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Airlock is bubbling over?
Good afternoon all.
I've just started fermentation on a slightly altered IPA, and the 4 hours later the airlock empties itself of solution within a couple of hours due to what I assume is really intense fermentation!
Here are my ideas about why this is happening:
During my boil, I added 2lbs of pure honey to the wort along side the DME. This was to raise the ABV, and to suit I included 15g of smacked yeast.
My thought is that the additional sugar content is making more food, thus more fermentation thus more bubbles!
Does anyone have an idea how I can control the levels of solution in my airlock? I won't always be around to add liquid.
Additionally, is this something I need to take action over? If so, what kind?
EDIT: This may be a problem with the chemical proportions of my solution... I'll change the balance and see what happens.
Sounds like a high specific gravity, fast fermentation. More than your airlock can handle.
Use a blow off tube. Remove the airlock, put some kind of larger diameter tubing through a stopper or something that will seal, then down to and in the bottom of a container of water, like a quart jar.
I would do it fairly soon, cause if your airlock clogs up, you could have a serious amount of yeast & gunk hit the ceiling.
If you cannot get to a homebrew shop for food grade tubing, you can go to a HD or lowes and get 3/8" tubing, get a few feet, and take the top 2 pieces off of your airlock and sanitize the tubing, slip it over the post of the airlock. then you have a blowoff tube like Brewski suggested.
A violent ferment is a good sign, blowoff tubes I feel should be used every ferment anyhow, airlocks are for bulk aging IMHO.
This can be the result of several circumstances: high starting gravity, high fermentation temperature, too much wort or too small a fermenter.
Either way, like the others have said, grab some tubing and make a blow off tube.
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