Total noob error. Major air lock water disaster question

I was soo excited to brew this perfect 100% yeast AA Witber. My airlock setup is a large bottle with a tube and boiled water.

When I bottled I never removed the air lock (such an idot!!) It sucked in the whole bottle of water at least 2 cups of 2 week old water. I realized I made the mistake when I heard the airlock lock hose finish the water at take in air.

The air lock tube was also full of frementation residue along with the water.

Other than the obvious taste problems with the dilution with the added water is it totally ruined? Perhaps even dangerous to drink?

Such a tradgedy, it was perfect before.

Thanks.

You shouldn't be fermenting in your bottling bucket.

Nothing to do at this point but hope for the best.

I'm using the coopers brewing kit hardware where you do everything in the 1 carboy.

That's why we bottled out of the fermentor.

Thanks!

Not at all dangerous to drink but the potential for infection is real. Even if you do get an infection, it's still perfectly safe to drink...just will likely have some off flavors...

If it is only a 1 gallon batch that will have a significant effect on the beer, even if it doesn't get infected. Still, if you a prepared for it to suck, it could be great

Ok, so you added 2 cups of blowout into 6 gallons of finished beer. That is a 2% increase. There is more alcohol in there than that.

Plus there is very little for any bad guys left to eat. They will just be drunk and hungry before they die.

Relax. Just be more careful next time.

If your using a carboy, how do you bottle with the airlock tube connected?

Brasco20 said:

If your using a carboy, how do you bottle with the airlock tube connected?

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It prolly looks like this.

That sucks, man. I guarantee you'll never let that happen again.

ahh. Never seen one of those.

Well, at least you didn't accidentally bottle a bleach or sanitizing solution.

Ya it was a 6 gallon batch. I tasted a sample during bottling with the blowout water and it tasted watered down and kinda "wrong".

It never tastes quite right until it's really, really done, i.e. carbed and all.

That's also the reason I put vodka in my airlock, if it sucks down, then I boosted the ABV instead of watering it down.

Justibone said:

It never tastes quite right until it's really, really done, i.e. carbed and all.

That's also the reason I put vodka in my airlock, if it sucks down, then I boosted the ABV instead of watering it down.

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That's good advice, 2 cups of cheap vodka still is better than ruining a whole batch. Lessons learned I'll never make that mistake again!

I did use a little extra priming sugar so I hope that combats it a little.

Nothing to worry about - at that point the fermentation was completed and the alcohol will be able to kill any minor bacteria introduced. Beer is a little bit more hardy then some people make it out to be - bottle - drink and enjoy

HollywoodMX said:

... I did use a little extra priming sugar so I hope that combats it a little.

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I hope not TOO much extra.

Beer_Guy said:

I hope not TOO much extra.

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25% based on direction from my local beer shop. I'm using PET bottles so I'm not worried about any explosions.

Well after a week and a half in the bottle I couldnt help but test it early. It's fine!! This early its short of a some carbination. Tastes a tad diluted but kinda makes it a light-witber type clean taste. I'm quite surprised how well it tasted despite the screw up. 2 more weeks and its going to be quite nice.

Why not use a store bought air lock? Way less to worry about.

Sometimes a brew needs time to let the flavors come together.

My Raspberry Wheat beer tasted VERY watered down after a week. Now at 3+ weeks it is a real mouth full. The Raspberry has really mellowed and is now just noticeable. Just the way I planned it.

Johnny_Crunch said:

Why not use a store bought air lock? Way less to worry about.

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Standard airlock was an epic fail.. I'll never use one again. Think beer airlock frementation volcano.. Very active yeast on this one.

Beer_Guy said:

Sometimes a brew needs time to let the flavors come together.

My Raspberry Wheat beer tasted VERY watered down after a week. Now at 3+ weeks it is a real mouth full. The Raspberry has really mellowed and is now just noticeable. Just the way I planned it.

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Ok, good to know.