# Bubbling Through Airlock



## benarnot (12/10/09)

Hey everybody, 

Thanks for taking the time to read this newbie question... 

I've been brewing using kits for a while, and I've just put one down using a Morgans Wheat Beer can, Morgans Malt Extract (Wheat), the yeast that came under the lid, and a satchel of Dry Enzyme. 

It addition, I also whizzed up 1kg of frozen rasberries in the food processor and mixed it all together in an effort to make a Rasberry Wheat beer, after making a Brewcraft Frambois years ago and recently got my heart broken when I rang Brewcraft and found out they don't import it anymore... 

Anyway, for the first few hours there was no action through the airlock. However, this morning (I put it down yesterday afternoon) there was foam and froth that had come up through the airlock, pushed the top off the airlock and filled the top of the lid of the fermenter with foam and a bit of beer. I got my sterilized sponge and some paper towels and I cleaned everything up before putting the airlock back together (cleaned and sterilized) and went off to work. Ten hours later I've come home, the airlock has been burst off again and there was foam coming up through the top of the keg. Cleaned it all up again, and stuck the airlock back in, and its STILL going! Foaming and frothing up through the airlock. 

Is this normal? What can I do? Will my beer be ruined? 

Thanks, 

Ben


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## raven19 (12/10/09)

Welcome to the forums Ben.

You wont have any issues, all that frothing is the krausen - a great sign of fermentation.

Wheat beers are notorious for being excitable.

Continue to clean the airlock and replace, or you could just drape some glad wrap over the airlock hole.

It should settle down after a few days.


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## raven19 (12/10/09)

Also have a read of the articles here: Article Links here

Inparticular here:
New to Brewing here

Lots of great info here, your beer should be fine.


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## flattop (12/10/09)

"perfectly normal madam"

Suggest a blow off tube.... run a bit of hose from your grommet to a bottle filled with sterile water, change the water often to keep it clean....

Many of us don't use an airlock anymore, just gladwrap and a rubber band.... 1950's contraception...
You can put the fermenter on a towel as somehow you will get leakage around the sides but it works well.
Remember airlocks work on pressure, for the majority of fermentation the pressure is pushing outwards, which means it's not sucking in germs....


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## benarnot (12/10/09)

Wow, thanks for the quick, reassuring replies. Do you mean, take off the lid altogether, put the glad wrap over the top of the fermenter and then a big rubber band around the thread where the lid would screw on if it were there? (I just want to be clear, not trying to be dense). 

Cheers'n'beers, 

Ben


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## manticle (12/10/09)

You can do that. A couple of nice tight layers and use the rubber o-ring from inside the fermenter lid if you can get it out.

Healthy ferment overflow is a prick to clean but doesn't mean ruined beer.


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## raven19 (12/10/09)

Yes if you want to - take off the lid, use the rubber seal from out of the lid as your 'large rubber band'.


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## benarnot (12/10/09)

I must say, I'm shocked and impressed at how friendly and efficient this website is... 

Can I ask why it isn't important for the gas produced to escape? If I have it sealed off with Glad Wrap and a Ring Seal how will the gas escape? 

At the moment the fermentation is so violent I'm worried that it will build up, throw off the Glad Wrap and then dust and bugs and stuff will get in. 

Thanks, 

Ben


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## bum (12/10/09)

benarnot said:


> Can I ask why it isn't important for the gas produced to escape? If I have it sealed off with Glad Wrap and a Ring Seal how will the gas escape?
> 
> At the moment the fermentation is so violent I'm worried that it will build up, throw off the Glad Wrap and then dust and bugs and stuff will get in.



Under normal conditions the gas will weep out around the band (the seal is not perfect but good enough to stop nasties sucking into your brew). But under your current conditions I'd be a little reticent to swap to the gladwrap method too. Sounds messy.

Currently experiencing my first beercano myself. Krausen been coming out the airlock for a week. Will definitely sorting out blow-off for myself.


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## arogers (12/10/09)

OP: the glad wrap method requires you to pierce the glad wrap to allow co2 to escape.


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## benarnot (12/10/09)

Cheers guys. 

Your beer has been exploding for a week?? Damn!! 

Would the reason for this be the Rasberries that I put in it? I was thinking that maybe the extra sugars from the fruit might be the reason for it. 

How many holes would I need to put in the glad wrap? (for next time). Would it be done using a sewing needle, or something bigger? 

One more thing, I've been reading about racking on this site this evening, but I had a few questions that I couldn't find answers for. 

Is racking and 'secondary fermentation' the same thing? 

Does carbonation occur during racking? How long do you leave the brew in the second keg? 

I started racking a few years ago for a short while, but I racked off into the second keg, disolving the required sugar for carbonation, then putting immediately from the second keg into bottles. Does this sound right? 

Cheers,

Ben


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## manticle (12/10/09)

Racking is simply transferring to a different vessel.

Secondary fermentation is a phase the yeast go through.

You may rack for the purposes of encouraging secondary fermentation without the presence of old or dead yeast from the primary phase or you may rack for other reasons. They are not the same but there is an association. You can also rack to bulk prime/carbonate which sounds like what you were doing.

Carbonation occurs all the way through ferment technically as it's simply the production of carbon dioxide. However during fermentation we allow CO2 to escape whereas when we bottle or keg we try and keep it contained.

As for holes - some do, some don't. Gas will escape in any which way it can, including out the sides. Personally I still use a lid and aitlock but most times I just use a dry airlock with glad and a band over the top.


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## benarnot (12/10/09)

Hi, 

Thanks for the clarification. If I were to rack for secondary fermentation, how long would I need to leave it in the second keg? Also, how would I then go about bulk priming? Would I need to rack again into a third container? 

I forgot to mention at the start of all this that alot of the stuff the keg is throwing out is the brown scummy stuff that usually sticks to the side of the keg just above the beer line. I don't know if this makes a difference. 

I've just checked it for a the last time before bed and it certainly seems to have calmed down alot. I've cleaned it up, sanitized the airlock, filled it up (I have a two piece air lock) and put it back. It promptly spat a whole lot of water out, but not nearly as much foam and brown gunk as before. 

Thanks again everybody. I have a recipe for something called a 'Red Eyed Honey Ale' which was really nice. When I find the paper I wrote it on, I'll post it on here. 

Cheers, 

Ben


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## manticle (13/10/09)

By keg, I guess you mean fermenter?

If you are racking for an actual secondary fermentation, you need to leave it until fermentation is finished (stable gravity etc).

As for racking for bulk priming - personally I see it as unnecessary. It's basically simply to encourage proper diffusion of the priming sugar but if you dissolve the sugar first, add, stir gently then leave for 30 mins, it works in the primary vessel and lessens the hassle and potential infection risk. This is my experience only - most guides recommend racking.

Try both and see what you think.

Brown scummy stuff that sticks to the side is healthy yeast. If you can be sanitary about it, you can harvest that stuff for the next brew (wouldn't recommend the spat stuff though).


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## benarnot (13/10/09)

manticle said:


> By keg, I guess you mean fermenter?
> 
> If you are racking for an actual secondary fermentation, you need to leave it until fermentation is finished (stable gravity etc).
> 
> ...




Hi, 

Yes I meant a fermenter. Sorry about that. How long would I need to leave the brew in the secondary fermenter? Also, how would I harvest the brown yeast? I'm guessing with a sanitized spatula and a sanitized zip lock bag? Then, how would I use it? 

I've just checked the exploding brew and it has stopped spewing froth and brown scum out through the airlock. I cleaned everything up, put my two piece airlock back together, filled with water and reattached. Now there is so much gas coming out that it immediately blew almost all the water out! There is still just enough water in there for the airlock to work properly, and I will have to clean it up and put back in again when I get home from work tonight. 

As for priming, I'm currently bottling into green coloured stubbies like Pure Blonde and dropping a carbonation drop into each one before filling with brew and then capping. What would be the best way to carbonate? 

Thanks, 

Ben


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## manticle (13/10/09)

As I said above - you need to leave it until it's finished fermenting (in secondary). That means stable gravity over several days at a gravity within the realms of expectation. ie. If you have a beer you expect to finish at 1012 and it's 1030 over 3 days it's stalled rather than finished.

If same beer hits 1013 and stays that way for 3 days then it's done. Putting it in the fridge for another few days won't hurt it though (helps clarify and condition the beer).

For carbonation I prefer bulk priming. There's plenty of info on how to do it - I believe in the wiki articles section is one called 'the basics of bulk priming' but googling bulk priming or bulk priming guide should bring something up. Most guides suggest racking but I don't.

To harvest the yeast from the krausen you simply use something you can reach in to scoop off the top. I use a soup ladle and yes it should be sanitised. It is basically very healthy yeast. I mix mine with some boiled, cooled water, put it in a longneck and seal.

When you want to use it again you take it out of the fridge and feed it with malt or wort to grow, make sure it's viable and pitch. It's not really worth it with kit yeast and probably not with dried yeasts either but if you buy expensive liquid yeasts then reculturing can make them very economical. Some people also have yeasts that are no longer commercially available due to this practice.


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## Maeldric (13/10/09)

Glad wrap and crazy ferment = this.







Good times :beerbang:

Turned out to be a bloody awesome stout btw


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## Bribie G (13/10/09)

Ooh goody another opportunity to post this picture:




:lol: :lol: 

This one got third prize in the Stouts in the Brisbane club competition and took three days to stop spewing. I'd taken the airlock off at this stage and just sat it in a baby bath till it settled down. The airlock can be easily cleaned with napisan or ALDI type equivalent.


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## benarnot (13/10/09)

Wow! Mine looked like the second photo, the one from BribieG. Its settled down now though and is behaving itself like a regular brew. 

Okay, so my understanding is that the brew must stay in the second fermenter until the SG has reached the appropriate final level. So my next question is when do you move it from the first to the second fermenter. Then should I just mix the sugar and water in a sterilized bowl, put the mixture into the second fermenter, and bottle from there? Or stick to my current method of using carbonation drops? 

Cheers, 

Ben


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## benarnot (13/10/09)

benarnot said:


> Wow! Mine looked like the second photo, the one from BribieG. Its settled down now though and is behaving itself like a regular brew.
> 
> Okay, so my understanding is that the brew must stay in the second fermenter until the SG has reached the appropriate final level. So my next question is when do you move it from the first to the second fermenter. Then should I just mix the sugar and water in a sterilized bowl, put the mixture into the second fermenter, and bottle from there? Or stick to my current method of using carbonation drops?
> 
> ...



Okay. I just read that back and it wasn't my clearest effort. I meant to say that I should add the sugar solution of course after the fermentation has ceased in the second fermenter, not immediately after putting it in the second fermenter. 

Thanks, 

Ben


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## manticle (14/10/09)

Boil the sugar and water together. Make sure it's dissolved. Allow it to cool (covered is good). You can either add it gently into the fermenter, as I do, give it a gentle stir and then allow it to sit for 30 mins before bottling or you can add it to a new fermenter, rack on top and supposedly bottle straight away (although I'd still recommend leaving it at least 10 minutes).

Most guides recommend racking which is mainly for ensuring the sugar solution is dissolved thoroughly. I just rely on diffusion and think racking again is unnecessary.


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## benarnot (16/10/09)

manticle said:


> Boil the sugar and water together. Make sure it's dissolved. Allow it to cool (covered is good). You can either add it gently into the fermenter, as I do, give it a gentle stir and then allow it to sit for 30 mins before bottling or you can add it to a new fermenter, rack on top and supposedly bottle straight away (although I'd still recommend leaving it at least 10 minutes).
> 
> Most guides recommend racking which is mainly for ensuring the sugar solution is dissolved thoroughly. I just rely on diffusion and think racking again is unnecessary.



Hi again, 

I think I've got it now... so moving a brew between two kegs for primary and secondary fermentation is to do with AG brews only. Kit and Kilo brews don't need to be moved? I'm guessing that primary fermentation is do with creation of the wort? 

Cheers, 

Ben


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## manticle (16/10/09)

No. Primary and secondary fermentation are to do with phases the yeast go through as they grow and eat the sugars in the brew, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide and other things. It occurs regardless of which method is used to brew the beer and bulk priming should not occur until after both phases are completed.

Racking for secondary fermentation and racking for bulk priming are two seperate things. Racking is recommended in bulk priming purely to encourage the sugar to dissolve properly. i just find it uneccesary but it has nothing to do with grain or primary/secondary ferment.

This online resource has all of the basics covered. 

http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

It will explain simple and more technical aspects of fermentation and yeast behaviour. It's recommended reading and something you can go back to time and time again. Read the intro and first chapter and then read the chapters on fermentation.

Getting your head around how fermentation works will be of immense value to you and your beers.

Until you understand these basics, I wouldn't worry too much about racking to secondary or bulk priming. You can make beer without them.


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## GTS350 (19/10/09)

manticle (and other beer gods),
thanks for your continuing effort and patience in educating newbs.
I am slowly getting thru all the ahb wiki articles , but having fast answers to topics like this helps a lot, muchly appreciated.


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## Bribie G (19/10/09)

Bulk priming is a good idea if you have several sizes of bottle and need to have a consistent priming rate across all the bottles. Carbonation drops are expensive. Using a funnel or scoop and loose sugar can be messy.

However I find that CSR sugar lumps are fine for priming in PET bottles, they fit exactly through the top of any PET and one lump is almost perfect for a 750ml. When using glass I have a small funnel with handle and that works fine with a slightly rounded tsp of sugar. The lump method can over carbonate some styles such as Milds and UK bitters, I just pour into a chilled glass pub jug and let it steam for a couple of minutes.

I have bulk primed in the past, you end up with one more vessel to wash and sanitise and have to weigh and dissolve sugar or dex by which time I would have done the whole sugar lump thing. Some people swear by bulk priming, others don't see much advantage. It's up to you at the end of the day.

However as pointed out above, priming and secondary fermentation have nothing whatsoever to do with each other.


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