Scraping off krausen during fermentation?

[half_whit]

Hey folks. I recently upgraded some of my brewing rig, including a new propane burner, and it's taking a little getting used to. The thing is practically a jet engine, so I was a little worried about boiling off too much. I over-compensated by leaving the lid mostly on the kettle (causing 3 boil overs. oops). At the end I realized I should have just left the lid off because I was left with about 6 gallons instead of the intended 5. Needless to say, there's not a whole lot of headspace left in my fermenting bucket.

I've been keeping a very close eye on fermentation (we are 3 days in at this point), using a blowoff tube instead of the hydro lock. The krausen SEEMS to have plateaued about an inch from the lid. JUST IN CASE it keeps going and poses an explosion risk, has anyone scraped off the krausen during the fermentation? Aside from an exposure to infection, what other risks are there?

 

[Jag75]

If you have a blow off tube I think you should just let it go . If it gets up to the top it will go up the tube as it is intended, as that's what I was told . A lesson I learned from not having enough head space while fermenting 5 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy. Now its 5 gallons in a 6 gallon carboy lol.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Agree. If you have a blowoff tube there should be no risk of explosion. That's what they are for.
I have had an explosion with a super-vigorous fermentation and an airlock - it blew the lid off the fermenter bucket, but blowoff tubes are the cure for that.
Leave it alone. You'll do more harm than good (excessive exposure to oxygen, risk of infection, etc).

 

[Soulshine2]

Hey folks. I recently upgraded some of my brewing rig, including a new propane burner, and it's taking a little getting used to. The thing is practically a jet engine, so I was a little worried about boiling off too much. I over-compensated by leaving the lid mostly on the kettle (causing 3 boil overs. oops). At the end I realized I should have just left the lid off because I was left with about 6 gallons instead of the intended 5. Needless to say, there's not a whole lot of headspace left in my fermenting bucket.

I've been keeping a very close eye on fermentation (we are 3 days in at this point), using a blowoff tube instead of the hydro lock. The krausen SEEMS to have plateaued about an inch from the lid. JUST IN CASE it keeps going and poses an explosion risk, has anyone scraped off the krausen during the fermentation? Aside from an exposure to infection, what other risks are there?

nope, thats why you have a blowoff tube. I finally got into the habit of shoving a blowoff tube in my carboy bung for the first couple days of high activity . Got tired of waking up to a completely gunked up airlock . Once your krauesen levels off , you can go back to a regular airlock.

 

[Soulshine2]

If you have a blow off tube I think you should just let it go . If it gets up to the top it will go up the tube as it is intended, as that's what I was told . A lesson I learned from not having enough head space while fermenting 5 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy. Now its 5 gallons in a 6 gallon carboy lol.

I hear ya there. I started out with a 5 gallon and jumped on a sale ad on the 6 gallon .Lady I bought it from said her son and a buddy made beer, moved out and forgot it was in her basement. I wish I had another one.

 

[bobeer]

It's called "top-cropping" when you skim the high krausen off the top. It's usually done to capture yeast to make a starter for the next batch. I've done it several times with no issues with oxidation or infection.

In your case I'd do what everyone else is suggesting with the blow-off tube.

 

[half_whit]

Cool thanks guys. I'll let it be!

 

[RPh_Guy]

The thing is practically a jet engine, so I was a little worried about boiling off too much.

You know you can adjust the flame, right?

 

[half_whit]

You know you can adjust the flame, right?

Gee, thanks

 

[Home_alone1]

I just ferment lager now so I don’t have as much to worry about , lager doesn’t seem to need as much headspace

 

[ListerH]

+1 for leaving it be and letting the blow off tube do it's thing...

On a completely unrelated note to the krausen… a nice bubbling boil is a good thing and a bit of volume loss is to be expected. The bubbling boil will expel DMS out of your boiling wort... but don't cover it up with a lid. That condensation just drips it all back in. Not so much an issue with extract brewing but if you're all grain, let it boil free (or only partially covered at most) and adjust the flame to stay in control of it.

 

[half_whit]

+1 for leaving it be and letting the blow off tube do it's thing...

On a completely unrelated note to the krausen… a nice bubbling boil is a good thing and a bit of volume loss is to be expected. The bubbling boil will expel DMS out of your boiling wort... but don't cover it up with a lid. That condensation just drips it all back in. Not so much an issue with extract brewing but if you're all grain, let it boil free (or only partially covered at most) and adjust the flame to stay in control of it.

Yeah, I usually leave it uncovered. This time I tried to cover it partially, but next time I wont. It's a new burner that seems to be a little touchy (though powerful). I was also dealing with a cold and particularly windy day, so I had to play with the "throttle" quite often