Crazy Fermentation

[melinda]

G'day men,
My last 2 brews have been spewing over the top of my fermentation bucket. I am making ales in 60 litre batches and pitching 2 by 12 g american dry yeast sachets. My fridge is set at 18 degrees. After 2 days it starts to build a nice krausen and then it erupts out over the lid. This has only happened to my last 2 brews. Why is this happening?
Cadbury

 

[Dazza_devil]

How much headspace to do have in the fermenter when you pitch the yeast?

 

[Siborg]

hey, I've had the same problem with my last two brews. One was 24L in a 25L fermenter with whitelabs irish ale, and the other was 23L in 25L with coopers sparkling yeast... not enough headspace in either, though I've done 23L in the 25L fermenters before with US05 with no overflow.

That coopers yeast is a hungry strain... done in 4 days!

 

[Wolfy]

Your pitching rate and temperate look fine, but as Boagsy asked, how much head-space do you have in your fermented?
Also with 60L of newly-fermenting wort how/where do you measure your fridge temps? You might find that the temp of your fermentation is a little warmer than the air inside the fridge?

 

[Ross]

G'day men,
My last 2 brews have been spewing over the top of my fermentation bucket. I am making ales in 60 litre batches and pitching 2 by 12 g american dry yeast sachets. My fridge is set at 18 degrees. After 2 days it starts to build a nice krausen and then it erupts out over the lid. This has only happened to my last 2 brews. Why is this happening?
Cadbury

I've got the same thing happening currently at 17c. Tasty wort & fresh healthy yeast need lots of headspace.

cheers Ross

 

[manticle]

Happens a lot to me - mainly using top cropping yeasts, high gravity worts and presumably too little headspace. I actually see it as a sign of healthy fermentation. Clean it up, clean up the scunge around and let it do its thing. With that much healthy ferment action going on I don't see other microbes being in with much of a chance for domination unless you leave the spilled wort around long enough to dry and go festy.

 

[dr K]

I've got the same thing happening currently at 17c. Tasty wort & fresh healthy yeast need lots of headspace.

cheers Ross

yes..kk kurrently ferments in stainless steel kegs with about 25% headspace, there is some method to this though as I am having a system constructed that will allow me to seal the kegs, connect a standard gas-in line (except its gas out) to the keg/fermentor, joint the lines at a manifold to a single out line with first a PRV then a oneway valve.
the CO2 production from the kegs goes from the kegs to the manifold and via the PRV and one way valve to another sealed keg of water held at 1C in a fridge, the CO2 is slowly dissolved in the water, excess is vented via the PRV on the fermentor/manifold side. At the completion of fermentation, fining or even filtering the beer is chilled, the carbonated water returned to room temperature and the gas goes back to its maker.....

K

 

[Screwtop]

The last double batch of IPA that my son made, we pitched one pack on S-05 in each fermenter of 22L. One went berserk and blew out ot the top of the fermenting vessel and the other, behaved normally. Strange I thought as both packs of yeast had the same use by date.

Screwy

 

[TidalPete]

The last double batch of IPA that my son made, we pitched one pack on S-05 in each fermenter of 22L. One went berserk and blew out ot the top of the fermenting vessel and the other, behaved normally. Strange I thought as both packs of yeast had the same use by date.

Screwy

Very Strange alright.
Did you get them from the same place at the same time Screwy? Perhaps an end of one bulk slab & the beginnings of another?
Perhaps you would be better placing your trust in liquid yeast? Maybe 1272 which is (IMHO) a much better yeast than 1056.

TP

 

[Nick JD]

Is the wort underneath the monster head fermenting at a desirable rate? Or too fast producing off-flavours?

Can we innoculate with "too-healthy" yeast and in effect, over-pitch?

 

[Screwtop]

Very Strange alright.
Did you get them from the same place at the same time Screwy? Perhaps an end of one bulk slab & the beginnings of another?
Perhaps you would be better placing your trust in liquid yeast? Maybe 1272 which is (IMHO) a much better yeast than 1056.

TP

Bought from the same place at the same time Pete, same use by date and kept in the fridge at the HBS. Liquids are a problem for me now brewing so infrequently these days. Building up that culture of yours for my next brew in a few weeks time.

Screwy

 

[Screwtop]

Is the wort underneath the monster head fermenting at a desirable rate? Or too fast producing off-flavours?

Can we innoculate with "too-healthy" yeast and in effect, over-pitch?

They both finished at the same time, same FG same flavours/aromas, really weird.... :huh:

Screwy

 

[melinda]

G'day men,

I posted the original thread and have only had a chance to read the replies today. I measure the temp by having one of the outlet tubes from a keg inside the brew and the probe slides inside it. So the fridge is operating off the temp of the liquid inside the fridge. It was interesting to read about the health of the yeast. Maybe I don't have to pitch as much. I did forget to say that the last 2 brews that have spewed out the lid fermented for 7-8 days and tasted fine.

Cadbury

 

[Wolfy]

Maybe I don't have to pitch as much. I did forget to say that the last 2 brews that have spewed out the lid fermented for 7-8 days and tasted fine.

I'd suggest using a pitching calculator like this one: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html
That way you can pitch the 'correct' amount of yeast, over or under pitching can give unwanted side-effects.
If you're pitching the 'correct' amount of yeast, you may need to adjust the batch-size so there is more head-space in your fermenter so you don't have the problem in the future.

 

[rendo]

Maybe one was significantly more aerated than the other(s)???

rendo

They both finished at the same time, same FG same flavours/aromas, really weird.... :huh:

Screwy