HUGE Head of foam??

[Philly]

This is my second batch of brew. It has a large head in the carboy and is trying to escape!! I took the airlock off and put a blow off tube in place is this normal or what should I be doing? Is this good/bad or normal??

 

[MuchoGusto]

Normal. Relax.

 

[user 70770]

Large krausen can result from several things. If you're fermenting warm (say 70+ F), then you may get a more active fermentation. The same goes if you're making a strong beer. Lots of sugar means the yeast will go nuts. Also, certain yeast strains are referred as "true top cropping". Beers fermented with such yeast may be more likely to cause cloggage. But yeah, it's normal. I've cleaned my fair share of beer off the ceiling after clogged airlocks. :cross:

 

[TarheelBrew13]

Sounds normal to me too. What was the strain?

 

[Philly]

Thanks to all of you for your response! It's Northern Brewers kit Lakefront Brewery fixed gear amber ale! It looks like it's gonna be great if it all works out!

 

[kh54s10]

You did exactly the right thing. I always start my fermentations with a blow off, just in case. Using a blow off tube beats cleaning krausen off the ceiling.

You can also use Fermcap-S to control the krausen.

Watch the temperature of your beer. You want to keep the temperature in the low to mid sixties optimally.

If you aren't using some type of temperature control, look up "swamp cooler".