Show us your explosion!!

[Jbird]

Never seen this happen in real life but I know it does. Show us your fermenter airlock explosion. I think it's pretty cool how yeast works.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

When my fermenter explodes, I clean up and NEVER share the evidence with ANYONE Its called plausible deniability.

 

[MathiasMicrobrew]

This was an oatmeal stout AG I did a month ago and my primary was tied up and used my carboy as a primary. First time using it as a primary! Needless to say, I made a nice blow off tube for the rest of the fermentation!

There was krausen all over my carpet and walls haha

 

[MathiasMicrobrew]

Here's my blow off into some star san

 

[Jbird]

That's some good stuff. Almost like a milk shake.

 

[MathiasMicrobrew]

It turned out amazing! The krausen kept pushing out the top so I wasn't too worried about anything getting in there. I was using the wrong airlock too. My 3piece was in my bucket primary with Caribou Slobber bubbling away. The s-type I used cldnt handle the vigorous fermentation.

 

[Snisup]

Strawberry Wheat pre-explosion! My girlfriend sent me this picture. I panicked and told her to pull the airlock out right away!

Boom!

She got a strawberry yeast bath... And she cleaned it up!

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Does that make her a strawberry blond?

 

[MathiasMicrobrew]

Touché!

 

[cooldood]

 

[awshucks5]

I would be careful using that much Star San in your bucket for blow off. I learned the hard way and now I use about 8-16 oz in a cup. The reason being is that one time I went downstairs to find that somehow (maybe due to temperature change) all of the sanitizer was sucked back up into the carboy through the blow-off tube and into my beer. Altogether it was about 3/4 gal. of sanitizer. I also immediately change to an airlock after all of the vigorous fermentation is done.

 

[mtnagel]

I think I have one really mild one with a little krausen in the airlock. First time it happened to me so I freaked out. Found it was no big deal.

I did almost have a blowout. For some reason I wasn't using blowoffs on all my batches at that point (like I do now). Luckily I was in the living room and they were fermenting in the dining room (due to my basement being too cold) and I hear this weird noise while I'm watching TV. So I go look and it's starting to come out the airlock onto the top. Luckily I was there to change it out to a blowoff tube quickly. I always use a blowoff now.

 

[catdaddy66]

I have never had that vigorous of a fermentation and hence, no need for a blow off tube. Is there any reason I haven't, such as making 4-6 % abv beer kits or the type of yeast (05, danstar ale)? Not complaining but it seems to be an issue that's not uncommon. I have about 25 batches under my belt.

 

[mtnagel]

I think it's a function of pitching rate and temperature. Do you make starters or pitch straight dry or liquid yeast? Do you ferment at the bottom of the range?

 

[catdaddy66]

I think it's a function of pitching rate and temperature. Do you make starters or pitch straight dry or liquid yeast? Do you ferment at the bottom of the range?

Usually straight dry but last batch made a starter with cooled wort and the Danstar which I pitched at about 60 minutes (the starter WAS vigorous!). My fermentation a are room temp, 68-72 degrees.

 

[Rivenin]

here is a video right after i saw it happen

if you click on it, it should show up.

 

[biochemedic]

knock on wood, I've never had one "pop the top," but one time I did have such a vigorous fermentation that it caused the blow off chamber (a 1 gallon carlo rossi wine jug, initially only about a third full with Star San) to overflow with foam and make a mess...I can't believe I didn't take pictures of than when it happened...

 

[SpeedYellow]

I totally can't comprehend how an explosion even happens. I use those orange caps and a blow-off hose for vigorous ales. Sounds like those orange caps really are the bees knees.

 

[annoyingrob]

I've blown off those orange caps before...

You're just not trying hard enough

 

[Varmintman]

No photos but I blew a 3 piece off a bucket spraying a stream through the little hole until it plugged up and blew the lid off the bucket.

I am not allowed to ferment in my wifes closet any more

 

[Jbird]

No photos but I blew a 3 piece off a bucket spraying a stream through the little hole until it plugged up and blew the lid off the bucket.

I am not allowed to ferment in my wifes closet any more

Yea my wife would just about kill me if that happened to me. I think my brewing days would be just about over.