Question about long primaries in a 5 Gallon Carboy

[williamnave]

OK, so I've read a lot of threads on here, and it made enough sense to me that I now have multiple batches sitting in Primary for the whole time. I was doing 10 days primary, taking refractometer readings to be sure ferment was over, then transferring.

My question is, I've got these (2) 5 gallon carboys sitting around that I was using as secondaries only, primary was being done in a 6 1/2 Gallon, i.e. no blowoff tube.

So, if I primary in a 5 Gallon, and use a blowoff tube, what flavor impact can I expect from all of the blow-off?? I know it's mostly all yeast, so am I right in assuming I'll lose some of the Ester character? Will the loss of yeast affect attenuation?

 

[Golddiggie]

So, if I primary in a 5 Gallon, and use a blowoff tube, what flavor impact can I expect from all of the blow-off??

Ummmm... zero Blow off tubes don't impact the flavor of the brew. It's just a way to get rid of excess krausen foam and such.

I know it's mostly all yeast, so am I right in assuming I'll lose some of the Ester character? Will the loss of yeast affect attenuation?

I've not seen any negative impacts from using blow-off tubes in brews. It's a safety net for when you ferment in something where it goes ape-sheit on you. There have been plenty of people fermenting in buckets that have had to use blow-off tubes too.

If you're REALLY concerned, just get some fermcap and put it into the boil. Use a blow-off tube the first time you do that, until you see how it acts/ferments.

I used fermcap in my last batch, and even though there was about 2" of krausen on the wort, no blow-off tube was needed. Of course I did use my 6 gallon carboy on that batch (it's what was free)... The previous batch, I have fermenting in a corny keg (from day 1)... I just have an airlock fitted there. NO blow-off tube at all. That was the first batch I used fermcap in. Worked great, which is why I used it on the next batch. For several batches I would have a blow-off tube installed for the first 3-4 days of fermentation, until things calmed down a little. There were enough times where I didn't even need the tube, so I would pull it after 2-3 days, installing an airlock in it's place.

Personally, I hate using buckets to ferment in... I'll use either a carboy, or a keg before I'll go with a plastic bucket. I'm actually trying to purchase some 1/6 Sanke kegs to use for either primaries, or aging...

 

[Captain Damage]

If you're concerned, just split your batch between your two 5 gallon carboys. You won't need a blow off at all. But as Goldiggie said, the blow off won;t have any effect on your beer.

 

[williamnave]

Thanks, guys

Yeah, I'm not thrilled about plastic either, but I have a few now due to economic constraints. Wouldn't it be nice if Mexico made carboys again??

I think I'll give it a go in the 5 Gallon carboy.

 

[passedpawn]

So, if I primary in a 5 Gallon, and use a blowoff tube, what flavor impact can I expect from all of the blow-off??

You might lose hop flavor. I don't know if it is true, but the company that markets foam control drops (Fermcap-S product) proposes that the hop utilization is increased because the drops prevent blowoff. I think this is a bit far-fetched, but I don't have any real data here.

I've had plenty of blowoffs and AFAIK the hop flavor in the beer was not affected. I'm just posting here to prompt discussion.

 

[treesmcgee]

Yeah, I'm not thrilled about plastic either, but I have a few now due to economic constraints. Wouldn't it be nice if Mexico made carboys again??

Hey, there's nothing wrong with a better bottle.