First Beer-splosion

[tyhoward]

Haven't posted here much so thought I'd share today's happenings. My buddy and I brewed an imperial stout Friday night. This is our third beer and we decided we would separate it out into 4 batches to experiment with some different post fermentation ideas. We tried to leave some space for fermentation in the 1 gallon jugs but grossly under estimated the activity that would follow.

Fast forward to this afternoon, I decide to go and see how things are progressing and low and behold two airlocks have beer in them and one bung has been shot out.

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Note I left the jugs in their original cardboard box to keep light off them (even though they are in a freezer fermentation chamber.

A quick trip to the LHBS and a little bit of cleaning and now things are back in order.

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Is it weird that I feel like a real homebrewer now that I've experienced this first hand? I'm just glad it happened in a ferment chamber in the basement and not the kitchen or worse.

 

[IslandLizard]

Nice chamber!

That's really not enough headspace. 1/5-1/4 of the total volume is recommended.

Make sure to cut or grind that star shaped restrictor off the bottom of the airlock. It clogs quickly with krausen, then boom, more mess.

 

[tyhoward]

Nice chamber!

That's really not enough headspace. 1/5-1/4 of the total volume is recommended.

Make sure to cut or grind that star shaped restrictor off the bottom of the airlock. It clogs quickly with krausen, then boom, more mess.

I think I will mark my jug next time to make sure I leave enough. Is the 1/5 - 1/4 a general rule or is that specific to big beers?

Your comment about the restrictor on the air lock has me scared. I hope I don't wake up to another mess! What is its original purpose?

 

[IslandLizard]

I think I will mark my jug next time to make sure I leave enough. Is the 1/5 - 1/4 a general rule or is that specific to big beers?

Your comment about the restrictor on the air lock has me scared. I hope I don't wake up to another mess! What is its original purpose?

Bigger beers tend to have more active fermentation (more sugar) when pitched properly, which you try to keep under control with temps in the chamber. I'd give bigger beers a bit more space, unless you have the means to harvest the krausen blowoff in a sanitary way, it's a good source of marvelous healthy yeast. In that case the smaller headspace is to your advantage.

I have no clue what that restrictor's purpose is. When you took the picture it looks like you got it under control, but you know yeast, it can go rampant again without warning.

You can cut it off with a utility knife and at a later point grind the stem down a bit (dremel, disk grinder, sander) to open it up somewhat more while smoothing the surface out.