How should I be covering my fermentor?

[CMcPherson]

I'm a hobby forum veteran so I am used to many different answers to do the same thing but I'm really getting confused by the several references to multiple ways mentioned that primary fermentors are covered.
What is the most common and acceptable method?

 

[Maylar]

You left out a choice - a bung with a blowoff tube.

For the first few days of primary it really doesn't matter. All you need to do is keep fruit flies out. For my 6 gallon plastic bucket I leave the cover on loosely, or cover the lid hole with a clean paper towel held down with a dinner plate. Then when activity slows a bit I'll lock it up and install an airlock. For the glass carboys I always use an airlock.

An airlock is always the safest method, it's just that it can get clogged with foam (hence, the blowoff tube option).

 

[dude3516]

Certain style have different 'traditional' methods, but the safest will always be an airlock/blow off type. I do of course ferment hefeweizen's open with a cheese cloth layover and skim the krausen. I also use a cool ship so it's not by any means a "normal" style of fermenting.

 

[CMcPherson]

Thank you Mylar, that makes sense now.

 

[MaxStout]

Stopper with blowoff tube fed into jar of Starsan.

 

[CMcPherson]

Certain style have different 'traditional' methods,

What are some of the more 'traditional' styles of ciders and even fruit wines?

 

[dude3516]

What are some of the more 'traditional' styles of ciders and even fruit wines?

Traditionally a wine would be covered to keep away flies and the like after the initial fruit crush. Then it would be racked into a sanitary vessel for bulk aging and additional fermentation. Something like a barrel, or today a carboy or bucket with gasket on the lid.

The wine section has some very knowledgeable posters. I'm more educated on the history than the practice when it comes to wines.

 

[CMcPherson]

Thanks guys.
So my future method will be to cover my primary bucket with cheese cloth for the first 24-48 hrs so oxygen can do its thing then I will add a sealed lid with blow off tube until it settles down and then switch to an air lock.
Sound reasonable?
Thanks dude... I'll start hanging out in the wine section some.
They should get a dose of my ignorance also.

 

[Maylar]

Blow off is only needed during the foaming phase, which is typically the first 2 days. Once the foam stops you can wash it down into the fermentor (I use a sanitized turkey baster) if you want, and switch to an airlock. BTW a blowoff tube into a jar of liquid is technically an airlock, just easier to clean.

 

[WVMJ]

I have never really understood why a blowoff tube is used so much, you are just spitting out some of your product. Its so much easier to use a bigger carboy or even a bucket for the primary and not loose any of your must at all. WVMJ

 

[CMcPherson]

Blow off is only needed during the foaming phase, which is typically the first 2 days. Once the foam stops you can wash it down into the fermentor (I use a sanitized turkey baster) if you want, and switch to an airlock. BTW a blowoff tube into a jar of liquid is technically an airlock, just easier to clean.

Thanks... I've been warned that a regular bubbler could clog during the beginning of fermentation and that the blowoff tube helps prevent that.
So I'll just use cheese cloth for the first few days and then just skip right to the standard air lock when it settles down.

 

[SerifSansSerif]

Why wouldn't you use an airlock? they cost a buck apiece usually, and as someone else said, if you need a blow off tube, chances are you're putting too much in a container to begin with.

The only other exception I've seen is a few winemakers had been using giant steel 250 gallon stainless steel tubs with nice floating adjustable seal lids.

All the other ways just scream an accidental contamination or accidental spillage to me. (which as a side note, is also why I use plastic, despite people vehemently in favor of glass, which is A. more expensive by far, and B. veeerrrry prone to breakage and resultant injury. I'd go stainless myself but then that is REALLY out of my price range).

 

[CMcPherson]

I don't mean that I won't use one at all. Just that I'll hold off for a couple of days so that O2 can start to work.
It's important for Oxygen to assist in the beginning right?
I won't buy another glass carboy again either.

 

[SerifSansSerif]

I don't mean that I won't use one at all. Just that I'll hold off for a couple of days so that O2 can start to work.
It's important for Oxygen to assist in the beginning right?
I won't buy another glass carboy again either.

You put oxygen into your cider by shaking the hell out of it prior to fermentation, or when racking, it gains O2 by simply pouring via a thin stream and hitting the bottom/surface of the liquid. having open exposure to the air isn't going to aerate your brew like you'd think... And even for a few hours or a few days, it's easy to knock something over or have dust or even bacteria/yeast from the air decide to start nesting in (though honestly, i get more worried about dust and even MORE worried about knocking into something while handling other equipment or working on a different container).

 

[WVMJ]

Whats wrong with glass carboys? Try degassing with a vacumm in one. Try vacuum racking into one, as you get older you work smarter, a simple vacuum racker lets you rack from anything setting on the floor into a glass carboy on a cart to wheel to whereever you want to put it Those plastic ones, you go to pick it up and forget to take off the airlock it reverse burbs back into the carboy, yuck! WVMJ

I don't mean that I won't use one at all. Just that I'll hold off for a couple of days so that O2 can start to work.
It's important for Oxygen to assist in the beginning right?
I won't buy another glass carboy again either.

 

[SerifSansSerif]

Whats wrong with glass carboys? Try degassing with a vacumm in one. Try vacuum racking into one, as you get older you work smarter, a simple vacuum racker lets you rack from anything setting on the floor into a glass carboy on a cart to wheel to whereever you want to put it Those plastic ones, you go to pick it up and forget to take off the airlock it reverse burbs back into the carboy, yuck! WVMJ

I soeak only for myself in this, but carboys are very prone to breaking, which means very prone to cutting your hand open.

Glass Carboy Accidents

Your Carboy is Trying to Kill You

Near Death Brewing Accidents

And that's just three threads from the forums here that deal with how dangerous they can be. (just search glass carboy accident and you'll find pages of the stuff)

I also used to work retail where glass carboys for a while were the new "thing" and they got coated inside to make them mercury glass, or they were cut and turned into lamps, or what have you. Very pretty, but 90% of the time they'd arrive broken or damaged (despite how well they were packed or not) The glass in a carboy is very uneven and it's super thin at some parts, which when they break, are wicked scary sharp. Like "i might actually be more comfortable picking up scorpions" sharp.

Sure, you can wear thick rubber gloves, but I'd rather not while brewing. It's unwieldy for me.

I'll deal with the (lesser) problems of plastic.

 

[seabrew8]

My new batch is a cheese cloth and towel. Just because i don't have a lid - its an old brew bucket.

After doing "open fermentations" a few times lately, it seems to be working. But i would use an airlock if i had one. However, giving it 1-2 days before putting the airlock on seems like a good idea to me. My yeast usually starts up within 6-8 hours or less in an open bucket.

 

[MarkKF]

I have never really understood why a blowoff tube is used so much, you are just spitting out some of your product. Its so much easier to use a bigger carboy or even a bucket for the primary and not loose any of your must at all. WVMJ

I start with a little over 5 gal. of product in a 6 gal. Carboy or bucket. When fermentation slows I rack into a 5 gal. Carboy filled to the neck. Buy then there is no foam or floaters.

Also I use a 3 piece airlock at first because it's easy to clean if it gets foamed (never had happened). Then I use an S shaped airlock in the secondary because it goes both directions in case temperature causes it to suck in a little air.

Maybe not necessary but it works for me so
I stick to it faithfully.

 

[Maylar]

Thanks... I've been warned that a regular bubbler could clog during the beginning of fermentation and that the blowoff tube helps prevent that.
So I'll just use cheese cloth for the first few days and then just skip right to the standard air lock when it settles down.

You just need to be aware of the room needed for foam. If you leave enough headspace you won't have to deal with that, and an airlock can be used from the start.

Example, this...

... becomes this...

Notice that I had removed just enough cider to allow for the foam. Experience.

My 1 gallon and 1/2 gallon jugs are glass because that's what I started with. They're easier to clean than plastic (they don't scratch) but yes they're delicate. I had one jug crack while washing it in the sink - they don't like hot water.

Anything bigger than a gallon is plastic. Lighter and safer.

 

[CMcPherson]

Whats wrong with glass carboys? Try degassing with a vacumm in one. Try vacuum racking into one, as you get older you work smarter, a simple vacuum racker lets you rack from anything setting on the floor into a glass carboy on a cart to wheel to whereever you want to put it Those plastic ones, you go to pick it up and forget to take off the airlock it reverse burbs back into the carboy, yuck! WVMJ

I'm sure that there is not a darn thing wrong with glass containers that careful attention won't take care of.
My main reason at the moment is cost, weight and occupied space. Buckets are cheap and take up a limited amount of space. This allows me to sneak yet another time-consuming hobby past the gate-keeper.
I'd love to have a rack full of shiny carboys bubbling away but that's just not in my wheelhouse.

 

[CMcPherson]

You put oxygen into your cider by shaking the hell out of it prior to fermentation, or when racking, it gains O2 by simply pouring via a thin stream and hitting the bottom/surface of the liquid. having open exposure to the air isn't going to aerate your brew like you'd think... And even for a few hours or a few days, it's easy to knock something over or have dust or even bacteria/yeast from the air decide to start nesting in (though honestly, i get more worried about dust and even MORE worried about knocking into something while handling other equipment or working on a different container).

I'll keep this in mind.
I'm only on my first batch of cider (and I have a gal. beer kit that I got for Christmas last year that I'm finely doing as a lark), and I'm sure that I'll rethink my method. This is going to be FUN! I don't know what took me so long to trip into this hobby.

 

[WVMJ]

I have one very good piece of advice that has been shared among this community for a long long time. If you want to expand you have to make the guardians favorite, you will need at least 2 carboys, one to make it in and then one to rack it into so it can be clear for the guard. This opens the doors to slow expansion, now you need a corker to put the corks in the guards fav drink. You pick up another carboy for experiments that she might like. I went thru this training with my wife, now she picks 100 pounds of black raspberries every year and I have to make it all up into wine and mead. THen we planted some apple trees and tried to crush by hand, so she didnt like that much work so I got a crusher and press. Get the guard involved and make sure to always put making their fav your priority. Make sure to show it to them every couple of weeks and talk about how good its going to be, make sure to let them taste it when you rack to see how it develops. GOOD LUCK

I'm sure that there is not a darn thing wrong with glass containers that careful attention won't take care of.
My main reason at the moment is cost, weight and occupied space. Buckets are cheap and take up a limited amount of space. This allows me to sneak yet another time-consuming hobby past the gate-keeper.
I'd love to have a rack full of shiny carboys bubbling away but that's just not in my wheelhouse.

 

[CMcPherson]

That is some sage advice right there!
Thank you Sensei!

I've learned, the hard way unfortunately, that as long as I take care of their 'satisfaction' first, I get away with a lot more. :rockin: