Had a major blow-off on my Hefe - thought “No way - I pitched at less than 60 F and set the ferm-fridge to 62 F!” What a mess! It was WLP300.
OK, so I need to get a blow-off tube, and my question is this: Who uses a blow-off tube and when, and for what yeast strains or beer styles?
I use one for every beer so I can use a carboy hood with a thermowell. I ferment 5.5 gallons in a 6 gallon better bottle. I like the bloop sounds the blowoff makes.
Fore sure use with Hefe, Kolsh, and Big Beers.
I use a blow off for every batch I make. Otherwise, by the time you discover you need one it’s usually too late. I have found that there’s no down side to using one. I generally leave it on for the first week or 2 of fermentation simply because there’s no reason to remove it.
Me too. The reason for switching to an airlock is making room in the freezer for another batch
I make small batches with usually tons of head space. So 3787/530 is about the only time. It seems to love to try to escape right before it is done working.
I use one for every batch, including the lagers that don’t even get close to pushing junk through the hose. I use better bottles so my blow off tube is a 1/2" vinyl tube over the larger port on the orange carboy caps. The other end just goes into a plastic gallon water jug that I cut the top off of.
I also just leave them on the entire time I’m fermenting.
I do for each and every batch, been there, done that clean up thing once and swore never again!
I don’t use one…haven’t had blowoff in quite a while now, ever since I started controlling my fermentation. I even use pure O2 and use extra rehydrated dry yeast, starter, or harvested yeast. I ferment 4 gallons in 5 gallon carboys. Usually ferment on the low end, just never need it.
5 & 6 gal. carboys = always
6.5 gal.carboy = rarely
8 gal. bucket & 15 gal. barrel = never
Every brew! When it slows down I add an airlock! Why do I switch to an airlock you ask? Because I once cold crashed with the blowoff still connected and it sucked some of that old blowoff crap right back into the carboy!!! :o
My approach as well. Headspace for a 5 gallon batach seems to be an important part of the equation, along with yeast type, beer size, etc. If I have 1.5 gallons of free space, I have never had a problem. My biggest problem was the time I tried to “squeeze” a bigger batch into the 6 gal carboy (the 6.5 gal was busy).
Every batch, blew off one early on, enough for me.
When I used to use carboys I used one regularly, but since I switched to 8 gallon wine fermenter buckets, never.
Every batch for atleast the first week.
I usually brew 3 gallons in a 6.5 gallon bucket, so it’s not an issue. But then I never think of it the once or twice a year when it really is needed. For example, I went downstairs after work tonight to find a barfed-up airlock on the lambic that I topped off yesterday. Ick.
I use them on full carboys and predictably strong fermenting beers like hefes.
I have never been sorry that I used a blow-off tube, but… I can certainly say that I have been sorry that I didn’t.
Unless I’m brewing a lager at 54F which I know won’t blow I use a blowoff hose, period, no exceptions. I brew in a stainless conical locked in a big fermentation chamber that I don’t open for 2 weeks so I need to feel comfortable that the blowoff is contained
Weizen yeasts and Belgian yeasts produce copious amounts of krausen. Plus I think the viscosity of big beers contributes to more krausen formation.
I don’t generally use one, instead I manage by providing appropriate head space.
I have a question though, do you think a blowoff provides any benefits other than preventing messes? Specifically, does it help you get rid of braunhefe that would otherwise fall back and affect beer taste?
only if you intentionally limit headspace. but then you are potentially blowing off a lot of good yeast at the same time.
I believe Kai has cited that as an advantage.