arturo7

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This morning I took a peek at my carboy and found the airlock on the floor next to it. I have no idea how long it was off, it has been maybe a week since I last checked it.

There is a thin film of what might be settled dust and several light tan specs of something floating on top as well as one ant crawling aroung the mouth. There is some condensation inside the carboy. It smells OK.

Any thoughts? If it is infected how long will it take to show? I was planning to bottle this weekend. Maybe I should hold off for another week to see what happens?

Thanks in advance for the help.

__________________
Hey, knock that shvt off. We're drinkin' here.

Drunkensatyr

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I will bet that you are fine. It happens all the time. If you were that close to done, then there should have been a good blanket of c02 over the beer. If you really are worried, just give it another week before bottling. Go ahead and take a small taste sample now so you can compare it. Again, I bet you are fine.

2nd Street Brewery

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Over a week since you checked it last? What is wrong with you man
I check mine at least twice day, maybe more often. I love watching the little bits floating around, so relaxing.

Only kidding, you should be OK, like was said, you should have developed a nice layer of CO2 by now, but kill the ant, nasty little buggers.

__________________
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, then to speak and remove all doubt.

BlindLemonLars

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Here's what you do...

1. Clean the airlock.
2. Sanitize the airlock.
3. Put the airlock back in place and fill it. (I use vodka.)
4. Relax!

arturo7

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Thanks guys. I was hoping for replies like this. Guess I'll just RDWHAHB and hope for the best.

__________________
Hey, knock that shvt off. We're drinkin' here.

WOP31

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I agree with everyone else you should be fine.

FWIW: I was fermenting a Saison in my attic a few months back, so i could get it up to the right temp (95), and i went to California for a few days, when I came home and looked in on it the carboy cap had blown off at some point over the weekend and was lying on the ply wood next to the carboy, with the blow-off tube still attached, i am not sure how long it sat like that but it turned out great.

Cheers

__________________
"Yes, I am a pirate two hundred years too late. The cannons don't thunder there's nothin' to plunder,
I'm an [under] forty victim of fate, Arriving too late, arriving too late."
-Jimmy Buffet

malkore

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people used to (and still do) open primaries...nothing but a piece of linen over a bucket...with no problems.

risky, sure, but not necessarily a guaranteed infection.

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Malkore
Primary: English Mild
On tap: Pale Ale, Lancelot's Wheat, English Brown Ale, Steam Beer, HoovNuts IPA
Bottled: MOAM, Braggot, Raspberry Melomel, Merlot, Apfelwein, Pyment, Sweet mead, Cabernet
Gal in 2009: 27, Gal in 2010: 34, Gal in 2011: 13, Gal in 2012: 10

Reidman

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I saw an actual brewery doing open fermentation although I can't quite remember which. You should be fine though..

__________________
"I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer." ~ Homer Simpson

mrb

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I wish that I was soooooo calm. I even check my beer in the middle of the night (3a.m. to be exact - that's when I feed the 5 week old.)

It should be fine. In fact it will probably be the best beer that you have ever brewed.

__________________
Have A Day,

Mr. B

Primary:Empty Today Full Tomorrow
Secondary One: Old Rasputan Clone
Secondary Two: Empty
Conditioning: nothing yet
Drinking:Wheat Ale, Brown, Imperial Honey IPA, A couple of HB IPAs, a whole lot of Stone, Sam Adams Winter Pack, and plenty of BevMos 22oz stock beers

uglygoat

Recipes 

if it's open pull a sample out and taste it.. maybe dry hop it, then plug it back up.

__________________
A barrel of malt, a bushel of hops, you stir it around with a stick
The kind of lubrication to make your engine tick

never argue with an idiot, they'll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.