Air Lock Clogged - Fermentation Mess...UGH!

Uggghh…

OK…So a couple weeks ago I brewed the Festivus Ale…in hopes of having it ready sometime after Xmas eve. It is nearing fermentation completion.

Yesterday I brewed another batch of the Dunkelweizen, with some modifications (choc malt, caramunic II, malto, and weinenstephan yeast). All went well, had it cooled for pitching in less than minutes, loaded up the carboy, put the air lock in and off we go. As early as 10pm last night was seeing small air lock activity.

8am this…Houston we have a problem…next time…I use a blow off tube…my first experience with this recipe I used and airlock got by just fine. Anyway…the air lock had gotten clogged. Krausen had come out the top and crusted itself there and partly down the side of the carboy.

Sooooo after an initial freak out…and small amazement at the awesome smell the brew has already…I grabbed my sanitize, wiped up what I could…and my plan was to shift the blow off from the Festivus, to the Dunkel, and then put the air lock on the Festivus since it is nearly done fermenting.

I santized everything as best I could, cleaned out the cap and stopper, airlock, wiped the necks and stoppers and made the switch as quickly and as cleanly as I could. All in all the mixes were exposed no longer than it would take to grab a gravity sample.

My biggest concern is on the dunkel I just brewed. With it being under pressure and not even 24 hours into fermentation…my initial thoughts are it should be OK because nothing…at least that I could telll…was being sucked back into the fermenting wort.

Anyone had this happen before?

** Btw…the blowoff tube on the dunkel…wow…that is some active yeast…the additional carboy i have the water in looks like a boil :cheers:

Yep, it’s happened before. :oops: To more than a couple of us. I think you’ll be fine. Sounds like you used good sanitation practice, so I wouldn’t worry.

It’s fine. Pickup a couple extra air locks, there cheap

Fermentor popping is sort of a rite of passage. congratulations. sort of. :roll:

Wy3068 is notorious for that. Years ago I brewed a hefe, temp low and used a blowoff tube. After three days I switched to an airlock.

Got home that afternoon and the airlock was spewing foam. Sanitized another and went to pull it off. Damn thing blew out of my hand and hit the ceiling.

Beer came out great, but I always use a blowoff tube with 3068.