Appreciation post: My airlock bubbled over and made a mess on the kitchen counter

It happened right after I added extra blueberries to my secondary ferment last Tuesday. Anyone have a good trick for containing those overflow spurts besides just putting a towel under it?

3 comments

3 Comments

joelh6419d ago

Oh man, that brings back a memory. My first ever ginger bug eruption was a DISASTER. I had it in one of those fancy swing-top bottles on a warm day. Came home to find the lid blown clean off and a sticky, fizzy river of ginger goo all down my cabinet doors and onto the floor. The smell was amazing but the cleanup took an hour. I learned to just use a big old mixing bowl as a catch basin for anything active now.

barbara_campbell19d agoMost Upvoted

Ugh, the blueberry surge is real. I mean, that's not really a secondary ferment though, is it? Adding fruit like that is usually called a fruiting and it's super active, basically a whole new ferment. Maybe try a bigger vessel next time or just way less fruit.

avery_smith2215d ago

My cousin in Denver swears by putting his active ferments right in the kitchen sink. Honestly, I think all the extra gear is overkill. A towel under the vessel is the perfect solution because it's simple and you're already using it for cleanup anyway. Why buy a special bowl or a bigger jug when a rag does the same job. Tbh, a messy overflow just means your ferment is happy and healthy, it's a good sign.