Flavored vodka in airlock?

I will be brewing soon and I checked the freezer last night to find that the only vodka we have is vanilla flavored; is this OK to use in my airlock? I am not planning on spilling any into my beer and I figured alcohol is alcohol but wanted to get some opinions from the board. I thought about using some of my starsan solution but heard it really foams up in an airlock.

Using vodka in an airlock is a perfect waste of liquor.

Water works too.

On the off chance any got into your beer, I doubt it would be enough to alter the flavor.

Starsan is fine to use in the airlock, foam and all.

+1 on starsan
but used plain water for the years before I tried starsan.

You all have it wrong.... Drink the shot of vodka you were going to put into the airlock, and then put in Star San.

1st brew:
i used dry gin, no problems here

2nd brew:
iodophore, still no problems

I have ben using star san, but on Saturday I was putting the airlock on a new batch and my sani bucket was outside. I had a bottle of Everclear on my stand that I had been thinking of using and decided to give it a shot.

That stuff evaporates!

On Monday I am watching the yeasties do their thing and notice no airlock activity. Yep, the thing was almost dry. No worries, just filled it up again.

But just wantded to say, 180 proof rot gut = "NOT A GOOD CHOICE".

mmonacel said:

You all have it wrong.... Drink the shot of vodka you were going to put into the airlock, and then put in Star San.

Click to expand...

+1. Excellent advice.

or put Vodka in airlock let your brew ferment away - then drink airlock vodka on bottling day!

The cigar when a baby is born is the same as the airlock vodka shot on bottling day.

I used lemon vodka in a blow off jar once. When I racked to bottling bucket, I forgot to crack the lid on the fermentor. While I was concentrating on the racking tube, I heard a slurping noise. All the vodka from blow off jar went straight into the beer. It was quite a bit, but it didn't affect anything taste wise.

I too have used vodka, rum, wiskey, what ever extra liquor I had on hand in my air locks. To be honest with you it was just a big pain in the butt - every day when I came home from work I would find half of it evaporated, it made my house smell like booze, if it bubbles through the air lock it creats a sticky mess that could promote the growth of contaminants and get into your beer at bottling time. I think I would pee in my air lock before using liquor again.

mmonacel said:

You all have it wrong.... Drink the shot of vodka you were going to put into the airlock, and then put in Star San.

Click to expand...

[x] STRONGLY AGREE
[ ] SOMEWHAT AGREE
[ ] NO FEELINGS
[ ] DISAGREE
[ ] STRONGLY DISAGREE

Yeah, I just use water. Don't even boil it first. Guess I'm a risk taker. Of course I better knock on wood or I'll be cursing my next batch.

I have a couple of half-gallon plastic bottles of cheap, crap-tastic Vodka that a buddy of mine sent home in the cab with me from his wedding. (At least, I think he sent them home with me, because they were in the house when I woke up the next day - I doubt I stole them.) Admittedly, I'm a bit of a booze-snob, but I really wouldn't serve this stuff to someone I didn't like - but it works perfectly for the airlock and I don't even care if it evaporates. I have yet to figure out what to do with the half-gallon of gut rot "London Dry Gin."