Water or Vodka for Airlock?

I've seen a couple people here say you should use Vodka in your airlock. I was just wondering why that would be better? Does it not evaporate as quickly? Is it because it is thinner and allows air to escape easier? Just wondering what people think. Thanks!

I would always use Vodka.

It's because Vodka is sanitary. You want this in case it gets sucked into your beer by negative pressure, and to keep stuff from growing in the airlock.

You can also use star-san.

I appreciate the answer, but I am looking for reasons why vodka is better than water or vice versa....

Would you rather drink sanitizer or cheap vodka?

Most go for the later. It does evaporate during the course of a strong ferment, but it is easy to top off. Also if you cool your carboy and it sucks a little in you abv goes up.

A bottle of $9 vodka will last a very long time.

bottom shelf vodka....

I've had two suck-backs with Star-San with no ill-effects. Plus, I don't have to hang my head when I ask for the cheap liquor.

vodka for me. After fermentation take a shot out of the airlock!

I'd use vodka due to its sanitizing effects...but I find I just end up drinking vodka if its in the house.

Star San...

Crap... Now, on an economic basis, I have to learn how to distill good vodka, so its still cheap, but not in quality. Thanks a lot guys... Next thing you know I'm going to have to do my own hydro setup for hops...

vodka is cheap and it last forever with a big bottle that only cost what like 6 bucks, all i use

water for me ...if my beer cant survive a few drops of water during fermentation do I really want to drink it???

save the vodka for better things:

Vodka... it's cheaper than star san

I use Star-san with no Ill effects...Its cheaper than vodka!
...and you can shoot it if you want...

+1 for Vodka. If there is suck back, I think I just psychologically feel better that it is vodka. Maybe just witchcraft, but I read that advice early on in Palmer's, "How to Brew." It just sounded like a good idea. It acts as a sanitizer, is harmless to the beer, and a great way to kick off fermentation!

A shot for me, a shot for my airlock, oh. . .and another shot for my homeys.:rockin:

Everclear for me.

z987k said:

Vodka... it's cheaper than star san

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At $16.99 per 32 oz bottle (enough to make 20,480 oz of solution), Star San costs $0.0008 per oz.

At $6.00 per 1.5L handle, vodka costs $0.12 per oz.

Vodka is 150 times more expensive than Star San.

pirate504 said:

water for me ...if my beer cant survive a few drops of water during fermentation do I really want to drink it???

save the vodka for better things

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Agreed...unless the airlock is going to be sitting for months on end, I just use water.

Yuri_Rage said:

At $16.99 per 32 oz bottle (enough to make 20,480 oz of solution), Star San costs $0.0008 per oz.

At $6.00 per 1.5L handle, vodka costs $0.12 per oz.

Vodka is 150 times more expensive than Star San.

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Plus, you already have some star san made up (you've gotta sanitize the carboy/funnel/etc), so you can just reuse a couple ounces of it for the airlock.

It depends on what is handy. I've used Star San, vodka, bourbon, water. It's such a small amount your not going to taste whatever it is if it get sucked back in.

Its all good, just use something clean and food safe (no turpentine etc.).

I use Vodka because it is sanitary (unlike water) and I wouldn't mind drinking it (unlike starsan). At less than $0.12 a batch its too cheap to worry about.

The disadvantages of starsan or water are really more psychological than real so its really a matter of what makes you feel most comfortable.

Craig

Yuri_Rage said:

At $16.99 per 32 oz bottle (enough to make 20,480 oz of solution), Star San costs $0.0008 per oz.

At $6.00 per 1.5L handle, vodka costs $0.12 per oz.

Vodka is 150 times more expensive than Star San.

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Well yeah, but then I need a batch of star san on hand made up, which I almost never do. Vodka is ready to go out of the bottle. If I made a batch of star san every time I needed to top off an airlock..

z987k said:

Well yeah, but then I need a batch of star san on hand made up, which I almost never do. Vodka is ready to go out of the bottle. If I made a batch of star san every time I needed to top off an airlock..

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Save a spray bottle full every time you are making a batch. Makes it easy to sanitize things (hydrometers, etc) between brew days, and you can top off airlocks too. Otherwise you are just dumping the star san down the drain after sanitizing your carboy/whatever, right?

Zordok said:

Save a spray bottle full every time you are making a batch. Makes it easy to sanitize things (hydrometers, etc) between brew days, and you can top off airlocks too. Otherwise you are just dumping the star san down the drain after sanitizing your carboy/whatever, right?

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No, I usually just siphon it into an unused carboy.

z987k said:

No, I usually just siphon it into an unused carboy.

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Ah, I can see how pouring 2 tablespoons from a full carboy into an airlock could be annoying.

I used cheap vodka on my first batch with no ill effects.

you guys are right, I am replacing my starsan with vodka for sanitizing my equipment.

Or Gin so I will smell like pine needles.

CBBaron said:

I use Vodka because it is sanitary (unlike water) and I wouldn't mind drinking it (unlike starsan). At less than $0.12 a batch its too cheap to worry about.

The disadvantages of starsan or water are really more psychological than real so its really a matter of what makes you feel most comfortable.

Craig

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If the yeast are still active, then the yeast will consume the star-san...its actualluy good for them. I understand the Psycho part...

vodka works, some other liquors might work, but i would strongly discourage using any sort of liqueur or anything with any sugar content. tried it once, found a bunch of dead fruitflies in my airlock.

yes, the beer turned out fine. but why risk it?

I use Drain-O in my airlock. If it gets sucked into the beer from negative pressure and I drink it, it'll at least clear all that seddiment out of my intestines.....



Nah, I just use vodka, cheap, sanitary, and works like a charm.

At my old place we had a problem with fruit flies. They actually got into an air lock, laid eggs, and then the larva got inside the aging beer. It sounds almost unbelievable. But it is true.

My old roommate now puts lots of salt in the water in the airlock. It works very well and is very clean.

yeah vodka kills fruit flys and their larva to.

madewithchicken said:

At my old place we had a problem with fruit flies. They actually got into an air lock, laid eggs, and then the larva got inside the aging beer. It sounds almost unbelievable. But it is true.

My old roommate now puts lots of salt in the water in the airlock. It works very well and is very clean.

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I was researching kombucha last night, and found a site with pictures of kombucha infected with fruit fly larva.

http://www.happyherbalist.com/photos/vinegar eels.jpg

I just use watter. Once I didn't even use a air lock.

I used vodka, drank the bottle while I was brewing.

today I was swapping out a blow off tube from my porter, and the air lock from my apfelwien.

I had the bottle of vodka next to my brew closet while I sanitized the replacement air locks. Well one of my 20 months old got into the vodka, I had the cap off.

I heard the omnious sound of silence coming from the other room, then a glasss "tink" sound.

I took the bottle away from him, and finished up what I was doing. As I was leaning back after I replaced the air lock. I elbowed the bottle of vodka and broke it in half.

Apparently my toddler can handle the bottle a little better than I.

I had to upgrade my cheapy royal vodka for some seagrams in the mean time.

Vodka

Star San

Vodka. From the cheapest plastic bottle you can find.