Help! Fermentation going nuts!

[Stevorino]

My fermentation is going so crazy that the krausen (foam on top) is going up into the airlock and getting it all goopy. What can I do? Just keep cleaning the airlock till it subsides?

 

[SporkD2]

Rig a blow of tube, basically put a piece of sanitized tubing over the middle piece of the airlock. Put the other end in a light sanitized solution of water / starsan.

 

[Stevorino]

Rig a blow of tube, basically put a piece of sanitized tubing over the middle piece of the airlock. Put the other end in a light sanitized solution of water / starsan.

Good idea-- I'm doing it right after posting-- anyone else do this or anything else before?

 

[Revvy]

Good idea-- I'm doing it right after posting-- anyone else do this or anything else before?

Just about every brewer has an explosive fermentation at one time or another...It's a right of passage!

Do this

 

[SporkD2]

i dont use airlocks anymore, just in case

 

[Rick_R]

anyone else do this or anything else before?

It's a common practice. On a lower OG beer, I use the carboy caps:

and put a blow-off tube on the second port of the cap. On a big beer (I've only done one) I use a large blow-off tube:

Image location:http://www.bodock.org/PostImages/2008/WeeHeavyBlowoff.jpg

Rick

 

[Stevorino]

Awesome-- Had a perfect amount of the right size tubing and fixed it all up-- now I can rest easy! Thanks guys!

 

[Teacher]

Yup, my high-gravity IIPA blew up on me last Sunday morning. I had beer splashed up over five feet high on the walls next to the bucket. I never even thought of rigging up a blow-off tube...I won't make that mistake again! The incident inspired me: due to the explosion and what should be a big, hoppy flavor, I've changed its name from Northland IIPA to Outburst IIPA.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

If I had a camera I would show you pictures of my ceiling when my blow off tube got blocked on a dry hopped stout. Bigger is better.

 

[Stevorino]

So it sounds like blow-off tubes are the standard instead of airlocks...

 

[Yooper]

So it sounds like blow-off tubes are the standard instead of airlocks...

I think it's about 50/50. I rarely use a blow off tube- but I usually primary in a big plastic bucket and I rarely make wheat beers. I ferment on the cool side of the yeast's range, too, which tends to keep it a slower and steady ferment. If I were going to ferment in a 6 gallon glass carboy, I'd always use a blow off tube, though.

 

[DubbelDach]

So it sounds like blow-off tubes are the standard instead of airlocks...

Standard for my primaries. 6.5 gallon carboy with a 1" blowoff tube crammed in the neck. I do yeast starters, add yeast nutrient, and oxygenate every batch, so big blowoffs are the norm here.

 

[Revvy]

So it sounds like blow-off tubes are the standard instead of airlocks...

I've only needed on in the last 10 batches. It depends on the yeast you use, whether you have a lot of fermentables, if you are pitching on a yeast cake...For Hefe's and wits, yeah it's standard issue.