First Day After Brew...

[tamrielsgirl]

So we brewed an extract kit last night with a morebeer brewing setup. Started with the hale's ales tres fem tart cherry golden ale. This went into the fermenting bucket at approximately 10 pm last night, we woke up at 8 and it had blown the airlock and the lid off the bucket. What.... So is this just an extremely vigorous fermentation, or is there something I can do to chill it out?

P.S. Was brewed with White Labs Belgian Ale Yeast.

 

[beerman0001]

Need to get the temp down to the mid 60s and get a blow off tube on it.

 

[gcdowd]

Google blow off tube. You'll probably want to hook one up. In the meantime, clean off the air lock and re-sanitize it and place it back on.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

go to home depot, or menards, or somewhere like that and get some tubing and make yourself a blowoff tube.

i ALWAYS use a blow off tube for the first 4 or 5 days, no matter what.

saves cleaning up a big mess.

 

[tamrielsgirl]

Okay, I can go purchase some tubing. But before I do, I did happen to get some liquid FoamCapS from MoreBeer. I was just a little wary about putting into our first brew. Will it help at all now or is the blow off tube the best bet?

I am a chem major, and I know that the yeast reaction is causing the mess. But you know, chemicals + chemicals....

By the way, everything (I mean everything) was sanitized during the brew.

 

[Conan]

Just throw the blow-off tube on it and call it a day. I've never used the caps, so maybe someone will chime in there. How'd you blow off a bucket? I've had it happen with carboys but never a bucket. Impressive. Kyle

 

[tamrielsgirl]

Honestly....
First. We had a hell of a yeast starter (900 ml ish). I feel at home with microbiology and chem, so I was like, what the heck. And White Labs isn't messing around with their yeast. We have a magnetic stir plate and stirred it for 36ish hours, and then pitched the entire starter.

Well, I can say the yeast is killing it. And there's a discernible mess in the laundry room.

 

[DocScott]

Fermcap won't help much now. It's used during the boil to help cut down on the possibility of hot break boil over. As you said, your active fermentation caused by your well made starter is the culprit. Resanitize you lid and airlock and replace. Then make a blow off tube and replace your airlock with it. Then take some pics if your mess and post here. Then clean up said mess and relax with a beer. It'll still turn out well most likely! Congrats on all that Chem lab experience having real life applications in making a killer starter!!

 

[GeorgiaTiger]

YES! Post pics!

 

[Channel66]

Props to a nice big starter for a beginner. And for explosive fermentation. Mmm beer mess.

 

[Calder]

Use the fermcap, it upsets the surface film and reduces the amount of kraeusen. It is supposedly inert and will drop with the trub when fermentation is finished. Use about 2 drops per gallon. I use it in the kettle and ferm,enter and will not brew without it.

Do not lower your temps. If this were a British or American yeast I would say you need to get the temps to mid 60s. But you are using a Belgian yeast; they give better results fermenting in the mid 70s. With Belgians, it is all about the yeast flavors. If you ferment it cool it will not produce too much flavor.

You might want to research swamp coolers to help control temperatures.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Honestly....
First. We had a hell of a yeast starter (900 ml ish). I feel at home with microbiology and chem, so I was like, what the heck. And White Labs isn't messing around with their yeast. We have a magnetic stir plate and stirred it for 36ish hours, and then pitched the entire starter.

Well, I can say the yeast is killing it. And there's a discernible mess in the laundry room.

Btw... The fact that the yeast is working so well is a good thing. Every single person who tells you they always use a blowoff tube learned the same lesson as you, the same way.

Congrats on your first brew.

 

[GeorgiaTiger]

Every single person who tells you they always use a blowoff tube learned the same lesson as you, the same way.

NOPE...WRONG...I learned by listening to YOU GUYS whose beer made a mess on YOUR floors. LOL :rockin:

 

[RM-MN]

NOPE...WRONG...I learned by listening to YOU GUYS whose beer made a mess on YOUR floors. LOL :rockin:

It wasn't just floors the beer made a mess on. You have to include walls and ceiling. :cross:

 

[BrewKid]

Honestly....
First. We had a hell of a yeast starter (900 ml ish).

Honestly I don't think that's really much of a starter at all. When brewing my RIS my starter was 1500ml. And yes...mine exploded too! (Blowoff tube immediately required)

 

[NurseJackie]

+1 on fermcap. I use it in my boil regularly but if I see that I'm getting so much foam in my blowoff tube that it might clog, I'll put a few extra drops into the fermenter -- doesn't stop the krausen completely, but significantly lowers the foam level. (I was wary about using fermcap initially also, but every craft brewery I've visited tells me they use it - or something similar - and it drops out after fermentation is complete.)