Super active hefe. help!

[brewshki]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1481082563.120443.jpg

So, I am away until Thursday night for work and my dunkelweizen currently looks like this. This photo is from my girlfriend. She says that no krausen is on the carboy and it has just gotten into the airlock. What would you do? There is still a container of sanitizer there and I could have her sanitize a piece of foil and remove the bug and cap and put the foil on it. My inclination is to this but I haven't done this since the last time where it blew the whole cap off and I was afraid of air getting in it.

 

[day_trippr]

How long ago was the yeast pitched? Perhaps she caught the aftermath?

Cheers!

 

[brewshki]

The yeast was pitched on Sunday so I am pretty sure this thing is still going strong.

 

[day_trippr]

Would you have the tubing and could she rig up a blow-off tube to a bucket of water?

Otherwise pulling the 3-piece and just covering the cap nipple with sanitized foil might be the better part of valor.
It's not going to prevent spillage but at least it won't launch the air lock...

Cheers!

 

[brewshki]

Would you have the tubing and could she rig up a blow-off tube to a bucket of water?

Otherwise pulling the 3-piece and just covering the cap nipple with sanitized foil might be the better part of valor.
It's not going to prevent spillage but at least it won't launch the air lock...

Cheers!

I don't think I can talk her through a blow off set up unfortunately. I do wonder at what point it is. If it is still creating positive pressure, I have no worries.

 

[Special Hops]

Take off the air lock, wash it all out and clean it, sanitize, re-install and refill with star-san.

This happens on mine occasionally.

 

[RM-MN]

I don't think I can talk her through a blow off set up unfortunately. I do wonder at what point it is. If it is still creating positive pressure, I have no worries.

During the active part of the fermentation there will be quite a lot of CO2 dissolved into the beer as well as expelled through the airlock. When the ferment slow down some of that CO2 will outgas from the beer for some time and create a positive flow of CO2 from that small opening in the airlock. Bacteria, being notably poor swimmers, cannot swim against that gas current to get into the fermenter. You have several days to get back and rescue the beer.

 

[brewshki]

During the active part of the fermentation there will be quite a lot of CO2 dissolved into the beer as well as expelled through the airlock. When the ferment slow down some of that CO2 will outgas from the beer for some time and create a positive flow of CO2 from that small opening in the airlock. Bacteria, being notably poor swimmers, cannot swim against that gas current to get into the fermenter. You have several days to get back and rescue the beer.

That was my inclination as I have had to do this a lot with my hefes. I just have not done it in a while and definitely not when I have had to be away. First work trip of my first big boy job. This whole real life thing is weird haha. At least there is home brew!

 

[kh54s10]

If you need to call with instructions a sanitized piece of foil over the top of the airlock would be easiest to describe. Clean and replace the airlock when you can.

Advice: Start every fermentation with a blow off tube installed. I have made similar recipes, with the same yeast, with temperature control, one might blow off and then next won't. You never really know - so take the safe route.....

 

[brewshki]

If you need to call with instructions a sanitized piece of foil over the top of the airlock would be easiest to describe. Clean and replace the airlock when you can.

Advice: Start every fermentation with a blow off tube installed. I have made similar recipes, with the same yeast, with temperature control, one might blow off and then next won't. You never really know - so take the safe route.....

I have been using foam control instead and that normally does the trick.

 

[kh54s10]

I have been using foam control instead and that normally does the trick.

Normally is the operative word.

I used to use Fermcap-S and sometimes even with it I got blow off. Since it is silicone and I don't want anything artificial in my beers I have stopped using it.

 

[brewshki]

The real question now is if the starsan I left behind is still good or if I need to whip up a new batch... Finally going home tonight so I can save this poor thing.

 

[Lefou]

My solution for a vigorous fermentation with a lot of CO2 and thick krausen was using a larger carboy. A slightly larger inner headspace can take some pressure off the airlock. Right now I have a 3gal. batch of wit in a 6gal. carboy. If I'd used a 5gal. carboy with 4gal. of wort - like I've done before - the blowoff would've gone on right away.

As long as your yeast is still active and producing CO2, I'd think the overpressure should keep any bugs out as long as the carboy mouth is sufficiently covered. I usually keep multiple airlocks, stoppers, and bungs around. At about a dollar apiece, spare airlocks are handy to have.

 

[ncbrewer]

My solution for a vigorous fermentation with a lot of CO2 and thick krausen was using a larger carboy

This^
I normally ferment 5 gallons in a 7.9 gallon bucket, and I don't use a blow-off tube. I don't brew any really big beers - that might make a difference. I also control the temperature.

 

[brewshki]

This is the first hefe yeast beer that I have brewed since moving from 5 gallon to 5.5 gallon batches. Apparently .5 gallons was enough to make it go

 

[brewshki]

Well boys, I messed up. I moved my chest freezers around and I totally forgot to plug my fridge back in. Luckily, it has been pretty cold this week and the heater was plugged in but I just found my beer sitting at 19.5C instead of the 16.7C I had wanted. It had about a week at its proper temp. Guess you have to learn lessons the hard way...

 

[RM-MN]

Well boys, I messed up. I moved my chest freezers around and I totally forgot to plug my fridge back in. Luckily, it has been pretty cold this week and the heater was plugged in but I just found my beer sitting at 19.5C instead of the 16.7C I had wanted. It had about a week at its proper temp. Guess you have to learn lessons the hard way...

Nothing to worry about. Your beer had all the time necessary at fermentation temperature and the warmer temp when it had settled down would just speed up the clean-up phase. I usually do that on purpose.:rockin:

 

[brewshki]

Nothing to worry about. Your beer had all the time necessary at fermentation temperature and the warmer temp when it had settled down would just speed up the clean-up phase. I usually do that on purpose.:rockin:

I am very happy that it had plenty of time during that initial fermentation phase. as I understand it, that is when most off flavors will be produced. I dont think it ever got too hot, but I don't know how stable it was. Southern California has funny winters so it will go from maybe 75 during the day to 45 at night.