Best type of airlock/blow off for Make your own red wine kit

[Bootcutboy]

Ok so I have a brew fridge set up and I’ve just brewed a batch of Wilko Cerveza lager without an airlock, I just used foil over the airlock hole.

My next brew is a Make Your Own Red Wine kit from the Range and it is also my first ever wine brew. I have read up about the kit on here and it seems it’s very lively so what would people recommend I do as far as airlock or blow off tube. I do not have room in the fridge above FV for a normal airlock so I have bought some little smart airlocks, would one of these taped to the side of FV suffice or would people really suggest the blow off route please? I really don’t want to make a huge mess so any help would be awesome folks!

 

[Ghillie]

Ok so I have a brew fridge set up and I’ve just brewed a batch of Wilko Cerveza lager without an airlock, I just used foil over the airlock hole.

My next brew is a Make Your Own Red Wine kit from the Range and it is also my first ever wine brew. I have read up about the kit on here and it seems it’s very lively so what would people recommend I do as far as airlock or blow off tube. I do not have room in the fridge above FV for a normal airlock so I have bought some little smart airlocks, would one of these taped to the side of FV suffice or would people really suggest the blow off route please? I really don’t want to make a huge mess so any help would be awesome folks!

Try one of these buckets. Not only are they 30L, but they’re also only about 30cm tall.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/332229228698

The extra headspace will handle any degree of liveliness in a 23L batch and also give you headroom for any airlock of your choosing.

I would suggest that as a “prevention is better than cure” approach. Saves having to worry about mess and also fabricating some sort of elaborate blow of mechanism which typically gets messy too.

Ultimately, any mess caused is virtually always down to overfilling the brew bucket. Easily avoided by getting a bigger bucket, or not filling it as much.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have bought some little smart airlocks, would one of these taped to the side of FV suffice or would people really suggest the blow off route please? I really don’t want to make a huge mess so any help would be awesome folks!

I have made this kit and it can get a bit violent when it kicks off, i would make a blow off tube just to be on the safe side my small airlocks used to empty when fermentation got going.

Mine is below (Range MYO kit blowing through) guide here - https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/how-to-make-a-blow-off-tube.48970/

 

[Cyberjip]

On the less technical side.

A screwed up wad of cling film (should be sterile as it comes of the roll) will let gas escape, stop almost all of the liquid escaping (if any does it will probably just stay on the lid of the FV). Easy to whip it out and replace if it does get a bit messy or once the fermentation calms down a bit.

 

[Bootcutboy]

I have made this kit and it can get a bit violent when it kicks off, i would make a blow off tube just to be on the safe side my small airlocks used to empty when fermentation got going.

Mine is below (Range MYO kit blowing through) guide here - https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/how-to-make-a-blow-off-tube.48970/

Cheers Chippy, can I just ask is it a glass bottle that you are using? I’m guessing a glass bottle will be better as it is heavier and won’t move as much?
Also when you say cut the bottom off an airlock do you mean just the bottom but that goes into the FV Grommit? So cut where I’ve shown on the pic?
Thanks for the advice, I’m getting right into this brewing lark!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Mine is an old vinegar bottle and yes cut it there.
My syphon tube was a little short hence the bottle being on top of the FV if I had a longer length I would have made it long enough to stand next to the FV.

 

[Bootcutboy]

Does this look ok Chippy?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Spot on, you only need to cover the end of the tube with a little water (or whatever you prefer) so nasties cannot get in leaving as much room in the jar for anything that escapes from the FV, make sure the CO2 can escape from the jar easily you don't want a perfect seal.

 

[Bootcutboy]

Spot on, you only need to cover the end of the tube a little so nasties cannot get in leaving as much room in the jar for anything that escapes from the FV, make sure the CO2 can escape from the jar easily you don't want a perfect seal.

Marvellous, I’ll get the kit started tonight.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Keep us posted.

Don't forget to sanitise the tube when you do the other stuff. (i don't bother sanitising the jar)

 

[Bootcutboy]

Got the wine started tonight, starting gravity of 1.090 which seems ok. Just wondering would you leave it to do it’s stuff for the whole 7days without even checking the gravity again?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Looking good, i would leave it the full 7 days we haven't had one finish sooner and we have made many.

 

[Bootcutboy]

Looking good, i would leave it the full 7 days we haven't had one finish sooner and we have made many.

Hi chippy, so I got this red wine kit on the go night before last but I’m yet to see any sort of vicious fermenting it’s barely bubbling in fact. As per the kit instructions I put the lid on securely but didn’t click it down the whole way round, I’ve set the temperature In my beer fridge to 24° which is had Reached by yesterday morning so should this be bubbling away nicely by now? Thanks very much

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Hi chippy, so I got this red wine kit on the go night before last but I’m yet to see any sort of vicious fermenting it’s barely bubbling in fact. As per the kit instructions I put the lid on securely but didn’t click it down the whole way round, I’ve set the temperature In my beer fridge to 24° which is had Reached by yesterday morning so should this be bubbling away nicely by now? Thanks very much

The "Don't seal the lid" instructions are for people who don't have an airlock hole in the FV lid as you do you need to seal the lid or the CO2 will escape and not go down the blow off tube.

 

[Bootcutboy]

The "Don't seal the lid" instructions are for people who don't have an airlock hole in the FV lid as you do you need to seal the lid or the CO2 will escape and not go down the blow off tube.

balls, do you think I’ve ruined it? Thanks for the reply

 

[Chippy_Tea]

balls, do you think I’ve ruined it? Thanks for the reply

No, these kits get going pretty quick the CO2 will have protected it so seal the lid and look forward to seeing your blow off tube in action. thumb

 

[The Cat]

Had to look urgently here and elsewhere tonight the red kit I started yesterday was going crazy tonight. Red liquid going up the airlock quite violently. Didn't really know what to do other than not to leave it as it was.

Made a makeshift blow off tube with a syphon tube through the airlock hole and into a jug of water. Gonna leave it like that tonight and see how it is tomorrow - took it off the heating pad as well just to try help it really was going nuts. All good fun.

 

[The Cat]

And now today I have my very first homebrew mess. The tube came out of the jug for a short time and I've got a red patch in the garage. I guess it is a badge of honour now or something. I've left the fermenter covered with a loose lid now - try that approach. I suspect the amount of additional grape skins and grape juice I put in it tipped it over the edge