What happens when i don't use an airlock properly?!


Question: What happens when i don't use an airlock properly?
So I recently started to brew some beer. It all went well but i forgot to put the cap onto my 3 piece airlock. And it's been fermenting for about 18 hours before i realized this. it created a sticky mess that was caught by a tarp i put under it. The airlock is now in tact again and the wart is still noticeably fermenting. What's any problems that i might have now because i forgot to put the cap on the first time?

Answers:

Nothing, I have made wine for years and never even use them. Just rubber band a plastic bag over the opening.

People made alcohol forever without all this fancy stuff...



Assuming that you had liquid in the airlock, then leaving the cap off is not a big deal. The liquid is the actual barrier, not the cap.

The fact that something came out of the airlock is more of an issue. It sounds as though there was not enough head space in your fermenter. You need to leave approximately 20% of the fermenter empty (i.e., If you are using a 6.5 G carboy, you ferment more than about 5.25 G of beer.)

When fermenting beer, we're attempting to create the best environment we can for the yeast to grow and prosper. Unfortunately, other wild beasties like this environment too. Each step, is meant to maximize the yeast and minimize the wild crap. If you have good sanitation as a part of your process you should be fine.




The consumer Foods information on foodaq.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007 FoodAQ - Terms of Use - Contact us - Privacy Policy

Food's Q&A Resources