vodka leak from airlock

All,

I did a search and saw that others have had water leak in from the airlock, but I use vodka and had about half the liquid in the airlock end up in the primary.

Im thinking Ive just ruined the flavor of the beer. Any advice?

-=gp125racer=-

RDWHAHB! A little vodka won't hurt a thing. A lot of vodka (like a fifth!) would probably be gross.

How much flavor is in vodka?







Not a sh!tload, eh?

All you did was boost the beer's ABV by a tiny, tiny amount. Relax, it's fine!

That means You have to take a shot of Vodka with each beer to counter act the effect.

Orfy, Now you have the right idea!!!!Sign me upppppp!!!!

Man, you guys are awesome! Talk about quick responses

Im glad I didnt use the orange vodka LOL. Ill make sure I have a shot or two before I crack open my firt brew of this one! Thanks again fellas!

-=gp125racer=-

There is the theory that you can take the Vodka before and you should follow up with a wee dram.

Save the Orange Vodka for Belgians.

i think you should put a straw in the fermentor, and try to sip out just the vodka... you should see a difference in the way the light refracts in the liquid..

jk..

Question... Why would you put vodka in the airlock? Will it affect the taste of the brew?

hwangnyc said:

Question... Why would you put vodka in the airlock? Will it affect the taste of the brew?

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Vodka contains a high concentration of alcohol, so it will remain relatively sanitized throughout the fermentation. It provides an extra layer of protection and peace-of-mind during the process. It will do nothing to affect the flavor of the brew.

Help, my airlock is leaking into the secondary. why is it now but not when it was on the primary?

It leaked a sanitation solution into the beer first then i had to fill it with filtered tap water and some of that leaked too. Am i screwed?

RyanJE said:

Help, my airlock is leaking into the secondary. why is it now but not when it was on the primary?

It leaked a sanitation solution into the beer first then i had to fill it with filtered tap water and some of that leaked too. Am i screwed?

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You're likely not screwed, but only fill the airlock about halfway with water. Avoid moving the fermenter around, as that can create some suction and draw some of the water in.

The other times I've had my airlock water sucked into the fermenter were during temperature changes and barometric pressure changes. I used to use sanitizer in my airlocks, but after having it sucked in during primary, I started using plain water. If it's going to be in secondary for a long time, I start with a little plain water and after it equalizes, I add saniziter in solution up to the line.

A little sanitizer in the brew won't hurt you. Not recommended, but not harmful. Try not to worry about it.

Lorena

nothing can live in Vodka...most any thing can live in water. I use 70% Molecular biology grade Ethanol good stuff.

sounds like classic suckback. You should be ok if you're done with the primary. this is one reason I use vodka exclusively in my airlocks.

Bsquared said:

I use 70% Molecular biology grade Ethanol good stuff.

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Everclear is probably cheaper, and it's got a higher ethanol content.

yeah nothing can live in ever clear, also good at cleaning a tough stain or giving you the worst head ache ever.

Yuri_Rage said:

You're likely not screwed, but only fill the airlock about halfway with water. Avoid moving the fermenter around, as that can create some suction and draw some of the water in.

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I did thats why i dont know how it got sucked in.

Yuri_Rage said:

Everclear is probably cheaper, and it's got a higher ethanol content.

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I take a little form my lab, It's 99.9% but I dilute it down to 70%. It is good for a quick sterilizations as well. My boss makes Wine and uses some from the lab as well, so he told me its okay to take some home. I would use Everclear, but we cant buy everclear here in California.

Wow, this same thing just happened to me! I brewed my very 1st batch tonight, tyvm, and filled my airlock to specifications with vodka. After doing so I did a shot myself, customary right? Well while moving the primary from the garage to the basement I stumbled and I'm sure some of the vodka made it into the brew. I'm glad everything will be alright, after reading some other posts it seems like beer brewing is pretty forgiving when it comes to small mistakes!

Cool Hand said:

I'm glad everything will be alright, after reading some other posts it seems like beer brewing is pretty forgiving when it comes to small mistakes!

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Yup. The first lesson that people need to learn is that, while it is important to follow proper sanitation procedures, it's a LOT harder to really f*ck up a beer than you would think. RDWHAHB!

I realize this is a bit off topic for this thread but....are ya ready for THE game tommorrow, Bird? J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

Cool Hand said:

I realize this is a bit off topic for this thread but....are ya ready for THE game tommorrow, Bird? J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

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NO! Im ready for the game on Monday night though!!! Go Bucs!!!!!

Cool Hand said:

I realize this is a bit off topic for this thread but....are ya ready for THE game tommorrow, Bird? J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

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Yup. Got the wagers in place and everything. I'm not worried about the Pats winning, I have a hard time seeing Belichick not being able to design a defense to shut down the Jets, but I have a feeling it will be close enough that they won't cover. Of course, I'm happy to lose a little homebrew if it means they advance...

Cool Hand said:

I realize this is a bit off topic for this thread but....are ya ready for THE game tommorrow, Bird? J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

Click to expand...

Yup. Got the wagers in place and everything. I'm not worried about the Pats winning, I have a hard time seeing Belichick not being able to design a defense to shut down the Jets, but I have a feeling it will be close enough that they won't cover. Of course, I'm happy to lose a little homebrew if it means they advance...

Isn't the Jets coach an old protege of Belichick's? Ought to be a good game.

Hopfan said:

Isn't the Jets coach an old protege of Belichick's? Ought to be a good game.

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Kinda-sorta. He was an assistant for six years, IIRC. Defensive co-ordinator last year. But, not many tears were shed when he left, he didn't seem to have the same respect from the players that Romeo Crennell and Charlie Weis had. There were lots of little rumblings when he left that he wasn't all that good.

Props to the Pats. I'd like to see them take down the chargers as well.

Me, too!

The complaint about Schotenheimer is that he gets too conservative in the postseason, but if "conservative" means "hand the ball to LT forty times," I'm not sure how we stop that. I tell you, though, yesterday was the best I've seen the Pats look in a while, probably since the Minnesotta game. Great play all around. Brady looked good, the defense was good, they were hitting hard. Looked to have some of the swagger back. So, I wouldn't bet against them next week, they've taken out some pretty damn impressive teams before.

I've used tequila as well without any issues - anyone know if this could be anymore problematic than vodka? I've never had any issues with either in countless batches

No but Vodka is the purest of spirits and will impart no taste. Not that you could taste and airlock of Tequila in 5 gallon of beer. Plus the Vodka's usually cheaper.