Beerbeque
Well-Known Member
Is an airlock really necessary or is a piece of plastic or foil over the carboy mouth sufficient? I mean after the blowoff period of course. After that, isn't their a layer of CO2 covering the beer to protect it anyway?
Wait until you get fruitflies floating in your beer turning it into vinegar. It's not precisely true that bacteria can't move. They can hitch rides on other things. And acetobacter just LOVE living on the bodies of fruit flies. And fruitflies love alcohol. In fact, they can metabolize alcohol fumes.
So yea, I will always use an airlock, especially during the warmer months.
You get bonus points for the XKCD reference. Nicely done.Stand back, I'm going to try Science:
You get bonus points for the XKCD reference. Nicely done.
Chad
There is a layer of CO2 protecting your beer, but its not going to stay there without an airlock. If you only use foil, you're allowing the headspace to reach equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere, meaning CO2 out, room air in. And oxidized beer.
An airlock is like 2 bucks. Why not use one?
There is a layer of CO2 protecting your beer, but its not going to stay there without an airlock. If you only use foil, you're allowing the headspace to reach equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere, meaning CO2 out, room air in. And oxidized beer.
An airlock is like 2 bucks. Why not use one?
I regularly use, in order of frequency:
- tinfoil
- inverted half-pint jars
- a sheet of plexiglass (for bucket fermenters); get rid of those blasted lids.
- 3 piece airlocks
Ok...I'll go one further, sanitized tin foil?? I just assume fresh off the roll is pretty sanitary...no?
Ok...I'll go one further, sanitized tin foil?? I just assume fresh off the roll is pretty sanitary...no?
I regularly use, in order of frequency:
- tinfoil
- inverted half-pint jars
- a sheet of plexiglass (for bucket fermenters); get rid of those blasted lids.
- 3 piece airlocks
All my jars are the right way up. Anyone know where I can get some inverted ones?
I just drew a sample of my Tripel that's been sitting in a carboy for 5, almost 6 weeks under foil (which is aluminum, not tin ) and it is fine. No sherry/cardboard from oxidation. I'll bottle tomorrow and expect it to be just fine for months to come.
There's been plenty of fruit flies in my apt during summer months, and none have gotten to my beer. Again, to each his own.
I don't really get this question. Certainly you can brew without many of the tools we use but with an airlock and bung/cap costing a couple bucks, why would you?
I buy airlocks and bungs for something like 79 cents each and they can be used for hundreds of batches of beer. We still use the same airlocks and bungs we bought 5 years ago when we started brewing. What would be the advantage to using foil?
I do use tinfoil on some yeast starters as I don't have a airlock that wll fit properly..
Less chance of blowoff or suckback, easier to remove and replace for taking samples. And probably less chance of infection since you're sanitizing a fresh (ie very clean) piece of foil for each batch.
The only advantage of the airlock + bung on a primary that I can see is that you can watch it bubble. That's enough for me to use them sometimes, but that's mostly aesthetic since I'm going to test for doneness with a hydrometer anyway.
Yeah, that's just incorrect. How exactly does O2 get in there, when CO2 is heavier? Perhaps the O2 just wants it more? CO2 is heavier than O2, which is why our beer has that lovely protective cushion.
I suppose my last ~20 batches of beer have all been oxidized? They've all been made using tinfoil in place of airlocks, so they must all taste like soggy cardboard. Crap, I guess I'd better dump this glass of Oatmeal Stout that I'm drinking!
That is an exact depiction of my regular hat rotation.
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