I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on appropriate carboy size and blowoff hose size. I bought the bourbon barrel porter and it is currently in my primary fermentor which is a 5 gallon carboy. I thought this beer might have some heavy foaming so I’m trying out a blowoff hose, which for me is a 1/4inch food grade hose through the bung. There seems to be alot of blowoff however and its collecting in a sanitized bucket I have but I seem to be losing quite a bit of beer. Is a 5-gallon carboy to small to be used as a primary fermentor? Should I have gone with a 6 or 6.5 gallon instead? I read in “The Joy of Homebrewing” that utilizing a blowoff hose can have a very positive effect on your beer since it help eliminate much of the krausen (spelling?). Thanks alot.
Yeah, 5 gal carboys are tight for primary fermentation. If I were you, I would be seriously looking into at least a 6 gal carboy (6.5 gal even better) or a bucket. You made the right move starting with a blow off tube.
When you get a bigger primary you can use the 5 gal for secondary (if you do that) or for bulk aging.
Also, welcome to the board. You will find a lot of useful info on here.
Thanks so much. This is my third brew but I’ve been addicted since my first batch 2 months ago. Do you know if it helps to remove the krausen via a blowoff hose or does it not really effect the flavor of the beer once it settles back in?
I think the removal of the Krausen is old school and not beneficial.
The 5g carboy is a little smaller neck, so you will need to make a adjustments for that.
http://brewing.lustreking.com/gear/bbbot.htmlYou could take the drilled stopper to the hardware store to match up a tubing size. Or take the bottle down.
Ok thanks for everything. This forum is great!
I would agree. The only reason for a blow off tube is to prevent the mess and problems associated with a clogged airlock.
