We Brew a little different in Eastern Canada

I think we make beer a little differently in Eastren Canada here. We start out in a plastic fermenter but there is not airlock in it - I havent seen a homebrew shop down here yet that has a hole in it. Most people do the primary fermentation with the lid not snug on the bucket thus allowing the gas to escape under the lid. I guess that would allow oxygen to get in too - but I havent had a problem with it so far. Personally with regular ales I put the lid on so it is air tight and when fermentation starts i pull the lid off a sligh bit daily to relieve pressue. High gravity brews i leave the lid loose so it doesnt blow right off.

After about 5 days for a normal ale fermentation is usually pretty well done - then we rack to the secondary glass carboy - which has an airlock - once the beer is clear usually about 2 weeks we transfer to a bottling bucket with some corn sugar and bottle.

Does this sound like a strange method? I wonder why the shops around here dont follow the method most people it seems on here use?

So airlocks and hydrometers are not available in eastern Canada?

I think the air-lock is just one more tool to help simplify and safeguard your brew. You don't have to "burp" your bucket, and there is a reduced chance of infection.

There's really nothing wrong with the loose lid method but then again, a stopper (or grommet) plus an airlock is a whole $3 for piece of mind. The same could be said for a drilled hole and a piece of 1" OD tubing shoved in and draped into a jar of water. I like having that visual indicator of activity. Ahhh the sweet lullaby of glub glub glub.

I always use an airlock. I just put a hole in the lid and snap it down. That bubbling sound gives a me peaceful easy feeling...but I've been experimenting with the 6.5 gallon carboys, so I may scrap the plastic altogether.

Check out the Burnside Noble Grape for big fermenters. They have used food grade Malt jugs - 60 litres - $20.

I see you also spell differently in "eastren" canada too.

I doubt it's an eastern-canada thing. You could easily order bungs online and drill a hole in your lid.

Dang crazy hosers.

Ohhhh yea we can drill a hole in the top or order a plastic fermentor with the airlock. Just most of the folks I talk to here dont use it - as I seen we have some exceptions with Mr. X

Ok ill check out the burnside noble grape sounds cool - I usually go to the noble grape in clayton park.

We do have hydrometers down east here as well we use them to stir our coffee hehehe - just kidden I always use my hydrometer to make sure primary fermentation pretty well done before transfering - and then to check FG so i can estimate alcohol content

I always like to remind myself brewer's from the start of time didn't have airlocks or hydrometers...and I'm pretty damn sure they were making good beer! So hey as long as you like what you make...go with what you know!

i'm sure overly sweet, non-carbonated beverages, spiced and bittered without hops and fermented with mold taste fantastic

I'm just being an ass, you can make some great beer without using all the fancy-schmancy new technology...but...why would you want to? i like control over my brew and knowing what's going on every part of the process, with zero worry of contamination, stuck fermentations, or other annoying problems.

DeathBrewer said:

i'm sure overly sweet, non-carbonated beverages, spiced and bittered without hops and fermented with mold taste fantastic

I'm just being an ass, you can make some great beer without using all the fancy-schmancy new technology...but...why would you want to? i like control over my brew and knowing what's going on every part of the process, with zero worry of contamination, stuck fermentations, or other annoying problems.

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Yeah the new stuff is nice. Unfortunately, I think of monks 1000 years ago making what I assume was tasty brew in a wooden vat with who knows what flew in to ferment it every time I taste a batch of my beer that I was meticulous about but taste like ass.

Regards,
Al

true, but usually when something goes wrong, i know what not to do next time

To my knowledge, Budvar's primary is still done in open vats.....

DeathBrewer said:

I'm just being an ass, you can make some great beer without using all the fancy-schmancy new technology...but...why would you want to? i like control over my brew and knowing what's going on every part of the process, with zero worry of contamination, stuck fermentations, or other annoying problems

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But, i agree with you, i'd hate to try to pull that off on my own........

It's not so much a problem this time of year, but during the warmer months there's a very good reason I'd use an airlock around here.


Fruitflies. Dozens and dozens of fruitflies. Little bastards just killing themselves to get into my sweet sweet brew, drowning in the airlock water. If I had a crack open on the fermenting bucket, they'd walk right into the beer and drink their hearts content, leaving a plethora of acetobacteria to stay.

eviltwinofjoni said:

It's not so much a problem this time of year, but during the warmer months there's a very good reason I'd use an airlock around here.


Fruitflies. Dozens and dozens of fruitflies. Little bastards just killing themselves to get into my sweet sweet brew, drowning in the airlock water. If I had a crack open on the fermenting bucket, they'd walk right into the beer and drink their hearts content, leaving a plethora of acetobacteria to stay.

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I hate the little bastids.
Camakarzeeeeeee fookers.
I've heard they piss vinegar.

newguy said:

I always like to remind myself brewer's from the start of time didn't have airlocks or hydrometers...and I'm pretty damn sure they were making good beer! So hey as long as you like what you make...go with what you know!

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Go check out Zymurgy in the wiki Im have read there that "some" of the brews back in the day were fairly unpalatiable BUT people drank them anyway... strong smoke bitter flavor and all.
I guess some of this day arn't drinkable either so...................what was I saying
JJ

The point I was trying to make was some people fret to much about the little stuff. I understand wanting to have total control over the brew process. It really depends on what "type" of brewer you truly are. Do you enjoy taking hygrom readings, crunching numbers..ect. Or do you like to take the natures way (LOL as I like to call it ) and let things happen naturally and just trust that the process will run it's coarse.

I would never encourage someone not to further their knowledge, but again sometimes we just need to slow down and remember the small stuff!

newguy said:

The point I was trying to make was some people fret to much about the little stuff. I understand wanting to have total control over the brew process. It really depends on what "type" of brewer you truly are. Do you enjoy taking hygrom readings, crunching numbers..ect. Or do you like to take the natures way (LOL as I like to call it ) and let things happen naturally and just trust that the process will run it's coarse.

I would never encourage someone not to further their knowledge, but again sometimes we just need to slow down and remember the small stuff!

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Don't sweat the petty things, pet the sweaty things!

Al

Some of my dad friends would put a towel on top of the fermenting bucket. Not something I would do. Their beer come out very sweet and after 3 made a good laxative.

I would think burping the bucket would work. But I ALWAYS sweat the small stuff trust me their nothing worst then drinking infected beer. I try not to let the beer or anything I`m brewing in contact with outside air. So I alway use a airlock on my primary and secondary. I don`t use plastic buckets anymore I use glass carboys. The more you kept the precent chance of infection to a low percent, the better your beer will be and taste like the what it was intended to be.

oh I live in Southern Ontario and this is how I brew.

Later

brewt00l said:

So airlocks and hydrometers are not available in eastern Canada?

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I'm as far east as you can go in canada and be on dry land, and I have been brewing using an airlock in my bucket fermenter for the past 29 years or so. My hydrometer is 28 years old this November.

While I have heard of people brewing without airlocks in place for their primary, they are far and few. Most everyone I know brew using modern methods.

You foreigners think strange sometimes. I used to make beer in the 1970s in a plastic (food grade) bin with a tea towel as cover. The Carbon dioxide that is expelled during fermenting forms a layer over the wort, adding a first layer of protection. The cold Canadian method of using a fermenter without a airlock is fine providing you don't get too much pressure in your fermenter. A number of brewers I know have discarded the lid all together and cover the fermenter with plastic film held in place by the rubber ring that seals the lid. They don't need the glub glub but can see inside their fermenters and rely on experience and a hydro reading for their info. So to finish off, I don't think you brew differently in eastern Canada, I just think someone sold you a fermenter without a hole.

Brew on Dudes. How ever you choose. If you like it, it's cool......

I am also an eastern canadian (Nova Scotian) and I, and my father, have always used airlocks on the primary fermentation bucket. My biggest beef in this area is the total lack of knowledge brew retailers have about the gear, process, and kits they sell. They all seem to be wine makers who carry beer supplies just for the sake of it. -fustrating.

Thank goodness for this site... Eh

brawn said:

. My biggest beef in this area is the total lack of knowledge brew retailers have about the gear, process, and kits they sell. They all seem to be wine makers who carry beer supplies just for the sake of it. -fustrating.

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That's the biggest gripe I have also. My LHBS however do have knowledgeable staff when it comes to beer brewing however. Just
not as knowlegeable as I am, lol. At least where you are you have access to more local ingredients (former Brewing Centres) than I do.

fatgodzilla.... many moons ago I too brewed beer in a bucket sans airlock. Using a cover of plastic soon made most of my brews to say the least,
barely drinkable. Sanitation was at a mimimun due to lack of knowledge
of good brewing pratices and common sense. I'm not saying that good beer can't be made unless you use an airlock, just that if you choose not to use one then you better make sure that you keep your fermenter in a place that will minimize any chance of contamanation.

But thanks to forums like this one over the net, we increase our brewing savvy, and make great brews.

Cheers to all.

Yea the brewingcenters have a good variety of supplies. Some of the guys/gals who work there make beer all the time. Some other good small independant shops as well. Good point about the wine though - seems like that is super popular down this way for some reason (im not a big wine fan).

Can't sell me on the fact you cant make good beer without a primary aiorlock - my biggest beer is the IPA which is about 1050 or a little better and it doesnt blow the lid off - just give it a lil burp now and then and she is fine. Now if I made some Imperial stout or somthing I may run into toruble but so far so good. I cant imagine any infection getting in from burping the primary with all that co2 rushing out. Also im not one who needs to see the airlock going to show fermentation - i can see its going good when the co2 is pushing on the cover and there is a thick layer of foam.

Like the lad before me said no matter what your style brew on - im off to the fridge for anothe ipa lol

newguy said:

I always like to remind myself brewer's from the start of time didn't have airlocks or hydrometers...

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They didn't have cars or computers either.

I'm not giving mine up!

EDIT:
Sorry, I'm contributing to the OT banter. The loose lid method is a fine method of brewing. Sure, you may run a slight risk of wild yeast or other contaminants, depending on where you keep the fermenter and what sort of things are getting kicked around. But...in Belgium, some breweries keep their fermenters completely open!

I make my first mix of Brew canada (1/3 red and 2/3 pilsner) and 50g of hop.
And put some green food colour

Back in the 80's, my father brewed with a cloth over his bucket. Beer tasted bad but the canned kits of the time were more the culprit than his brewing technique.