Is it ruined?

Hello fellow brewers. I'm a long time drinker first time brewer . Well I recently made my first batch of beer an American Ale and it turned out very good. Today I brewed my second batch and all seemed to go well. Made some yeast starter a couple of days early, hit my OG target, sanitized everything and boiled to the recommended times. I made an extract kit, it was a Scotch Ale from Morebeer. All went well till I put the airlock onto the stopper.

What happened is that I've read how many people use Vodka in their airlocks, so I decided to try that, Raspberry Vodka is what I had & used. I poured it in up to the Fill Line. Placed the stopper and airlock onto my carboy and all is well, till a few minutes later when I noticed that the airlock was below the Fill Line (it is now half ways between the Fill Line and the bottome of the airlock). It seems the carboy is sucking in the Vodka from the airlock. Not that much went into the carboy, maybe 1/4oz or less. Will that ruin the batch of beer?

I removed the airlock and replaced it with another airlock I have. I sanitized it and this time I filled it with some Starsan and water that I used to sanitize it. Again I filled it to the Fill Line. A few minutes later the I look over at it and again it sucked in some of the starsan I had in the airlock, same amount as it did with the Vodka.
Does anyone have an idea of whats happening? Will the Starsan and Raspberry Vodka that got into the batch ruin it?

Thanks in advanced for the help,
Alberto

Nope you'll be fine, your beer is just cooling down and pulling the Vodka/starsan in. This is one of the reasons vodka is used, wont hurt your beer at all.
Personally, I'd keep filling it with Vodka, it'll turn around and start blowing eventually after the fermentation starts.
You did cool your wort down to room temp prior to pitching your yeast right? Mid 60's?

I cooled it down to around 72* and the yeast was at room temp. When I removed it from my kitchen sink because I was out of ice, the temp was at 80*. I let it sit on my counter with the lid on for about 20 min before I poured it in my carboy and added my cold water to bring it up to 5 gallons. After that I put a stopper on the carboy and shock it for a while before I poured in my yeast.

1stly dont use flavor'd vodka, use the cheap ass regular stuff.

Are you SURE its sucking back in and its not just positively displacing the airlock fluid? how many days into ferm. and what kind of lock, 3piece or S?

AdamPag said:

1stly dont use flavor'd vodka, use the cheap ass regular stuff.

Are you SURE its sucking back in and its not just positively displacing the airlock fluid? how many days into ferm. and what kind of lock, 3piece or S?

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It's a 3 piece and it happened about 20 - 30 min into the fermtation. I just brewed it tonight. I forgot to mention, it did suck it in I saw it drip in.

dont really understand why there would be negative pressure. is it a better bottle and are you moving it around with the airlock filled up?

I did move it from the kitchen to where I'm going to have it sit while it ferments, and it did shake a little while I moved it.

It's gonna be fine Justsome1.
It's just cooling down, I'm with the other guy though, you might switch to unflavored Vodka.

if you pick those things up, especially by the neck, then it will stretch out a little bit pulling some fluid in from the air lock. i always fill the airlock up when i have the carboy positioned where i want it.

Right on, thanks for all the advice, no more flavored vodka. I'll be doing my first
Mini-Mash this Friday and now I know what not to do. I'll also be following DeathBrewer's Partial Mash guide. I am hooked!! Thank you guys once again.

AdamPag said:

1stly dont use flavor'd vodka, use the cheap ass regular stuff.

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Unless you DRINK vodka.. then just get some Grey Goose. :cross:

grimzella said:

Unless you DRINK vodka.. then just get some Grey Goose. :cross:

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Yeah, I was all out of Grey Goose and all I had was Effen Raspberry Vodka. But I'm glad to see that airlock bubbling away!! :rockin:

I just made my yeast starter for my first partial mash I'll be doing in the next couple of days. It's an IPA II kit from Morebeer.

noooo dont use the good stuff! when I say cheap, Im talkin the plastic bottle stuff with words on the label that you cant even read. And yea I dont put the airlock on until the fermenter is sitting where its gonna be for the next 3 weeks, then I pop in the lock and fill it and then I LEAVE... you need to leave, or you'll touch it... Dont touch it.

pop in the lock and fill it and then I LEAVE... you need to leave, or you'll touch it... "Dont touch it." HARDEST THING FOR A NOOB TO LEARN

Haha, yup but I only moved it once. I have it covered so no light hits it and just the airlock is exposed. That baby is bubbling away!! Smells soooo good. And I'll have to get some of that cheap vodka.