Air Lock Question

[winstonofbeer]

I made a batch of beer yesterday.
Went really well, Couldnt ask for a better brew day.
This morning i go down and check on it and realize i forgot to put water in the airlock!!!!!!

No fermentation seems to be taking off yet,
So am i gonna get lucky? Or did i just loose 10 gal of beer due to infection?


Thanks for you help

 

[BadgerBrewer]

It will be fine. I woudn't use regular unsantized water though. Just put in a little vodka or sanitizing solution in case it gets sucked back into the brew during fermentation. Never really happened to me but better safe than sorry.

 

[Chipman]

Should be fine man. Use a ratio of 2 to 1 vodka for you, and vodka for the airlock.

 

[PorterIdontknowher]

Think of it this way... with a 3 piece airlock, something bad would need to fall into the hole, fall down... go into the floating piece... go up... then go to the middle... then fall into the wort and out-compete the yeast...

compare that with the old days where they would ferment in an open vat... I think the odds say you'll be ok... some folks do primary with a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the carboy...

 

[winstonofbeer]

Just looked today, Krauson is forming and there is blips in the airlock

Porter Ya you have a very good point. Just get worried rather quickly at times when i do something stupid that i have made sure i havent done in the past many times.

Thanks for all your help

 

[axr]

It will be fine. I woudn't use regular unsantized water though. Just put in a little vodka or sanitizing solution in case it gets sucked back into the brew during fermentation. Never really happened to me but better safe than sorry.

+1 on the sanitizing solution. Save the cheap vodka for company your not fond of.

 

[volstag]

I use vodka too, though it tends to evaporate quickly.

 

[JetSmooth]

+1 on the sanitizing solution. Save the cheap vodka for company your not fond of.

Serve company the sanitizer. Beer deserves the vodka.