[crackedflowerpots]

we are fementing (look at me   technical jargon already!) our first homebrew (from a kit :oops: ) in the plastic bucket provided, it is at a steady temp but the lid is starting to expand and bulge  :shock: its only been fermenting for 1 day ... is this ok?

[crackedflowerpots]

:cry:  s'pose you are all looking out of window waiting for signs to sow your seeds .... but i dont want to explllllllllllllloooooooooooodddddddddddddeeeeeeeeeee!  :evil:

[Wildeone]

How scarey is it really looking like it wil explode? Can you call the Kit manufacturer quickly before they go home at 5?

[crackedflowerpots]

i have covered it with a strong black bin liner ... coz its in OH wardrobe ... which is ideal temp ,,, have emailed company ... and am cowering by the pc! :shock:

[seadart]

Just lift the lid a bit to let some gas out, or you could fit an air lock to the lid then watch it bubble away like a Hooka Pipe!    

[crackedflowerpots]

if hubby gets a whiff of it it wont get a chance to ferment!  do you really think i should lift the lid? :shock:

[seadart]

Yeah, just a little like a tupperware box  

[crackedflowerpots]

is it ... OPEN AND SHUT QUICK ... or ....OPEN SLOWLY AND LEAVE OPEN?

[Tinbasher]

we are fementing (look at me   technical jargon already!) our first homebrew (from a kit :oops: ) in the plastic bucket provided, it is at a steady temp but the lid is starting to expand and bulge  :shock: its only been fermenting for 1 day ... is this ok?

Lol, stop panicking.  

How strong do you think the seal is on a snap-on plastic lid?  If pressure built up that much, it would flip the lid up a bit at most, not explode the bucket.  The bulge is a good sign and shows that things are on the go.  Like someone said, lift a bit of the lid a little and smell, even listen, to a bit of pressure be released.  In fact its as well to keep a little bit of the lid not quite closed fully to help prevent any bulging, not that it's a main problem.  Everything will relax after a few days and the initial vigourous ferment will slow down.  At this point you can snap the lid back down fully and just have a peek at it once a day.

The first few days when it's bubbling vigourously, you should also see quite a fair bit of froth or foam (a head of beer in fact) on the top of the mixture, and so much that it can in fact touch the underside of the lid.  If it seems too vigourous and any froth likely to seep out the sides of the lid, just scoop off a handful or two (with a clean ladle) to lower the height of it.  When the ferment has slowed, the froth tends to mostly disappear and you will then just have the dark beer colour (with an odd froth floater maybe) and the height of the mixture will be back to more or less what is was when you began.  If any froth had touched the underside of the lid, it will now dry out as the level drops.  I like to remove the lid at this point and give it a wash (just clean warm water should do it) to remove any residue.  It only dries on more and becomes even harder to remove the longer you leave it.  I don't like the idea of dried, crusty, stale beer foam lingering above the mix either.  It's not a big deal as at this point you are not too far away from transfering from the bucket to bottles or a keg anyway, but all the same.

It's ok to have the lid off for 5 mins especially in the later stages.  You can if you wish, cover the bucket with a clean towel (don't let it slip into the bucket) for any short time the lid is off.

[crackedflowerpots]

thanks tinbasher ... gonna have another peek ... and look for foam or froth ... didnt notice any of that, only the bulge! ... wish me luck!

[Wildeone]

If your not back in 10minutes we'll ........ well we'll ........ panic!

[crackedflowerpots]

:oops: it appears to have been a little bit of wind ... thats much better thanks ... but the head is only about a centimetre ... i was hoping for more :cry:

[Wildeone]

I'm sure there's a punch line here somewhere.............

It's too cold for the naughty step.

[crackedflowerpots]

I'm sure there's a punch line here somewhere.............

It's too cold for the naughty step.

you should have thought about the cold before you put your mind in the gutter!  wildeone's going to the naughty step ner ner ner ner ner!

[Tinbasher]

is it ... OPEN AND SHUT QUICK ... or ....OPEN SLOWLY AND LEAVE OPEN?

He-he, anyone would think we were dealing with deadly microbes from outer space.

Just lift a small portion of the lid so that it's off the snap-seal that causes it to be fully closed.  Just a bit like you would for the corner of a tupperware sandwich box, and leave it like that.  To all intents the lid will still look closed, except it won't be fully pressed down all the way round.  You only need that small portion of the lid unsealed for any pressure to escape.


What you do need to be more vigilant about is when you properly seal the beer in either bottles or a keg, and then introduce more sugar for a secondary ferment.  This is so as the beer will be gassy and have a head.  DO NOT overdo the addition of secondary sugar, which as far as bottles go is 1 LEVEL teaspoon of sugar per pint.  Kegs vary and if you have instructions, follow those, but a general rule is 2 oz of sugar in the keg for a 40 pint brew.  You will need though a further method of gassing up the beer in a keg (CO2 injection) as usually only about half the beer delivers itself thru the tap under it's 'own steam'.  For this reason I always find bottling is better and also bottles are easier to move to a cool storage place and leave there to mature.  

Don't forget you need a cool place once the beer has first bucket-fermented and then secondary-fermented (bottles or keg).  Warm beer isn't too nice apart from which it's the cooler environment that helps the beer to clear.

If the OH is tempted to start sampling before time remind him/her that to do so is to risk spending the next 2 days or so constantly visiting the bathroom.  Good for you - plenty of Vitamin B - but there is a side-effect !!