My son is going to ruin my pale ale

My one-year-old recently developed a fascination with the airlock on my fermenting rye pale ale. He has pulled it off the pail about 4-5 times now and spilled vodka everywhere. I'm not sure how much has gotten into the actual beer. There usually seems to be more on the lid than anywhere else, but this little dude is going to ruin the damn thing.

I suppose I should take comfort that he is taking an interest in beer. I guess we'll just have to work on the proper care of fermentation as he gets older.

I assume others have run into the same problem: little ones who just can't keep their hands off the bubbling airlock or other fun, beer-making "toys."

I doubt that amount of vodka would make that big of a difference. I wouldn't sweat it.

Yeah, I'm not actually mad. Kind of amused, to tell you the truth.

Simple solution would be to put the fermenter where he can't get it. Also where is he getting access to vodka? Child proof your home would be first priority.

Funny,

My daughter is 2.... my fun has only just begun haha

Thanks for sharing!

+1 to Weizenwerks. Maybe you want to use something else in the airlock also like star san. It's only a matter of time before he ends up accidentally drinking the vodka.

he likes the vodka. its up to you to make sure he cant get to these things. put the fermenter in his playpin, or him.

Weizenwerks said:

Simple solution would be to put the fermenter where he can't get it. Also where is he getting access to vodka? Child proof your home would be first priority.

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This.

My son is also a year old. I have my fermentor in the guest bathroom and he gets nowhere near it.

After I realized this wasn't a problem that was going away, I took it out of his reach. (I thought it was sufficiently hidden/inaccessible before, but the little guy is an explorer and pretty clever.) As far as the vodka goes, I definitely have that out of kids' reach. The only stuff "available" is in my airlock. I'd much rather that be in there than Star San, though. Can you imagine if he took a swig of that?

Long and short of it is that you gotta watch out for kids with this hobby.

you could always drill a small hole through the stem on the airlock that goes into the fermenter and but a stainless steel cotter pin in it. That would mean that the lid to the fermenter would have to be removed before the airlock.

Though just putting it where he can't get to it would be easier.

Buy an electric fence.

I had to put a knob with a lock on my closet just for this reason. I knew my son would get into it, so I cut him off before he got the idea.

heywolfie1015 said:

My one-year-old recently developed a fascination with the airlock on my fermenting rye pale ale. He has pulled it off the pail about 4-5 times now and spilled vodka everywhere. I'm not sure how much has gotten into the actual beer. There usually seems to be more on the lid than anywhere else, but this little dude is going to ruin the damn thing.

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So your 1 year old child has been playing in vodka and your main concern is whether or not your beer is ruined. Also this has happened 4-5 times? You are supposed to be smarter then a one year old. How many times does it have to happen before you realize it was not a good idea to have it accessible.

heywolfie1015 said:

I assume others have run into the same problem: little ones who just can't keep their hands off the bubbling airlock or other fun, beer-making "toys."

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That is why children are supposed to have responsible parents. Kids get into things, it is your job to ensure they are safe.

Chill out. I'm always two steps behind him when it happens. The little hands are just quick enough to knock the airlock over and spill out the contents. My house is fully child proofed and my children arekept safe. The kid is not "playing" in vodka.

I say let them the sleep much better afterwords ;-) and for the people that are tweaking about it relax kids get into much worse and survive. There is no why to fully child proof a house and if you do figure out a way to they will just figure out how to minipulate the child locks trust me i know. there is no way to keep an eye on them 24/7 either. they will explore get into stuff and drive you nuts that is just the fact of life. I use to have problems with my kids getting into my beer so I made a over the top hoppy one and left it sitting on the coffey table oh they got into it and had a sip and have never since. all i have to do is ask them if they want a sip and i get a no it is beer it is nasty. if the boy gets a sip of vodka he will not get into it again. at least not at that age. and i would much rather have a little bit of alcahol over a little bit of a chemical in their mouth.

I'm calling child services on you.
On a serious note, slap his little hands every time he touches it.


_

Try placing some Spongebob or Backyardigans decoys near your fermenter.

wildwest450 said:

I'm calling child services on you.
On a serious note, slap his little hands every time he touches it.

_

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Nah, a couple of "No's" and removing temptation did the trick. At this age, he wouldn't understand what he was doing "wrong" anyway.

RTKBA - he was referring to vodka in the airlock.

robtotten said:

RTKBA - he was referring to vodka in the airlock.

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Reading comprehension is strong in this one.

I was on the way to the grocery tonight and the wife called and sounded worried, and broke it to me that my 2yr old had pulled the airlock off a fermenter.. I told her to just stick it on the table and I'll fix it when I get home.. I can't blame him for messing with it though, I used to stare at the damn things for hours . - Also, I only use water in my airlocks..never had a problem.

robtotten said:

RTKBA - he was referring to vodka in the airlock.

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I understand that. Do you and the others that posted on here saying it is not a big deal realize that it only takes a few ounces of alcohol to cause alcohol poisoning in a child that age? I did a quick google search and found a case of a 6 month baby who died with a BAC of .205. The medical examiner said that it was caused by the baby consuming 1-1.5 ounces of 80 proof spirits. The mother is now in prison.

I just do not understand how hard it is to keep the fermenter in a room the child does not have access to.

The amount of vodka in an airlock that would spill out is negligible.. do you guys who are bashing the OP have kids? Othe than locking them in the closet there is NO WAY to keep em out of everything all the time. All you can do is the best you can do .. My grandson pulled the airlock off of my blond ale and tossed a cheezit into the fermenting beer. It was no found for a few hours. ( we replaced the airlock just didn't notice the cheezit) ber was fine after removing the offending cracker... It was dubbed "cheddar blond".

Yes I have a small child at home. He has zero access to my beer and my firearms. Period. It's called responsibility. There is no excuse.

RTKBA said:

I understand that. Do you and the others that posted on here saying it is not a big deal realize that it only takes a few ounces of alcohol to cause alcohol poisoning in a child that age? I did a quick google search and found a case of a 6 month baby who died with a BAC of .205. The medical examiner said that it was caused by the baby consuming 1-1.5 ounces of 80 proof spirits. The mother is now in prison.

I just do not understand how hard it is to keep the fermenter in a room the child does not have access to.

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Weizenwerks said:

Yes I have a small child at home. He has zero access to my beer and my firearms. Period. It's called responsibility. There is no excuse.

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No, we aren't being judgmental at all. A one year old doing a shot and a half of 80 proof vodka? I doubt it. He would freak out and start crying when the first drop hit his tongue. Not to mention I doubt he's using that good of vodka for the airlock. I don't. I found it to be an amusing story, as I assumed that he was a reasonable and responsible parent and I prefer to read the story as it was intended instead of jumping immediately to conclusions about how terrible he must be at child rearing.

I'm not sorry for the rant. Should I take the loaded 9mm out of the diaper bag?

Weizenwerks said:

Yes I have a small child at home. He has zero access to my beer and my firearms. Period. It's called responsibility. There is no excuse.

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exactly, while a child will get into everything they have access to it is the parents responsibility to ensure they do not have access to potentially harmful items.

ohiosteve, you say the amount is negligible meaning it is not enough to worry about. While i have never measured how much goes into an air lock I am sure it is at least 1.5 ounces which I have already explained is enough to cause a fatal BAC of 0.205 in a six month old. According to the CDC there is an average 5 pound difference between a 6 month old and 12 month old. therefore the effects of alcohol would be almost identical.

I am not saying that it would definitely result in death, but there is a chance and at the very least the child will become intoxicated. If you believe that a child especially a one year old should be exposed to alcohol and it is not a big deal then you are obviously not psychologically mature enough to be responsible for the well being of a child.

There is no excuse for a child having access to even the smallest amounts of alcohol.

I agree. A good rule of thumb is one ounce of beer per year of age.

cwaite37 said:

A one year old doing a shot and a half of 80 proof vodka? I doubt it.

I'm not sorry for the rant. Should I take the loaded 9mm out of the diaper bag?

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I am not saying it is likely but it is possible. It is funny you bring up firearms. As I am sure many people can tell by my name (Right To Keep and bear Arms) I have numerous firearms in my home and guess what no child has access to them. If I posted saying that my one year old was playing with my holstered handgun i would be crucified on here. The chances of a child figuring out how to remove the gun from a retention holster (some adults cant figure it out) removing the safety then firing the weapon is slim, but that is a chance no one should take. It is the same with alcohol there is a chance it could kill a child so why take that chance? It is as simple as placing the bucket in a room or even placing it on a table.

robtotten said:

I agree. A good rule of thumb is one ounce of beer per year of age.

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For those of us over 21 years old... Yikes...



Overprotective parents normally have kids that end up being "over experimental" when they get older and hit college. Its unanimous that all my friends with overprotective parents ended up over the top drunks or drug addicts...

Moderation is key. Kids will be kids. Regulate actions dont coddle.

OK...I just measured the absolute maximum volume that an S-shaped airlock could hold without pulling a siphon on the downside....it barely half-filled a shot glass. So for the record, a 1 year old couldn't reach the theoretical 1.5 oz that RTKBA is worried about.

Chill, people...it's funny...the toddler is fascinated by the bubbling airlock...he rubbed his hands in the vodka that spilled...it won't be any worse for him than the first time he finds dog poop at the park...

And FWIW, I can't believe no one has jumped on one of the earlier statements about Star San...definitely safe to ingest in small amounts when mixed to proper sanitizing strength. I use Star San in all my airlocks, and I usually use it to mix up my kids' KoolAid too....jus kidding!!!

RTKBA said:

I understand that. Do you and the others that posted on here saying it is not a big deal realize that it only takes a few ounces of alcohol to cause alcohol poisoning in a child that age? I did a quick google search and found a case of a 6 month baby who died with a BAC of .205. The medical examiner said that it was caused by the baby consuming 1-1.5 ounces of 80 proof spirits. The mother is now in prison.

I just do not understand how hard it is to keep the fermenter in a room the child does not have access to.

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It's called natural selection...

The kid isn't going to hurt himself even if he magically discovers the "delicious taste" of airlock vodka.

Relax, crazy people.

Cute story.

Yea guys, jeez, relax a bit. I was drinking vodka out of my sippy cup by age 8 (still how I like it at 26) and I turned out... hiccup... just fine.

I kid I kid, except about still liking the sippy cup, but really guys? You think vodka in an airlock is worth attempting an internet lecture on parenting? I'm just going to go ahead and assume sarcasm, not worry, relax, and well you know the rest of it.

JoeBronco said:

Moderation is key. Kids will be kids. Regulate actions dont coddle.

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This is what I'm saying. Kids need to play in dirt to build immunity, touch a hot stove to know it hurts, etc. The job of the parent is to monitor their environment so that the child can make it to adulthood without serious injury. I see no problem with the OP. He had a fermenter in a location that I assume he usually keeps he fermenters. This was clearly the first time the kid was messing with it. So he removed the "risk" as it has been characterized.

How do you handle outlets? Did you have an electrical contractor move all of the outlets in your house out of children's reach? What about sharp corners on tables? And I'll be he has a toy or two capable of blunt force trauma. Where does common sense precautions turn into the ridiculous?

For the record, I am a big fan of the 2nd amendment and believe that while access to my guns need to be STRICTLY controlled, the best prevention to accidental firearm injuries is education. My children (not old enough yet) will get all the education and experience with any gun I own, as long as I'm there with them to teach them how to use and respect their power.

It's also possible for him to fall and crack his head at walking when he's 2, you need to immobilize him now.

One extreme to the next. Typical.

Dome555 said:

Yea guys, jeez, relax a bit. I was drinking vodka out of my sippy cup by age 8 (still how I like it at 26) and I turned out... hiccup... just fine.

I kid I kid, except about still liking the sippy cup, but really guys? You think vodka in an airlock is worth attempting an internet lecture on parenting? I'm just going to go ahead and assume sarcasm, not worry, relax, and well you know the rest of it.

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Agreed on this one. My parents were from the generation where adding a dash of whiskey to a baby bottle would help calm down the baby, and rubbing whiskey on the baby's gums would help with teething. And they're from "America's greatest generation." A splash of vodka won't kill anyone. Considering that its an airlock, I would assume there's probably more alcohol in a dosage of nyquil.

Everyone is a better parent than the next. No wonder our laws and liberties are so screwed up.

OP, I like the story. Reminded me of my kids when they were young. Enjoy the times, they go by fast. Let the haters hate.

Overprotective parents raise pansy children. Kids are going to get into trouble plain and simple. I had a gun since I was 6, guess what, no curiosity. Was aloud to have a beer at home before 21, guess what? Didn't have my first beer til I was 21. Remove the curiosity, remove the potential danger down the road. Guide them, don't try and protect them from everything.

CoalCracker said:

Overprotective parents raise pansy children. Kids are going to get into trouble plain and simple. I had a gun since I was 6, guess what, no curiosity.

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I assume you mean they let you shoot it under strict supervision? If not either you are a story teller or you had some extremely irresponsible and completely stupid parents. Who the hell gives a six year old a firearm? It is one thing to take a 6 year old to the range and let them plink around with a .22 but if they actually let you just run around with it they are retarded. No 6 year old can display proper firearms safety.

I am not saying to be overprotective. I am saying learn your lesson. The OP put a fermenting bucket in reach of a 1 year old. Then waited till the kid pulled the airlock off 4-5 times before he realized that it was not a good idea. As I stated in my earlier post, It is unlikely the child would ingest the 1-1.5 ounces need to be fatal, but the chance is there. There is also the chance of the batch getting ruined (I can tell more people will be concerned about this then a child getting injured) . So I ask again, why not be smart and put it somewhere the child can not reach it?

It is a fact that children will get into things and will get hurt it is how they learn. but that does not mean that parents should not remove unneeded risks. There are enough things in a house that can injure a child without adding more unnecessary risks.

The main concern here is not the fact that a child pulled off an airlock. It is the fact he did it 4-5 times before the OP realized it would be a good idea to move it.