I am just getting ready to brew my first batch, I have a question about the airlock and blowoff. The carboy top has 2 exhaust holes. The airlock will go on one, but should I cap the other one or attach a blowoff tube? Or cap it and watch it and see if looks like it may need a blowoff? The other interesting thing is the carboy is 5 gallon, the recipe is 5 gallon so it does not leave a lot of room in there.
Thanks!
With a 5 gal carboy you’re definitely going to need a blow off tube. If you’re using the carboy cap, one of the openings needs plugged and the other a tube attached to it. Another thing you can do is get a 1 1/4" OD tube that you can put in the neck of the carboy as a blow off tube. The bigger the ID the less likely it is to get clogged. Another thing you may wish to consider is getting a bigger primary fermenter, at least 6 gals. If you ever wish to do a hefe, that yeast needs a huge head space. Remember, blow off often results in loss of beer. If you can, keep your fermentation (actual not ambient) in check which will help.
I would consider a blowoff hose mandatory in this case. It sounds like you have a Big Mouth Bubbler with a dual hole lid.
For your next 5 gal. batch, you’re going to want to get a larger container for fermenting.
I agree. Consider getting a 7 gallon brew bucket for the future. Light, cheap, easy to store, easy to clean and if you keep fermentation temperatures under control (brewing tip: this is THE most important factor for making your beer taste great) you will never have a problem with blow off.
A little off topic but I have two 6.5 gallon glass carboys for primary and one 5 gallon glass if I decide to do a secondary for any reason.
Yes, they are glass so they are heavy when full and I’ve heard some horror stories about them breaking and slicing people up. I’m still younger so I think I can handle the weight for now 
The good things about them I think is they are easy to clean (I have soaked in PBW and never had any leftover gunk), no chance of scratching the glass (so no little cracks and crevices where bugs can hide), and with a good carboy handle or a harness (I have both) they aren’t entirely impossible to move around.
For your current setup, cap one hole and use a blowoff tube in the other.
[quote=“Templar”]A little off topic but I have two 6.5 gallon glass carboys for primary and one 5 gallon glass if I decide to do a secondary for any reason.
Yes, they are glass so they are heavy when full and I’ve heard some horror stories about them breaking and slicing people up. I’m still younger so I think I can handle the weight for now
The good things about them I think is they are easy to clean (I have soaked in PBW and never had any leftover gunk), no chance of scratching the glass (so no little cracks and crevices where bugs can hide), and with a good carboy handle or a harness (I have both) they aren’t entirely impossible to move around.
For your current setup, cap one hole and use a blowoff tube in the other.[/quote]
The best thing about a carboy, and I agree with everything you said as well, but I can see my beer without having to open something up. I am voyeur that way I guess!
