How long to keep in blowoff tube?

Question

Today I learned what happens if there's too much yeast and a container too small (I have a 1 gallon batch). So according to instructions I sanitized a hose and connected the hole in the fermentor and put the other end in the sanitized water.

Now, how long should I keep this setup? A couple of hours until there is no more bubbling? Just long enough to stop the heavy bubbling? Or all the way to the end of the fermentation?

Answer 1

Keep it in for as long as there's a large krausen (the foam on top of the beer.) You can then choose to remove it and replace with an airlock or you can leave in until the end of fermentation and you're ready to rack. If you do remove it and replace with an airlock, there is potentially a risk of contamination, but not much if you sanitize all the airlock and spray the opening with sanitizer.