What happens if I get blowoff while at work?

Northern Brewer General
1

I brewed a batch of American Cream Ale on Sunday. I checked it this AM and it was bubbling away in the airlock. When I came home from work the blowoff had occurred. I lost the airlock but not much of a mess. I added the blowoff tube to a tube of water and its bubbling away.

I’m wondering if #1 its contaminated and #2 how long do I leave in the blowoff tube?

Thanks

2

my thoughts are:

  1. I think you are fine in regards to infection. I am betting it was active enough to keep the bad things from getting in, even without some type of air lock

  2. As far as the blow off tube, when I use one I just keep it through the whole primary. I don’t switch it out for a plastic air lock thing usually ever. if you have the tube go into a water jug of water, or san star, or something it is sealed… BUT if you wanted to move to air lock, I would say after you see the bubbling in the jug has gone down to maybe 1 per 30 sec. or just in 3-4 days.

3

Thanks Fullhousebrew. I’ll keep it in the blowoff tank for a few days.

4

I agree with fullhouse, I had an airlock crack on me while taking it out of the stopper once, this left me short an airlock with no extra hose handy and a couple fresh batches to ferment with another batch close to bottling phase. I put a solid cork in a carboy that looked done fermenting. My wife found the cork on the basement floor the next day. I bought a new airlock (along with several spares and some extra hose) and let it sit another week. Tasted it while bottling, didn’t notice anything off.

5

You’ll be OK. A blow off tube can be left on for the full fermentation, or until you need it for another beer. It’s still an airlock.

I like to pull mine if I have a big blow off, it’s easier to clean before it dries out.

Welcome to the forum. :cheers:

6

[quote=“mrv”]You’ll be OK. A blow off tube can be left on for the full fermentation, or until you need it for another beer. It’s still an airlock.

I like to pull mine if I have a big blow off, it’s easier to clean before it dries out.

Welcome to the forum. :cheers: [/quote]

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7

Yeah, I’ve used that for years. I bought the parts at Home Depot. Much easier to clean/sanitize than a 3-4 ft. tube.

8

I see one of those in my future perhaps…

It doesn’t matter how much I soak the tubing in oxyclean atfer using, it has a permenant haze/yellowing. I assume it doesn’t matter, but still.