First brew, too much fermentation?

[Scuds]

Hi all, brand new here, so thanks in advance for tolerating any ignorance I display!

I just brewed my first batch of beer yesterday, a pale ale that came in a kit. I thought I was doing everything well, by the books, sanitized everything well, working in proper temperatures, etc...

I aerated, let the wort get to about 65 degrees (I thought, results making me think different) and threw my lid on. Not even a two hours later, it's starting to bubble, and now, around 12 hours later, it's bubbling multiple times every 1-2 seconds. So...

1. Does it sound like I'm ok, or did I screw something up? If so, anything needed to salvage it?

2. When do I need to worry about the lid blowing off? This is the most important question, because I will potentially die (die, killed by wife, semantics at this point) if the lid blows.

Thanks for the help,everyone, I look forward to spending more time here!

 

[Pkrd]

1. Yes it sounds like a nice healthy ferment.
2. Blowoff is a risk in the first few days of ferment. Get a blowoff tube asap.

Welcome to HBT!

 

[beergolf]

Blow off tube.. Here is a pic of how to do it.

Welcome to the addiction....errr I mean hobby.

 

[flars]

Are you controlling the temperature of the fermentation? Yeast produces heat as it works. Higher temperatures will increase the aggressiveness of the fermentation making krausen rising through the airlock and blowing the lid more likely.

 

[Scuds]

Blow off tube.. Here is a pic of how to do it.

Welcome to the addiction....errr I mean hobby.

Thanks! I only have a one piece airlock, so a sanitized 1/2" OD tube straight into the bucket? That's an answer I saw a few times in my research this morning. Thanks again!

 

[Scuds]

Are you controlling the temperature of the fermentation? Yeast produces heat as it works. Higher temperatures will increase the aggressiveness of the fermentation making krausen rising through the airlock and blowing the lid more likely.

I'm not controlling it, but it is in the house, so 68-72 degree-ish controlled.

 

[RM-MN]

If you don't have anything to make a blowoff tube, loosen the lid and set the fermenter in a plastic tub or on a piece of plastic to make cleanup easier. It will be much easier to scrub the outside of the bucket if the krausen spills over than to scrub the ceiling and walls if it blows the lid off. While the beer is actively fermenting you could even remove the top.

 

[RM-MN]

I'm not controlling it, but it is in the house, so 68-72 degree-ish controlled.

It is probably too late to worry about this batch but for the next batch, check the preferred temperature range of the yeast you use and keep the beer near the bottom end for the first 3 to 5 days before letting it warm up to room temp to finish. If you don't know what yeast it is or can't find its preferred range, use 60 to 65 as your target temperature for fermenting. Setting the fementer in a tub of water with some frozen water bottles is a cheap way to control the temp.

 

[Knkbrand]

blow off tubes a great, but if you dont have one, just keep an eye on your airlock, if you see material starting to come up into the airlock, remove it and clean and sanitize, and reinsert. Check it often the first 2 days, then you should be clean of any worries. Sounds like you have a healthy, happy fermentation going on!

 

[seabrew8]

If you didn't fill the bucket near the top your fine. Thanks for the chuckle! lol

 

[Scuds]

If you didn't fill the bucket near the top your fine. Thanks for the chuckle! lol

5 gallons in a 6.5 gallon bucket, so here's to hoping!

 

[Zepth]

5 gallons in a 6.5 gallon bucket, so here's to hoping!

I routinely put about 10.5 gallons into a 13 gallon fermenter and have yet to come close to disaster. That said I haven't tried any particularly high gravity brews, or tried any known blow off offenders.* The lid also doesn't seal tightly, so there's plenty of room for it to ooze before it explodes should it come down to it.

* 3068 and 3787 I'm looking at you.

 

[ncbrewer]

You can check for kraeusen by darkening the room and setting a flashlight on the lid pointing down - kraeusen will show up thru the side of the bucket.

And I strongly agree with the advice to set up temperature control. You should have a fermometer (stick-on thermometer) on the side of the fermenter to check beer temperature. If you can't get one right away, you could go by the bath water temperature after the ice bottles have been in it long enough to get to a stable temperature. Theoretically, the beer would be a little warmer, but close enough - I actually find no measureable difference after the first day - others have reported different results.