I cold crashed and the blow off tube sucked a gallon of sanitizer into my fermenter.. Can it be saved? What do I do???:mad
HEEEEELP!!!! Emergency
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Mozart
Well-Known Member
How does it taste?
BeerSlob
Member
Not sure what's gonna happen to your brew. A gallon of anything is going to dillute by quite a bit. Try using water w/ vodka next time.
Haha, I just had that happen to 2 fermenters of an IPA. Dumpers now.
I kegged them anyway, carbonated them fully, and they are so bad that I'm giving them to a distiller I know (easy everyone, he's licensed). They have a distinct soapy taste that is disgusting.
For the record, they each sucked up a about a quart of strong starsan solution.
I kegged them anyway, carbonated them fully, and they are so bad that I'm giving them to a distiller I know (easy everyone, he's licensed). They have a distinct soapy taste that is disgusting.
For the record, they each sucked up a about a quart of strong starsan solution.
Here's what you do:
Write yourself a note that says, "Don't leave the blow-off tube in the fermenter when cold crashing!"
There is no way I'd drink that now...
Write yourself a note that says, "Don't leave the blow-off tube in the fermenter when cold crashing!"
There is no way I'd drink that now...
Yea, I got lazy and thought I'd just leave the blowoff in there the whole time. I'll NEVER do that again.
Darwin18
Well-Known Member
I had that happen with a lager a few months back (and learned a sad lesson). It separated into two distinct layers - the bottom was more beer and the top was more water/sanitizer. I siphoned about 3/4's of the bottom layer, transferred to a keg, and it disappeared quickly at a recent party. People said that they really liked it but I still knew. 
smyrnaquince
Well-Known Member
Well, what are you using for a sanitizer? A gallon of diluted iodophor will probably make the beer bitter. I've seen claims that StarSan feeds yeast, but I don't know about that much of it.
Out of curiosity, why a gallon? Don't you just need enough sanitizer to keep the end of the blow-off tube submerged? Maybe a cup or so?
boscobeans
Well-Known Member
Wow...A Gallon ?
How much headspace did you have in the fermenter ?
It seems it would have to be an awful lot for that much of a change in volume from 60-70 degrees to 40 or so.
Just wondering..
bosco
How much headspace did you have in the fermenter ?
It seems it would have to be an awful lot for that much of a change in volume from 60-70 degrees to 40 or so.
Just wondering..
bosco
cheezydemon3
Well-Known Member
Reason 83 I don't cold crash.
Because you can't remember to disconnect the blow-off tube??
cheezydemon3
Well-Known Member
Because even if you do, air gets sucked in one way or another.
Is reason #1 because you can't?
Well, this is true. I usually use an S lock in this instance, but I have been known to be paranoid enough to use an antibacterial filter sometimes as well. It lets air in, but nothing nasty can get through.
But I usually just don't worry about it. I suppose there could be a method of taking up CO2 instead of air if one were to ponder it a while. Maybe a balloon placed over the fermenter at the end of primary or something.
cheezydemon3
Well-Known Member
No, it is because I percieve no real benefit.
Yeah, the fridge or keezer air is the LAST thing I want touching my beer. The microbial filter sounds interesting!
I get what you mean. I usually only cold crash when I'm in a hurry and there are trade offs.
Here is the type of filter I bought. I need a new one because I forgot to cover the end when I last used it.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/in-line-sanitary-filter.html
TyTanium
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Neither did I until I tried gelatin.
Just because you don't perceive something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. (Funny, sounds like a line I use with my atheist friends. To be clear: I am NOT lumping you in to that group, just hyperbole to show silliness of argument)
TheSmithsEra
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Jerry! Jerry!
This is the main reason that I put the end of my blow off tube in maybe 1 cup of sanitizer. I also do not cold crash. Most of the beers that I have not rushed were very clear without doing a cold crash.
cheezydemon3
Well-Known Member
No worries, and I don't think I was arguing. I used the word "percieve" because I know I could be wrong.
If I had said "Eff you freaks who cold crash! It does NOTHING!!!!!" that would be arguing.
To say "I don't do it because I percieve no benefit" is perfectly calm and rational.
jwalker1140
Well-Known Member
Sure, and simply wanting and/or believing something to be true doesn't make it so. (I assume your atheist friends were able to knock the stitches off your softball.)
OP
OP
Ok. So here is the whole story. This is my 3rd all grain. I am brewing SD-Slim's Blood Orange Hef. Since the recipe uses two yeasts and I used a starter, it was blowing yeast out of the fermenter in great abundance! I was using a 7.9 gal bucket fermenter with 6 gal in it with a regular air lock. So I cleaned it all up and switched to a blow off tube into a two gal jug with 1 gal of star san. Day 21 I adjusted my temp controller to 35 deg, not thinking that the temp drop would suck the sanitizer back into the fermentor. Newb mistake I will NEVER make again. So, reading all of your fantastic advise, I opened up the fermenter and as someone said, there is the layer of star san floating on top. So I used a hose and siphoned off the top layer back into the jug as best as I could without disturbing(mixing) the layers. Racked 5 gal to my corny keg and checked the FG. 1.010. about 1 gal lost to a 2 inch deep trub. Taste, pretty damn good, maybe a little deluted, not sure. So I carbed it and put it in the fridg. Hope it comes out good. Wish me luck. Thanks to all for the "practical" advise................
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