Splattering Volcanic Wheat Beer Explosion

[bowie in space]

Hi all, bowie in space here.

I am a brewing apprentice and absolutely love this site, so I thought I should introduce myself. Been looking around the site for about a month now and 99% of all of my questions can be answered by filtering through various topics.

I got a kit from my brother for my 30th birthday about 6 weeks ago and did the generic brew that came with the kit. Turned out pretty good so I bought another fermenter and have had a couple on the go since. I've since bottled a pale ale and an english bitter. Last night, with my wife and a friend watching, I brewed a wheat beer. I must have looked pretty cocky talking them through the process like a seasoned pro. This morning before I woke up they inspected the fermenter and found the brew has exploded leaving a volcanic splatter of malty coloured froth all through the airlock and on the inside of the lid.

I must have looked like an idiot. I jumped on this site and punched in wheat beer explosion into the key words search and found this was quite normal. Naturally I have a few more questions....

Last night I put 10 litres of tap water in my fermenter. Then added my hot brew (K&K and hops) then topped up to 21 litres. The thermometer on the side of my fermenter read 34C so I waited about 20 minutes until it read 30C. I then pitched the yeast. Is this some of the reason my brew exploded so badly? How can I reduce the temperature faster? Should I just wait until the thermometer reaches about 22C. I live in Melbourne and brew indoors where the temp has been a pretty consistent 24C for the last few weeks. The room temp was 22C when I woke up this morning. Also, the guy at my LHBS gave me no warning this would happen, neither did the kit instructions, however when I browse this site it appears to be common knowledge.

I took the airlock out, soaked it in sodium percarbonate for about 30 min then put it back in with clean water. Realistically, will the brew turn out ok? Can you guys help out with the other questions? Cheers, Matt.

 

[Pollux]

I find high pitching temps tend to lend to volcanoes....


My preferred technique to cool, although others will most likely have issues with this is.

1) The day before brew day, take 5 x 1L clean and sanitised takeaway containers, fill with tap water seal and dump in the freezer.
2) Post boil, cool my pot (10L boil) by dumping it in the laundry sink with tap water, I have an old fishtank filter pump to push the water around the pot and stir the pot in the reverse direction, kind of like a poor mans counter-flow chiller.
3) I then wait till i get the pot down to 30deg (normally takes 3 sinks of water), then strain that through a stocking into the fermenter, then I add the prefrozen ice blocks one at a time to lower it to 16ish, then I top with tap water and normally end up with a pitching temp of 18-20.....


Works for me..

 

[Jase71]

Pitched at 30 !? You're going to get slain for that

I've just started using an old (sanitised) ice-cream tub filled with water & frozen, then after the wort is down, slide the block out of the container and into the fermentor. Also a good idea to have about four litres of chilled water on hand too (also in sanitised bottles). Only yesterday, I also bought a big storage tub from the local bargain store for twenty bucks, big enough for my fermentor to go in. That was filled with about four inches of water, and I've been rotating frozen water bottles every 12 hours. So far it seems to be maintaining a nice temperature range of between 21 & 22. Sure it's not a fancy temp controlled fridge (nor as convenient) but it seems to do the trick for not a big cash outlay.

Some of the more experienced brewers might advise on whether you beer is going to be fit for the drain or not. The temp seems on the extreme high side.

EDIT: Same theory as above with the mega ice cubes - Sorry Pollux, I was writing when you posted

 

[Pollux]

LOL, Jase, you should see my temp control for during fermentation right now...

I have the fermenters under a table, an old door to create a closed in space, the evap cooler running into the space and both wearing wet singlets.....\


it's not pretty, but it works.

 

[Jamz]

To get the temp down, after the boil you can try sitting just your pot in a sink full of ice water and change the water every so often. Also if you're using a wheat yeast, its often a good idea to rig up a blow off tube for it instead of a regular airlock, wheat yeasts have a tendency to go volcano on you even at lower temps.

 

[clean brewer]

I did an extract brew nearly 3 weeks ago with a stove top boil, by the time it went in the fermenter it was about 30 degrees, great way I found to cool it down quite quickly was to just put it in front of a pedestal fan on high, it cooled it down to about 24 degrees quite quickly, pitched yeast and into temp controlled fridge at 18c....

My last extract brew (unless im desperate), ready to go into kegs when they arrive this week..

 

[bowie in space]

Thanks guys the response is overwhelming on this site. Cheers.

It's funny when you're such a novice at something. You usually find one or two basic things you just seem to overlook. In my 4 brews so far I haven't paid any attention to the temp of the plastic fermenter. I must have assumed it'd be alright because of the room temp!? :huh:

My airlock has since been happily bubbling away so i'll just hope she'll be ok!

 

[raven19]

May be a opportunity for a glad wrap lid on the fermenter?
30 degree is a tad high for yeast addition, +1 for cooling wort first. I used laundry/kitchen sink with water bath.

...And welcome to the dark side :beerbang:

 

[crundle]

Just had the same thing happen to me yesterday, with a Coopers Wheat beer kit. Will definitely pitch it at a lower temperature next time, mine was 22 and I thought it would be ok.

If using glad wrap for the lid, does the hole have to be bigger than that for a normal beer to allow it to vent, or is a normal pin prick sized hole ok?

 

[flattop]

Agreed 30* is too high, i have pitched a couple of wheat at around 23* and they have been active but fine, i have one fermenter with glad wrap and the krausen hit the wrap 24 hours after pitching then dropped back. Another in a sealed fermenter with airlock did the same, without splattering. Being in Melbourne i am suffering the same temp fluctuations.
I wonder if you pitched after the cool change or before? There were 3 days of 32* last week.

 

[Weizguy]

Wheat beers need minimum 30% headspace in the fermentor, to avoid spillovers (which may be explosive, especially at 30C )

I'll assume that it wasn't a liquid wheat beer yeast, so there may be some chance that it won't throw too many fusels (higher alcohols which will give U a head-splitter of an ache). I have fermented wheat beer with W3056 at ambient temp in Summer, but now I know better.

Most beer should be fermented at 22C or less, but wheat beers are very subject to contamination as you exceed 20C, as well as fusels.

Once you get temp control (a fridge with a temp controller, or see the 100 can cooler thread) you will find that wheat beers are better under 20C.

Trust me, I'm the wheat beer guy.
Les

 

[white.grant]

I used to keep a few ice cream containers in the freezer with a litre or two of ice. Simply tossed a litre or two in as part of the water component of the kit and the temp comes down pretty quickly.

cheers

Grant

 

[Gavo]

If using glad wrap for the lid, does the hole have to be bigger than that for a normal beer to allow it to vent, or is a normal pin prick sized hole ok?

A pin prick hole will be fine for most fermentation's. The glad-wrap will bulge in a high krauzen situation.

Cheers
Gavo.

 

[flattop]

I usually don't bother with a hole because when i put the o ring on i always seem to manage to put one in by accident
anyhow the unintended hole is usually filled by the krausen which then blocks and dries up in the hole and is then sealed, thus no risk of infection.(i hope)

 

[bowie in space]

Thanks for all the great advice!

It was a safwheat yeast from my LHBS. Actually the first time I have kept the yeast in the fridge before pitching.

Pardon my ignorance but how do I go about gladwrapping the lid?

My fermenter sits in the spare room inside my house which is pretty well insulated. Yes, lately there has been some warm days in Melbourne (+32), but my temp rarely goes above 26C (warm day) and 18C (cool night).

Anyway, getting back to one of my original questions, should i turf the beer?

 

[Effect]

Yeah that beer needs to go. Bottle it and I'll be around to pick it up to dispose of it properly.


I have just done my first AG - was a wheat beer as well. I have a fermentation fridge and am going to pitch at 12 degrees and let it get up to 18. Hopefully now volcanoes of krausen...

 

[Gavo]

Anyway, getting back to one of my original questions, should i turf the beer?

Don't turf it. Get it as cool as possible for the rest of the ferment, not sure if Lager temps of not. Bottle it when it's done and let it sit a while to condition. It may turn out okay, but you wont know if you ditch it.

I have one brews I am sure I will ditch but I will leave it bottled for at least six months before I do, At least it is good in the fly catcher in the meantime. <_<

Cheers
Gavo

 

[bowie in space]

Hi all, well after 4 days of consideration and lots and lots of reading on this site, I am about to throw out the "splatting volcanic wheat beer".

I cleaned the airlock and replaced it, but I left the lid on with all the gunk still caked on the top and on the inside of the fermenter. The last time I took the lid off (my first brew, I was curious, OK?!) I told the guy at my LHBS who condemned me and said I'd ruined my brew (which i didn't). A week later when I went back in he said he'd been referring to me as to the "tool of the week" to the other customers. :angry: I have since found a new brew store now closer to home.

So, naturally being more cautious this time I left the lid on and didn't clean my crap or the insides. Was this wrong?

Anyway, the gravity has been dropping consistently each day OG 1038, now 1024 after 4 days. However, I decided to smell the sample in the test tube tonight and it sort of smelled like a rotting tomato. I once bit into a hamburger from a local takeaway store and spat out my first bite because I'd bitten into some OFF tomato. I remembered that smell then and it came back to haunt me tonight! :icon_drool2:

The brew has never been over 30C. (30 when i pitched the yeast, yes i understand the main problem now) It has since been very steady between 18 - 22C.

If anyone can provide a reason to keep my brew, please inform me now or forever hold your peace!

 

[Jase71]

A week later when I went back in he said he'd been referring to me as to the "tool of the week" to the other customers.

What a wanker - hope you told him that. He's obviously wallowing in lots of money already and he can afford to turn customers away.

 

[bowie in space]

Yeah Jase i know...what a prick.

If you're a beginner you need people to show a lot a patience. Naturally every beginner will make mistakes. I bet nearly everyone on this site has. Unless you're eddie perfect.

It hasn't turned me off continuing to learn how to brew.

He has definately lost my business though.