Carboy being used as FV

[Slurtis Staggersalot]

And getting very close to foaming over! Should I pull the airlock and cover the opening with cling wrap and wait for the foam to subside? Or just deal with the mess? I guess what I'm asking is will trapping the gas and foam have an adverse effect on my brew?

[2 bird brewing]

Hey Slurtis get a large piece of tube that fits tight in the carboy opening and run it into a pail 1/2 full of boiled cooled water. Now you have a big air lock that will contain the mess.Make sure to sanatize it all. Sort of like a power wagon air lock[cool]

[PB2]

The foam contains flavours, foam postive compounds and bitterness so it's best to try and encourage it to collapse back into the brew.

 

This is addressed in our FAQs:

Plenty of foam, although messy, is not a bad thing as it indicates healthy yeast and a strong fermentation.

Excess foaming is more likely to occur when using ale yeast with darker brews and higher fermentation

temperatures. Also seasonal variations may affect the barley (main ingredient in beer apart from water)

causing more foam.

To avoid foaming over allow for extra headspace by using a bigger fermenting tub or fill to a lower level

(around 18-20 litre mark) then top up with cool boiled water after initial foaming has subsided (normally

after a day or two).

 

[Slurtis Staggersalot]

As of right now the foam is getting very close to the point of going through the air lock. I'd say it has about 5cm of head space before it breaches the FV. I'm going to keep an eye on it for the next 3-4 hours and make a judgement call before I go to bed, the brew is about 24 hrs old now and ferment temperature is around 23 degrees. I've made this brew in exactly the same way before and not had a problem, so I'm guessing the temp is a little higher this time around and the contents of the brew a little fresher. I'm not sure whether it's better to put the carboy in the sink before going to bed or to remove the airlock and replace it with cling wrap. With any kind of luck the foam will start to recede in the next couple of hours, somehow I doubt it though. I gotta go check on it again... wish me luck[pinched]