andylegate
Well-Known Member
LOL! This is the second time I came home from work to find a blow out!
First time was with my 2nd batch of Cherry Wheat ale. I hadn't added the pureed cherries yet, so it was just the wheat ale fermenting. That was a case of me filling my fermentation bucket up too much. Heck of a mess to clean up.
This time however it was with my Merlin's Ale. I put it in a carboy to ferment, and I made sure to leave plenty of room for the foam. Last night the brew was REALLY active, swirling around like a mini tornado. But the foam was not rising.
Got home today from work, and I've got dried foam all in the air lock and all over the stopper! Har!
I quickly grabbed one of my spare stoppers and air locks, and after getting sanitized, I pulled the foam filled one off.
B O O M!
Lucky me, it was just gas escaping, no more foam. But it did get me to jump back really quick!LOL! I wish someone had being video taping me, they would have gotten a good laugh.
Evidently the activity died down enough for the foam to dry and form a plug, then picked back up and started pressurising the carboy. I bet if I had waited another hour, it would have popped like a champaign cork! Now it's back to really making the air lock gurggle a lot. So I'm keeping a close eye on it.
This is the first time I've used liquid yeast, so that might have had a lot to do with it. It's a 5 gallon carboy, but I've only got about 4 gallons in it, so I had a LOT of head room. I did that on purpose, just in case. The grain bill for this batch was small, only a few ounces, and only 5 lbs of malt.
Just goes to show you, no mater how many batches you do, you'll still get surprised once in a while! Ha!
First time was with my 2nd batch of Cherry Wheat ale. I hadn't added the pureed cherries yet, so it was just the wheat ale fermenting. That was a case of me filling my fermentation bucket up too much. Heck of a mess to clean up.
This time however it was with my Merlin's Ale. I put it in a carboy to ferment, and I made sure to leave plenty of room for the foam. Last night the brew was REALLY active, swirling around like a mini tornado. But the foam was not rising.
Got home today from work, and I've got dried foam all in the air lock and all over the stopper! Har!
I quickly grabbed one of my spare stoppers and air locks, and after getting sanitized, I pulled the foam filled one off.
B O O M!
Lucky me, it was just gas escaping, no more foam. But it did get me to jump back really quick!LOL! I wish someone had being video taping me, they would have gotten a good laugh.
Evidently the activity died down enough for the foam to dry and form a plug, then picked back up and started pressurising the carboy. I bet if I had waited another hour, it would have popped like a champaign cork! Now it's back to really making the air lock gurggle a lot. So I'm keeping a close eye on it.
This is the first time I've used liquid yeast, so that might have had a lot to do with it. It's a 5 gallon carboy, but I've only got about 4 gallons in it, so I had a LOT of head room. I did that on purpose, just in case. The grain bill for this batch was small, only a few ounces, and only 5 lbs of malt.
Just goes to show you, no mater how many batches you do, you'll still get surprised once in a while! Ha!