Airlock fell off while fermenting! Is it ruined?
Mark Bean
Three days after brewing I went to check on my batch that I had
fermenting in the closet. When I got there I noticed that the airlock
was removed and the hole in my fermenting bucket was uncovered. What are
the chances that my brew is ruined? Should I even bother bottling it?
How sensitive to contamination is beer really?
Tom Thomas
> Three days after brewing I went to check on my batch that I had
>fermenting in the closet. When I got there I noticed that the airlock
>was removed and the hole in my fermenting bucket was uncovered. What are
>the chances that my brew is ruined?
Some people actually ferment in open containers (not the majority, but
some) with only a rag or a loose covering on top of the bucket.
Provided that nothing disturbed it (see the mouse-in-the-carboy thread
for gory details!), I'd guess there could be enough CO2 escaping to
keep most airborne contaminants out. Probably the most important
issue is whether you remembered to sanitize the airlock before
replacing it. A slight opening to the air might not be a problem, but
a yukky, contaminated airlock sure could be.
>Should I even bother bottling it?
If it appears OK, sure! Why waste it when it could be just fine?
>How sensitive to contamination is beer really?
Pretty sensitive; but, it becomes less susceptible to contamination as
sugars are converted to alcohol. The later it goes into the
fermentation process, the less sensitive it becomes.
Good luck!
---------------------------------------------
Tom
Unsolicited advertisements cheerfully ignored.
Josh Stroh
Did you take a little taste of the beer yet? Go ahead and pull off a
sample and have a taste. If it's good bottle, if not, let the sewer rats
have a party. Good luck
Josh
David Pickett
In message <3370f2c0....@news1.ibm.net>
tho...@ibm.net (Tom Thomas) writes:
> On Wed, 7 May 1997 15:04:40 -0400, be...@fas-admin.rutgers.edu (Mark
> Bean) wrote:
> > Three days after brewing I went to check on my batch that I had
> >fermenting in the closet. When I got there I noticed that the airlock
> >was removed and the hole in my fermenting bucket was uncovered. What are
> >the chances that my brew is ruined?
> Some people actually ferment in open containers (not the majority, but
> some) with only a rag or a loose covering on top of the bucket.
> Provided that nothing disturbed it ored.
Almost *ALL* HB'rs in the UK brew this way. Completely sealed
enclosures seem to be an American trait. (Papazian trait?)
Providing that there was a good yeast head on the wort then there
should be no problems.
--
Dave Pickett
NEWS INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPERS LTD
--THE SUN--THE NEWS OF THE WORLD--THE TIMES--THE SUNDAY TIMES--
Facilities Management Department
Steve Gage
> Three days after brewing I went to check on my batch that I had
>fermenting in the closet. When I got there I noticed that the airlock
>was removed and the hole in my fermenting bucket was uncovered. What are
>the chances that my brew is ruined? Should I even bother bottling it?
>How sensitive to contamination is beer really?
I wouldn't worry about it _too_ much. We were having a party a couple
of months ago, and the neighbor's kid pulled the airlock off my
fermenter. I found him with it in his hand saying "yucky!", so I
assume had sucked on it thinking it was some kind of straw. Hoping he
hadn't poked a crayon or something through the hole, I re-sanitized
the airlock and put it back. Guess what? One of the best beers I've
ever made in over 15 years of brewing. Of course, I was using Wyeast
1007, German Ale, so if he _had_ dropped a crayon in there, it
probably would have been digested and fermented!
Regards,
Steve
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