When you think you should use a blow-off, USE IT.

[mrmcdowe]

I also use the same setup as hal2814 does. It works in a carboy also, especially if you use a 5gl carboy to ferment. It has worked well for me so far Nothing worse then speckling the ceiling with beer, especially when it is in your bedroom. Beer dripping from ceiling makes wife unhappy.

 

[jds]

Cover it with loose foil. PsuedoChef... back me up.

Backed up. I'm done with airlocks on the primary fermenter. Sanitized foil works fine.

Is there a big chance that the beer will get infected with just foil instead of airlock?

I don't think so. If the beer's pushing CO2 out, that keeps stuff from getting in. Remember, wild yeast, microbes, and other contaminants don't have legs. They have to drift around attached to dust or insects or whatever. If you keep gas moving out, nothing gets in.

FYI, I did a witbier a couple of weeks ago that blew foam out of the carboy cap I use on 6.5 g carboys, even after adding foam control drops. It was no problem, except that cleaning dried crusty yeast residue off the outside of a carboy is not much fun.

 

[PseudoChef]

Here, here, foil! Plus, ever since I started using Fermcap-S (of which a $5 bottle will last you for I'd say about a 100 batches), I don't even worry about blow-offs (until my top-cropping fiasco - but I'm done with that).

 

[bismarkarek]

so, had my first ever blow out, 3 of them technically, few hours after i pitched i checked on it and the airlock was filled with crap, so i cleaned it out and replaced it, 2nd time few more hours checked on it airlock full of skudge again, cleaned it and sacrificed a few thiefs worth of brew to the gods, cuz i figured id just over filled my carbouy, and replaced the airlock after cleaning it again, than i go to bed, i live in a bachelors apartment, and i was woken up by a loud pop followed by a gush and splatter, and instantly went "****", krausen everywhere, so, groggily i stumble out and see the mess before my eyes and groan, this is my first time making beer, im a wine and mead guy so im not used to the extreme energy of beer, i now see why you guys make it in buckets and not carbuoys, having never had to deal with this before i didnt really know how to go about doing it so i improvised, sanitized a j cloth and rubber band, and slapped that puppy over the mouth, few hours later and it looks like hell, should i have done something differently? is my beer going to get infected cuz i used a cloth instead of foil....that i dont have?