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Author Topic: New to Homebrew: Headspace issue?  (Read 1821 times)

Offline Chris W

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New to Homebrew: Headspace issue?
« on: March 06, 2019, 08:43:19 am »
I'm very new to home brewing and on Sunday I started a English Brown Ale. The recipe was pre-made by my local brew shop. It was brewed in a 1 gallon carboy and the wort/boil seemed to go well...the siphoning went ehh. I checked on the fermentation last night and it appears I had a blow out. carboy cap blown off and foam on the ground. Is this a case of not enough headspace? If so, is there a case of too much headspace if I would have used the 5 gallon carboy? Thanks in advance. I can add pics later if necessary.

Offline denny

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Re: New to Homebrew: Headspace issue?
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2019, 08:50:40 am »
I'm very new to home brewing and on Sunday I started a English Brown Ale. The recipe was pre-made by my local brew shop. It was brewed in a 1 gallon carboy and the wort/boil seemed to go well...the siphoning went ehh. I checked on the fermentation last night and it appears I had a blow out. carboy cap blown off and foam on the ground. Is this a case of not enough headspace? If so, is there a case of too much headspace if I would have used the 5 gallon carboy? Thanks in advance. I can add pics later if necessary.

You've pretty much nailed it... your fermenter is too small.  You'll be fine with a 5 gal. fermenter
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline ynotbrusum

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Re: New to Homebrew: Headspace issue?
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2019, 09:05:27 am »
And welcome to the forum!  You can get most things answered here, because many of us have made the mistakes that newer brewers face and can easily avoid.  It is a great hobby and I can say without hesitation that homebrews can be as well made or even better than commercial beers - keep on brewing!
Hodge Garage Brewing: "Brew with a glad heart!"

Offline Chris W

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Re: New to Homebrew: Headspace issue?
« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2019, 09:16:19 am »
Cool. So just to clarify, even if i brewed a 1 gallon recipe a 5 gallon carboy is good for fermenting?

Offline denny

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Re: New to Homebrew: Headspace issue?
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2019, 10:00:28 am »
Cool. So just to clarify, even if i brewed a 1 gallon recipe a 5 gallon carboy is good for fermenting?

Yep.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline joe_meadmaker

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Re: New to Homebrew: Headspace issue?
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2019, 10:33:01 am »
You mentioned that the carboy cap had "blown off".  Just want to make sure that you had an airlock of some kind to allow gas to escape, and not a screw on cap that sealed the container.

Offline Chris W

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Re: New to Homebrew: Headspace issue?
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2019, 12:29:44 pm »
You mentioned that the carboy cap had "blown off".  Just want to make sure that you had an airlock of some kind to allow gas to escape, and not a screw on cap that sealed the container.

Correct, airlock was on the cap.

Offline Chris W

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Re: New to Homebrew: Headspace issue?
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2019, 02:10:52 pm »
Cool. So just to clarify, even if i brewed a 1 gallon recipe a 5 gallon carboy is good for fermenting?

Yep.

Quick follow up, I'm assuming I've lost this batch?

Offline denny

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Re: New to Homebrew: Headspace issue?
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2019, 02:28:14 pm »
Cool. So just to clarify, even if i brewed a 1 gallon recipe a 5 gallon carboy is good for fermenting?

Yep.

Quick follow up, I'm assuming I've lost this batch?

I certainly wouldn't assume that until you taste it.  Beer can be very forgiving of homebrewers.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline KellerBrauer

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Re: New to Homebrew: Headspace issue?
« Reply #9 on: March 07, 2019, 06:15:28 am »
I ageee with Denny.  I have had many blowouts where I had to search for the airlock and bung and the beer still turned out great!  Play it out and learn from your experiance.
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