HELP! I'm a new brewer thanks to my wife who got me a beer making kit for Christmas.We made our first batch yesterday. An American Red beer. I've got the beer fermenting in a carboy but the suds have begun to come out of the aerator. I pre-measured the carboy to the 5 gallon mark with water, so I know it wasn't over filled. Is this normal? Do I need to do something before all this time, effort and beer go to waste?

Just relax, your brew will be just fine. You just have a very vigorous fermentation. What temperature are you fermenting. You want to keep it around 69 degrees. When it is warmer it can also increase the fermentation activity. Hope this helps...

Gary

I agree with Gary, you're likely fine. I would recommend using a larger primary fermenter. If too much of the krausen makes its way into the airlock, it may jam up on you, creating a fermentation bomb.

Here's a pic of the aftermath of a Barleywine that I did a few months back:
http://www.beermath.com/images/fermenter_bomb.jpg

I used a 6 gal bucket for primary and it was so vigorous that it's blew the top off. It even threw the ring gasket from the bucket lid a few feet away. That's krausen splattered all over the expansion tank on my water heater line. Fortunately, the batch survived, and it made more of a mess of my friends and I than it did of the cellar. Tips for next time:

1. Get a larger vessel for use as a primary fermenter, or
2. Use a blow-off tube on your primary for the first few days. As long as you have a fairly constant ambient temp, they are simnple and effective. Then put your airlock back on once you notice that the bubble rate has slowed.

Hoppy New Year & best of luck with the batch!

Thanks for the replys. I ended up putting on a blow off tube and it seems to be working fine. I live in Michigan so my basement is always on the cool side. I see my first batch is already an adventure, but also a learning experience.

Yeah, first batches tend to be a good learning experience. Best of luck with it, and don't get discouraged!
DS