to the hobby, and this forum. Brewing is a art/science of constant learning and improving. I would actually call this a very minor mistake compared to some I've had.

What kind of beer did you brew?

 

[homebeerbrewer]

The key word there is "should". Depending on the yeast, and the kind of beer it is, your head space may not be enough even at 3/4 full. This is your first batch, so you don't know what to expect yet. You will learn though.

And, don't rush. It's going to take anywhere from a couple hours to up to 48 before you see the krauzen.

 

[mygar]

Bavarian hefe... my favorite!

 

[jrgtr42]

Honestly, a half hour or hour or whatever to boil and cool the water wouldn;t have enough effect on the yeast that you have to hurry to pitch.
Depending on the size of your fermenter, you may be OK to add it in - rule of thumb is you want half again the size of your batch to be safe.
RDWHAHB.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

When in doubt, start with a blow-off tube.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Bavarian hefe... my favorite!

Well, with that beer, you shouldn't top it off yet. It's gonna need all the head space it has, and maybe then some.

 

[mygar]

It's too late. Already topped off

 

[homebeerbrewer]

It's nice and clean... for now...

Good luck.

When it blows the stopper off after clogging the tube up, just replace it and let it continue fermenting. Your beer won't be ruined.

 

[mygar]

Ok so the adding of the quart after is going to make the yeast much more active?

Or is the concern that my carboy does not have enough head space? There's a lot of 1 gallon brewers that successfully use a carboy like this... as I have read anyway.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Adding the water isn't going to do anything to the yeast. It's the head space that is the concern. If I'm looking at the picture correctly, the level of the beer is only about an inch or so below the neck. You'll need much more head space than that. Especially for a hefe.

Yes, a lot of people use that kind of fermenter. I have two of them. I don't use them except for experimenting, but I have used them successfully. I leave much more head space than that.

 

[mygar]

No there is much more headspace

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Yeah, that's where I thought the top of the beer was. That's not gonna be enough. I fill mine to just where the bottle starts to curve towards the neck. And I've had escaping krauzen even at that level.

Like I said, you'll learn. At this point, just let it ferment, replace the stopper when it blows off, let it finish, and then enjoy. And then brew another batch.

 

[mygar]

Thanks for all your replies. Keep my fingers crossed lol. Let you know how it goes!

One thing my yeast packet date was 8/2020. So pretty old yeast.

 

[mygar]

Yeah, that's where I thought the top of the beer was. That's not gonna be enough. I fill mine to just where the bottle starts to curve towards the neck. And I've had escaping krauzen even at that level.

Like I said, you'll learn. At this point, just let it ferment, replace the stopper when it blows off, let it finish, and then enjoy. And then brew another batch.

Wow ok

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Dry yeast? That's still well within the viable range. I've used dry yeast a year after the expiration date without any issue.

 

[mygar]

Dry yeast? That's still well within the viable range. I've used dry yeast a year after the expiration date without any issue.

Ok cool that's great to know. Thanks for the help. Will keep an eye on my volcanoes

 

[mygar]

I have a 3 gallon carboy as well. Guess I should have used that? Thought 3 gallon would be too much for a 1 gallon batch though

 

[Dinadan]

Regarding your yeast: the beer is fermenting, so I would take that as an indicator that it was good. The headspace does look a bit small, but I have brewed batches with not much more than that and never had a misadventure like the two that Homebeerbrewer posted. If I were you I might put a towel under the carboy just in case!

 

[mygar]

Regarding your yeast: the beer is fermenting, so I would take that as an indicator that it was good. The headspace does look a bit small, but I have brewed batches with not much more than that and never had a misadventure like the two that Homebeerbrewer posted. If I were you I might put a towel under the carboy just in case!

Lol yea heck I'm even thinking about aluminum roasting pan. Looking at what Homebeerbrewer posted... good gaw haha.

I have a 3 gal carboy maybe rack to that..considering it

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Looking at what Homebeerbrewer posted... good gaw haha.

meh.

You are off to a good start with a blow off hose.

If you check it twice a day (roughly every 12 hours) for the next couple of days, you may not need a sponge to wipe down the "ceiling" in the fridge. If the hose is starting to look clogged, disconnect, clean, sanitize, and replace it. You may not get any dramatic pictures from process, but beer will be made.

A roasting pan is a good idea, it could make cleanup easier.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

The 3 gallon carboy would be too much for a 1 gallon batch. And, at this point, moving your beer to another fermenter could cause problems with your beer. Let it do it's thing where it is.

There is a product called Fermcap that will greatly reduce the krauzen, but I believe you need to add it during the boil. That would allow you to ferment with not much head space.

Oh, and the pic I posted was a mild one. I couldn't find the pic of the one where I had to repaint my ceiling. That one was a hell of a mess.

 

[jimyoung]

I'd say overall you can be a little more relaxed about many of the things you mentioned - beer is pretty tough. The biggest one that scares me is infection. Top off is just one more chance at infection so I would have just avoided it and had a slightly stronger beer, no harm. If the temp was different that can also shock the yeast.

With beer, often the best advice is when you make a mistake like that, just leave it - it'll probably be fine. Take good notes and compare to next time.

The yeast are pretty tough - if you rehydrated (which is typically not needed, and can sometimes hurt), they'll still work well for a few days before being too worried.

I've never had my krausen go over, but it's been close. Only with bigger beers (more sugar) and some strains of liquid yeast. My go-to S-05 hasn't been that crazy for me.

welcome to a never-ending rabbit hole of fun!

 

[mygar]

The 3 gallon carboy would be too much for a 1 gallon batch. And, at this point, moving your beer to another fermenter could cause problems with your beer. Let it do it's thing where it is.

There is a product called Fermcap that will greatly reduce the krauzen, but I believe you need to add it during the boil. That would allow you to ferment with not much head space.

Oh, and the pic I posted was a mild one. I couldn't find the pic of the one where I had to repaint my ceiling. That one was a hell of a mess.

Yep I left it as is. So far all good. The overflow tube/jar is doing its thing. Some foam working it's way into the jar. This morning the no foam working out of the tube. Just some steady burping

 

[mygar]

I'd say overall you can be a little more relaxed about many of the things you mentioned - beer is pretty tough. The biggest one that scares me is infection. Top off is just one more chance at infection so I would have just avoided it and had a slightly stronger beer, no harm. If the temp was different that can also shock the yeast.

With beer, often the best advice is when you make a mistake like that, just leave it - it'll probably be fine. Take good notes and compare to next time.

The yeast are pretty tough - if you rehydrated (which is typically not needed, and can sometimes hurt), they'll still work well for a few days before being too worried.

I've never had my krausen go over, but it's been close. Only with bigger beers (more sugar) and some strains of liquid yeast. My go-to S-05 hasn't been that crazy for me.

welcome to a never-ending rabbit hole of fun!

Yep live and learn I did boil the top off water so hopefully no infection!