Rookie question

Yapper · Post by **Yapper** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:03 am

This friday I will be brewing my first home brew, a basic pale ale (5gal). I have all the gear including a 5gal glass carboy. Just last night i measured the volume of the carboy and 5gal is right up to the neck. I will upgrade to a 6gal. in the future.

Question: Will the 5gal cause me any problems for a basic pale ale or should i panic and try to find a larger fermenter (today)?

iguenard · Post by **iguenard** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:16 am

Dont worry, just get a blow-off tube for when the fermentation kicks up foam on top of the beer. You can expect roughly 2-3 inches of foam at its most active, though I have seen belgian yeats cause an excessive amount of foam that went straight through an airlock. Basicaly, just hook up a 18-26 inch rubber hose to the end of the plastic tube in your airlock, and put the other end in a mason jar half-way full of vinegar, water, or whatever sanitizing solution you have available.

I would just fill up the fermentor to where the curve begins, and ditch the rest of the beer. Cheap solution.

If you fill it to the neck, the pressure could pop open your fermentor, and although open fermentation is possible, and CO2 can act as a protecting layer on top of a fermenting beer, your still at risk for infection.

Fermentation is pretty powerful when really active. I have a stainless steel 80L fermentor, and when I ferment using a good, healthy culture, it can shake from the bubbling... to the point of keeping me up at night.

icemachine · Post by **icemachine** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:59 am

I have 5 & 6 gallon carboys, if I'm using the 5 gallon I target my recipe as 20L instead of 23L

Yapper · Post by **Yapper** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 9:59 am

Thanks,

Filled her to below the neck, no action for a day and a half with alot of sediment in the bottom. We left the house for the afternoon and came back to the stopper and airlock missing. We currently have a blow off tube, with whirlwind action inside the carboy.....its exciting, as we did not know what to expect.

We will have to upgrade to a larger carboy for next time.
PS...boil overs are a blast.

JerCraigs · Post by **JerCraigs** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:42 am

Yapper wrote: PS...boil overs are a blast.

One of my favorite homebrews was the one where we accidentally set the stove on fire...

Guybrush · Post by **Guybrush** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 12:32 pm

It's not just steaks that taste better with a light flame kiss!

Boiling over is a homebrewing "right of passage", consider yourself older and wiser now! Setting the stove on fire is not necessary, but adds excellent atmospheric effect, and aroma!

Tapsucker · Post by **Tapsucker** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:53 pm

Guybrush wrote: Boiling over is a homebrewing "right of passage", consider yourself older and wiser now! Setting the stove on fire is not necessary, but adds excellent atmospheric effect, and aroma!

Come summer you will appreciate your whole kitchen acting as flypaper.

bufordsbest · Post by **bufordsbest** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:04 pm

had a beauty boil over today with burnt hand to boot, it will all be worth it though when im tipping the first pint back!