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Flooded Airlock.

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Wheezel

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 17, 2012
7
0
0
Campbellsport, WI
1 lb Bavarian Wheat Malt (Dry Malt)
2 lbs Clover Honey
7/8 of one Navel Orange, cut into 1/16th slices
1 tsp of nutrient (ammonium phosphate and urea?)
1 tsp of Lalvin ICV-D47 yeast
Spring water to bring to 1 gallon level

I didn't boil anything, just put it all in the jug, shook it like crazy, added and airlock and stuck it in my garage.
The air lock I used it something like this:
http://www.arborwine.com/images/econo_airlock.jpg

It's been out there for three days, along with two other batches I made the same day with totally different recipes. I figured the malt would make it ferment faster, but I didn't understand how much. In comparison to the other fermenting projects I've done in my life, the process almost seems violent.
The airlock is flooded all the way to the top, and it's still bubbling like mad.
Up until now I've used the balloon method because I was too cheap to get airlocks, but I decided to get serious.

Is it normal for these airlocks to flood? How do I get the stopper/airlock off the jug to aerate without making a mess? Should I even bother aerating that batch at all, considering that the yeast seems to be thriving pretty good on its own?
 

TAKeyser

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 4, 2012
1,228
3
0
50
Detroit, MI
You have more of a Braggot going than a mead, which isn't a bad thing I love Braggots.

As for the airlock flooding it happens. Malt usually give off a bigger Krausen and some of it just got sucked into the airlock, I get it a lot with Melomels if I don't leave enough headspace.

If it is still happening you can create a blowoff tube by following the directions at http://www.homebrewers.com/category/aatdvarks.videos.001_beginner.overflow_tube/
 

fatbloke

good egg/snappy dresser.....
GotMead Patron
Ha! it just means that you've discovered one of the reasons why it's helpful to start a brew like this in a bucket i.e. a 1 gallon batch in a 2 gallon bucket. It give the batch more room to do it's thing, and if it does foam up some, the extra head space in the bucket normally means it doesn't flood out the airlock. Plus, as with a lot of meads, if you're doing the SNA thing, you can get more air/O2 into the batch while stirring it for yeast health.

Then once it hit's the 1/3rd break, you can move it to carboy/DJ/jug etc as it should normally have calmed down.....
 
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Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns