[philm63]

Had a major blow-off on my Hefe - thought "No way - I pitched at less than 60 F and set the ferm-fridge to 62 F!" What a mess! It was WLP300.

OK, so I need to get a blow-off tube, and my question is this: Who uses a blow-off tube and when, and for what yeast strains or beer styles?

[Stevie]

I use one for every beer so I can use a carboy hood with a thermowell. I ferment 5.5 gallons in a 6 gallon better bottle. I like the *bloop* sounds the blowoff makes.

Fore sure use with Hefe, Kolsh, and Big Beers.

[denny]

I use a blow off for every batch I make.  Otherwise, by the time you discover you need one it's usually too late.  I have found that there's no down side to using one.  I generally leave it on for the first week or 2 of fermentation simply because there's no reason to remove it.

[klickitat jim]

Me too. The reason for switching to an airlock is making room in the freezer for another batch

[udubdawg]

I make small batches with usually tons of head space.  So 3787/530 is about the only time.  It seems to love to try to escape right before it is done working.

[theDarkSide]

I use one for every batch, including the lagers that don't even get close to pushing junk through the hose.  I use better bottles so my blow off tube is a 1/2" vinyl tube over the larger port on the orange carboy caps.  The other end just goes into a plastic gallon water jug that I cut the top off of.

I also just leave them on the entire time I'm fermenting.

[duboman]

I do for each and every batch, been there, done that clean up thing once and swore never again!

[beersk]

I don't use one...haven't had blowoff in quite a while now, ever since I started controlling my fermentation. I even use pure O2 and use extra rehydrated dry yeast, starter, or harvested yeast. I ferment 4 gallons in 5 gallon carboys. Usually ferment on the low end, just never need it.

[Alewyfe]

5 & 6 gal. carboys = always
6.5 gal.carboy = rarely
8 gal. bucket & 15 gal. barrel = never

[Three]

Every brew!  When it slows down I add an airlock!  Why do I switch to an airlock you ask?  Because I once cold crashed with the blowoff still connected and it sucked some of that old blowoff crap right back into the carboy!!!!

[scottNU]

5 & 6 gal. carboys = always
6.5 gal.carboy = rarely

My approach as well.  Headspace for a 5 gallon batach seems to be an important part of the equation, along with yeast type, beer size, etc.  If I have 1.5 gallons of free space, I have never had a problem.  My biggest problem was the time I tried to "squeeze" a bigger batch into the 6 gal carboy (the 6.5 gal was busy).

[coolman26]

Every batch, blew off one early on, enough for me.

[HoosierBrew]

When I used to use carboys I used one regularly, but since I switched to 8 gallon wine fermenter buckets, never.

[fmader]

Every batch for atleast the first week.

[erockrph]

I usually brew 3 gallons in a 6.5 gallon bucket, so it's not an issue. But then I never think of it the once or twice a year when it really is needed. For example, I went downstairs after work tonight to find a barfed-up airlock on the lambic that I topped off yesterday. Ick.