Bulging Primary

[fatty40]

Morning all,

I started off a Wilko Hoppy Copper kit yesterday and the lid on the FV is bulging quite a bit.
I used the following:-

1 can wilko hoppy copper
500g munton's medium spray malt
1kg wilko brewing sugar
yeast supplied with kit

Aside from the addition of the spraymalt I brewed this as per the instructions, ie 3.5L boiling water topped up to 23L.
As this is currently sat in the lounge, is this likely to explode? making my good lady explode....leading to an enormous kick in the nadger's for me???

 

[Mark1964]

Have you got an airlock for the fermenter if not just loosen the lid a little and it will be fine after that

 

[Hawks]

Have you got an airlock for the fermenter if not just loosen the lid a little and it will be fine after that

Yep - crack the lid, the CO2 has to go somewhere, usually they leak it out anyway - you clearly have one that seals :thumb:

 

[calumscott]

Sounds just perfect to me! :thumb:

You should find everything you need to allay any fears here.

If you are using an airlock, it'll just start bubbling the excess out. If you aren't then just crack the seal of the lid just a tiny bit.

Have you got your FV sitting in or on something other than the living room carpet? Fermentations can, and regularly do, climb out of your bucket... Good luck! :

 

[fatty40]

Thanks for the replies guys.

It's sat in a bin bag inside a sleeping bag but not totally covered.
I'm new to this (4th brew) and thought airlocks were for wine lol....should I crack the lid and leave it slightly open?
Wouldn't this let oxygen in and ruin the brew?

Is it worth fitting an airlock on future brews, as this weekend I'm looking to set off a few different brews so I can keep
a constant supply of lovliness going

thanks again

 

[boozy_shoes]

I wouldn't bother with an airlock for primary, it's more kit to buy and relies on you cutting a neat hole for the gromit that it sits in, there's so much CO2 coming off the beer in primary (and it's heavier than oxygen anyway) that oxidation isn't an issue.

 

[fatty40]

@calumscott, thanks for the link mate. There's a lot of reading there so I'll have a proper (several) read through when I have the time and try and digest it all....sadly I have a day off and apparently I'm now going shopping

 

[calumscott]

You only need a tiny crack to let the gas escape. It won't allow oxygen in as the CO2 production by the yeast is always forcing gas out from the headspace in your FV. Once the initial vigorous ferment is done you can clip it back up again because those lids never seal completely without the pressure behind them from the inside...

If it's in a bag, you should be safe... But one of those plastic "under bed" boxes is a good bet.

Also, if you have reasonable heating in your house you shouldn't need to insulate your bucket. When the yeast do their thing they give off heat and if you trap it all in there you could easily end up fermenting too warm thereby producing off flavours or the hangover inducing fusel (longer hydrocarbon chain) alcohols.

I'm a big promoter of airlocks. Anything that helps towards good aseptic technique is a plus in my book. :thumb:

 

[calumscott]

@calumscott, thanks for the link mate. There's a lot of reading there so I'll have a proper (several) read through when I have the time and try and digest it all....

No worries, we're here to help!

sadly I have a day off and apparently I'm now going shopping

Just make sure it involves swinging by your LHBS...

...or apply the equality rule - for every "lady" shop you are forced to visit, you get to visit a pub for a pint. That really focusses their minds... :lol:

 

[fatty40]

Thanks again for all the advice and I pleased to report that all seems well with this brew. I cracked the lid slightly and it all appears to be doing what it should. I haven't taken a hydrometer reading yet, I'm thinking maybe Monday or Tuesday.

Mefinks this homebrewing malarky is highly addictive. During my enforced shopping trip, I found it somewhat rude to visit shop and not buy anything....I now have a Stout, Mexican Ceveza (both Wilko), a Cooper's Ginger beer and 2 Turbo Ciders on the go!!! I felt the Hoppy Copper bitter may have been a bit lonely :rofl:

@calumscott...RE: heating/insulating the bucket, my Mrs suffers some form of 'prickly heat' during the winter and suffers a really bad rash and itches like a flea ridden mongrel in dry heat so we only have the heating on when it's desperately cold. It does get mildly amusing watching TV in scarf, hat and gloves :grin:

 

[calumscott]

@calumscott...RE: heating/insulating the bucket, my Mrs suffers some form of 'prickly heat' during the winter and suffers a really bad rash and itches like a flea ridden mongrel in dry heat so we only have the heating on when it's desperately cold. It does get mildly amusing watching TV in scarf, hat and gloves :grin:

Yeah, you probably do want some insulation in the winter then! You could get one of those electronic thermometers with the remote probe, I got one from amazon for about 15 quid, tape the probe to the side of your bucket then wrap it up, you'll probably only need to do it a couple of times to understand what's going on in there. :thumb:

 

[jonnymorris]

You might consider an aquarium heater as measuring the temperature is only half the battle. The heater will keep your brew at the right temp regardless of how cold your house is.