If you usea balloon/plastic bag instead ofan airlock on homemade wine andthe gasses can't escape what happens?!
Answers: i understand that when yeast is eating sugar and changing it to alcohol it produces co2 which an airlock would allow to escape. if you are making wine in a jug with a balloon on top and planning on letting the balloon fill up, then deflate, then drinking what happens?
The balloon will slowly get bigger and bigger. You need to make sure to release some of the gases every couple of days so that the balloon does not explode. If it does then you have defeated the purpose of the balloon. The only reason to use a balloon or air lock is to prevent the outside air from getting it. Its to prevent cross contamination.
i don't know what wine you're making but the last time i made wine the airlock bubbled for days i would expect any regular balloon to pop or blow off just go buy an airlock
Man. oh man! You are cutting corners all over the place. Water and concentrate instead of real fruit or juice, plastic bags in place of an airlock. The airlock costs about a dollar. Splurge. Baloons and plastic bags are not as easy to sanitize as airlocks are. You do sanitize your equipment, don't you?