Snow Storm Ruined My Braggot

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1Brotherbill

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So my Braggot was sitting on the counter on Friday it was done bubbling on Thursday. So I figured I would bottle it on Friday. Well I didn't get around to it. Then comes gigantic Blizzard on Saturday. So I spent all day Saturday shoveling. Last night before I went to work I looked at the air lock and most of the water is gone. On Thursday it was half full and now it's below the bell for the air lock.

So has this happened before. What I think happened was that when the storm came through the low air pressure pulled the CO2 out of the primary through the airlock. Then when the high pressure came through today it pushed the water up through the airlock. I have a feeling my science might be a bit off on this but where else could the water have gone in a day and a half. It couldn't have evaporated that fast.
 
1) you were going to bottle a braggot the day after it stopped bubbling??

2) you're using a better bottle, right? they tend to "suck back" with pressure changes

3) don't worry, add some more liquid to the airlock....

4) again, you were going to bottle a braggot the day after it stopped bubbling? Are you sure it's done?
 
Depending on the humidity in your house there is the chance it evaporated. If I dont run my humidifiers in my house the humidity drops very quickly.
 
That's why I like using cheap vodka in my air locks..... There aren't many nasties that can survive in 45% ABV grain alcohol....

I also gave up on the 3-pc air locks for the old S-style ones... They don't suck back.

Thanks

John
 
Exactly.... I had an air lock go totally dry for probably more than 6-months on a batch of wine I forgot about.... Turned out fine -- in fact, it tasted pretty good because it was *TOTALLY* degassed....

I am also with a few others here on the caution about bottling it as soon as it stops bubbling... Mead isn't beer - it needs more time to age out... The normal thing to do is to let it sit a *Really* long time before you bottle it up... Years isn't too long.... but a week or 2 isn't enough usually.

Thanks
 
Exactly.... I had an air lock go totally dry for probably more than 6-months on a batch of wine I forgot about.... Turned out fine -- in fact, it tasted pretty good because it was *TOTALLY* degassed....

+1,000

The thing to remember is, even with a dry airlock is that the bad stuff are not ninja acrobats....whether it is a 3 piece or an s type, they would have to get through the cap at the top, then either negotiate a series of twist and turns through an S shaped "track" OR have to dive down, then climb up the center post under the plastic bubbler, then lift said bubbler up enough to the make it into the center post and dive into your fermenter....and STILL have to negotiate the rising co2 current pushing out of the fermenter itself....Think about it...Even without water in there, do you think a piece of dust can make this journey?

stype.jpg


3piece.jpg


Needless to say a piece of dust ain't gonna make it. And not much else either. Relax ;)
 
+1,000

The thing to remember is, even with a dry airlock is that the bad stuff are not ninja acrobats....whether it is a 3 piece or an s type, they would have to get through the cap at the top, then either negotiate a series of twist and turns through an S shaped "track" OR have to dive down, then climb up the center post under the plastic bubbler, then lift said bubbler up enough to the make it into the center post and dive into your fermenter....and STILL have to negotiate the rising co2 current pushing out of the fermenter itself....Think about it...Even without water in there, do you think a piece of dust can make this journey?

stype.jpg


3piece.jpg


Needless to say a piece of dust ain't gonna make it. And not much else either. Relax ;)

Your MS Paint skills need some work, but classic nonetheless. Only issue is that when a 3-piece sucks back, you get whatever liquid you used in your fermenter.

With that said, +1 to the mention of vodka in the airlocks.
 
Reminds me of Pasteur's original experiements with milk. He put boiled milk in a "goose-neck" flask so that dust settled in the neck and couldn't get into the milk. The milk did not go rancid and the concept that dust carries bad stuff was born...
 
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